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Post by Die Fledermaus on Feb 22, 2004 22:14:22 GMT -4
Please post additions in this sticky thread regarding health and care issues for dwarf hamsters.
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Post by dosergirl on Feb 25, 2004 22:48:03 GMT -4
National Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435
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Post by Die Fledermaus on May 5, 2004 0:20:40 GMT -4
LINK>> . . .A diabetic needs regular testing to adjust diet by resulting glucose levels. It can be done at home with inexpensive test strips from a pharmacy. They need extra bedding and a warm environment. Potty training is essential, since their urine tends to mold, and that spreads easily to the water bottle also. Increased ventilation helps, as do frequent cage cleanings and spot cleanings. Their home and toys must be extra safe, and severe diabetics are often housed alone to prevent any injury from squabbles. The risk of infection is high and they don't fight them off well. Any injury or illness in a diabetic hamster requires immediate attention. It's also important to watch their teeth, as they're prone to gum disease (Puppy has lost his incisors several times, the uppers permanently.) After watching Puppy and Max and reading everything I could find, I decided never to feed a Campbells under a year old simple sugars, since diabetes does damage silently even before symptoms are evident. I avoid corn, commercial treats and foods containing added sucrose, dextrose, maltose, fructose, lactose, maltodextrins, honey, molasses or other simple sugars in favor of complex carbohydrates (rice, pasta, oats) in addition to a high-quality seed mix. No fresh or dried fruit either -- fructose raises their blood sugar very fast. The healthiest food for a diabetic is vegetables. I feed up to 50% of their daily volume as fresh veggies. Of course, you have to arrive at this quantity very gradually, but now all my hams enjoy a similar fresh-based diet, and with no diarrhea from it. Protein is also important. I feed about 18% of daily caloric intake as protein to mine until they pass 12-15 months of age, and then gradually decrease it to avoid exacerbating any amyloidosis as their kidney function declines with age. Protein-rich foods healthful for all hamsters include steamed chicken, tofu, lentils, fat-free cottage cheese, fat-free unsweetened yogurt, unsweetened soymilk and some kitten milk replacement formulas. Some people use goat's milk, but I couldn't find it. Diabetics have viscous blood and decreased circulation, so while all hamsters require a low-fat diet for their cardio- and cerebrovascular health and to prevent the heart attacks and strokes that are too common among them, it is critical for diabetics. To reduce fat, I remove the sunflower seeds and any nuts or other fatty seeds from commercial mixes, and avoid saturated fats and cholesterol. Max's diabetes was very severe, and while we managed to cut his urine glucose readings by 50%, they were still ten times high normal. He often had times when he metabolized so little of his food he'd become too weak even to eat. I hand-fed him rice and bits of chicken, broccoli, spinach -- all his favorites, and kept him drinking when he was reluctant. Eventually, he drank up to three times his body weight daily, so I reduced his protein intake to help his strained kidneys. We spent many nights cuddled in a warm sweater, nibbling rice and sharing smoochies. . . <<
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Post by hamwolf89 on Jun 26, 2006 15:16:37 GMT -4
I made a great discovery. Here is a link to the greatest dwarf hamster care site(that I know of)
[ftp]http://russiandwarfhamsters.tripod.com/hams/index.html[/ftp]
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jun 26, 2006 18:56:04 GMT -4
I've seen that, and it really is worth posting a link to. Thanks.
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Post by gerbilgal on Mar 28, 2011 11:54:07 GMT -4
I just adopted a wonderful cute Robo Hammie from Petco yesterday. Any advice on the care and feeding? Is there anything different from a Syrian? Can I give them the same veggies as a Syrian?
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Mar 28, 2011 19:08:32 GMT -4
I am too busy to get to that right now, and Robin is the dwarf expert anyway. Tomorrow night for me, and I will PM Robin. You can look over the old dwarf threads, and maybe others, for information.
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Post by gerbilgal on Mar 28, 2011 23:50:29 GMT -4
ok. No problem. I will look at the old threads.
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Mar 29, 2011 21:09:25 GMT -4
www.russiandwarfhamsters.net/dwarf-hamster-care/Veggies, yes, >>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5588650/pet_chinese_hamsters.html?cat=53<< The things that come to mind with me are this: avoid lettuce for all as too much causes the runs and dehydration and has no nutritional value. Dwarfs like to hang out in tubes more and poop there, unlike Syrians who do it in one place. Most importantly, dwarfs are more prone to diabetes and should not be given sweet stuff such as fruit, or starchy foods like corn or potatoes (which gets quickly turned into sugar in the body). I can't think of much more. One of those sites says it is best to keep them in pairs: male and female! Great, more babies. Of course, Syrians have to be kept alone. I know there can be exceptions, but it is too risky to attempt even with brothers. I know sisters does not work out. Dwarf trios can be problematic; one alone can manage. A rat (or, to a lesser extent, a gerbil alone) alone may feel depressed. They are very social. Supposedly a dwarf can eat as much as a Syrian owing to high metabolism. Hopefully, Robin or Katie can add more. dwarfhammies101.webs.com/careandcleaning.htmwww.hamsterific.com/nutrition.cfmvegtables.info/vegtable_qa/what-vegtables-can-my-hamster-eat/----------- FYI Chinese hamsters: >>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5588650/pet_chinese_hamsters.html?cat=53<<
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Post by pinky on Mar 29, 2011 21:36:31 GMT -4
I just adopted a wonderful cute Robo Hammie from Petco yesterday. Any advice on the care and feeding? Is there anything different from a Syrian? Can I give them the same veggies as a Syrian? Congrats! I adopted my first Robo in January. Robos aren't diabetes-prone so you can feed them normally. I give Ping about 3/4 tsp of seed mix a day, plus a few random seeds taken out of the mix as treats. Fresh food daily: a small piece of something veggie (broccoli, kale, carrot, pepper are what I've used lately) and a small bit of cooked oatmeal or shredded wheat. I definitely feed less than I'd feed a normal dwarf. Ping seems to be staying the same size so I guess I'm feeding properly. Care: Ping is in a tank with an 8" wheel, an igloo, and a paper towel tube. He loves to burrow in the Carefresh so I give him about 3" of it. The paper towel tube is his favorite place when he's not underground. He pees in it and in the wheel so I must clean the first and replace the second often. He's not a big fan of the play bin, I've found. The tube is a good way to remove him when it's time to clean the cage--once he's in there, cap both ends with your hands and move him to the holding container. He is not a chewer of the tube, but he will nibble on me if my hands smell like food. Right now he will take food from my hand, not flinch if I move things around in the cage, walk over my hand, etc. If I want to hold him I have to corner him and completely enclose him with my hands or else he squeezes out like a slippery bar of soap. Last night we did the hand-to-hand thing several times before he escaped from my grasp. That represented progress. Sometimes he will now just sit in my clasped hands for a moment, which is better than it was where he was perpetually trying to get away. When I first got him he was terribly skittish and I didn't even try to hold him. Movements and noises still spook him sometimes, but he is much better. One can't blame him for being nervous--he started out life with an owner that let cats mill around his cage and bat at him. So it's been a process, and I don't expect him to ever be cuddly or for me to ever feel safe letting him run on me outside of, say, the bathtub, but that's ok. It's fun to watch him be a blur on the wheel, to leap from one side of the cage to the other, etc. He is soooo fast. If he ever gets loose I don't think I'll ever see him again. . . Sexing: Robo males do have the swellings but not obvious testicles. They also tend to have a yellowish stain around their scent gland (on the belly, as with Campbell's). The only reason I know that Ping is a boy is that he started out life in a Habitrail OVO and I could get a look at his underside when he went up and down in the tubes. He came to me as a "girl" but that got revised quickly! Fortunately PingPong is a unisex name! Happy to answer other questions! Enjoy your new furchild!
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