Post by tnh on Nov 27, 2011 11:00:45 GMT -4
(O Moderators, I don't know whether this belongs in the health care thread, or whether it's a legitimate topic on its own. If I've guessed wrong, please do not hesitate to move my message to the appropriate place.)
My hamster Lucius and I have been living together for about eighteen months. I don't know exactly how old he is because he's a re-homed rescue case, and the staff at the Petco had no useful information about him. Back then he was small, shy, and fast-moving. For most of this year he's been a big, calm, deliberate hamster, so we're looking at full maturity and then some. Until now, his health has been good.
Lately he's been drinking and excreting a lot more water, and his cage has a definite pong no matter how often I clean it. Where he previously was a solid daytime sleeper, he now wakes up several times a day and goes at the tube on his water bottle like a diva at a microphone.
Sometimes I find him trying to drink in his sleep: eyes closed, ears flat, fruitlessly sucking on a spot halfway down the water tube. After a while he realizes he's not getting any water, opens his eyes long enough to find the end of the tube, gets his drink, and then falls asleep again. Eventually, he makes his way back to his hideout. He's got to be seriously thirsty if he's out getting a drink when he's that tired.
On the food front, I'm starting to feel like his dish needs a refill every time I walk past. He isn't over-hoarding; when I clean out his cage, there's never much of a stash in his hideout. He's just going through a lot of hamster chow.
I've wondered about Cushing's Disease, but he hasn't been shedding fur or losing weight, and his muscle tone is good. The only dark pigmentation on his skin is on his ears, and they've always been like that. His skin is no dryer than usual. I've also wondered about the possibility of a kidney and/or bladder infection, but his appetite is good and he's not lethargic.
Mostly, I wonder whether he has diabetic tendencies. That would be my guess if a human had those symptoms. Any opinions?
On the assumption that he does have diabetic tendencies, I've stopped giving him bits of fresh fruit as snacks. Is there anything else I should take off his food list? My usual hamster chow is Fiesta Max. Should I try to remove the bits of dried fruit, or mix in non-sweet hamster-appropriate material to spread the treats a little thinner? And would it help to give him more high-protein snacks?
As usual, any advice will be gratefully received.
My hamster Lucius and I have been living together for about eighteen months. I don't know exactly how old he is because he's a re-homed rescue case, and the staff at the Petco had no useful information about him. Back then he was small, shy, and fast-moving. For most of this year he's been a big, calm, deliberate hamster, so we're looking at full maturity and then some. Until now, his health has been good.
Lately he's been drinking and excreting a lot more water, and his cage has a definite pong no matter how often I clean it. Where he previously was a solid daytime sleeper, he now wakes up several times a day and goes at the tube on his water bottle like a diva at a microphone.
Sometimes I find him trying to drink in his sleep: eyes closed, ears flat, fruitlessly sucking on a spot halfway down the water tube. After a while he realizes he's not getting any water, opens his eyes long enough to find the end of the tube, gets his drink, and then falls asleep again. Eventually, he makes his way back to his hideout. He's got to be seriously thirsty if he's out getting a drink when he's that tired.
On the food front, I'm starting to feel like his dish needs a refill every time I walk past. He isn't over-hoarding; when I clean out his cage, there's never much of a stash in his hideout. He's just going through a lot of hamster chow.
I've wondered about Cushing's Disease, but he hasn't been shedding fur or losing weight, and his muscle tone is good. The only dark pigmentation on his skin is on his ears, and they've always been like that. His skin is no dryer than usual. I've also wondered about the possibility of a kidney and/or bladder infection, but his appetite is good and he's not lethargic.
Mostly, I wonder whether he has diabetic tendencies. That would be my guess if a human had those symptoms. Any opinions?
On the assumption that he does have diabetic tendencies, I've stopped giving him bits of fresh fruit as snacks. Is there anything else I should take off his food list? My usual hamster chow is Fiesta Max. Should I try to remove the bits of dried fruit, or mix in non-sweet hamster-appropriate material to spread the treats a little thinner? And would it help to give him more high-protein snacks?
As usual, any advice will be gratefully received.
