Serious HAMSTER problem!! PLEASE HELP!!!

[DaisyIsPuppy]

[B]I have a bad problem with my hammy.Every since, I got my new puppy, my hammy, Midnight, has been peeing a lot and now I have to clean her cage every few days. My dad said that his co worker (that owns 2 hamsters) told me not to feed my hamster the vitamin drops, because that's what happened to his hammies, when the co-worker feed him vitamins. But, I was wondering my puppy could be agitating my Midnight and making her cage smell SO BAD. PLEASE HELP!! I'm totally clueless!!

[Miss Z]

Hm, could be. Small animals can pee out of fear, but I've never heard of excssive peeing like this. Have you changed bedding or disinfectant recently? Any new air fresheners? She could possibly have something irritating that area of her. Is the urine concentrated? She could be dehydrated. If all else fails, I'd have her checked out by a vet, just to make sure.

[DaisyIsPuppy]

Maybe its because of the bedding! What kind of bedding do you use? Or could you recommend some?

[Miss Z]

I just use general wood shavings for my rat and gerbils. Pine and cedar can be irritant to a lot of animals, check if yours is one of these. Also perhaps very fine sawdust can cause problems. I know some people who have sensitive small animals keep them on wood based cat litter!

[DaisyIsPuppy]

I use Aspen bedding, but does that matter

[kris198921]

ok well my hamster really likes my dogs and something that could be happening is that it is consuming to much liquids, also it could be that it needs a vet check up to determine the problem if it really is a problem, also once hamsters get so old their organs start to shut down just like a person.

[DaisyIsPuppy]

Thanks!

[Kikialla]

Try not to give your hammy
2 much water/liquid!!!

[Muddy4paws]

You can just use shredded paper, my hamster was always kept on that its a good way to shred your bills too.

Try her without the vitamins for a while

[Christmas_Hamster]

Well first of all pine and cedar should not be used for any small animals as they contain phenols which irritate the respiratory system and may cause skin irritation and fur loss. Some may also be allergic to it but it is ntot he main concern anyways as they should be avoided. Just avoid any and all soft wood shavings such as pine, cedar or spruce. I have heard that the pine in the UK is 'safe' but it is actually spruce bedding which although is not as strong as cedar and pine it is still unsafe.

Another thing hamsters should not be let near the dog nor the dog near the hamster. Your hamster should be kept in a room away from the dog. Hamsters stress easily and this huge animal(your dog) could literally stress you hamster to death.

I think what may have happened is that having this new dog added stress to the hamster which allowed his immune system to lower and made it easy for illness to invade. It sounds like some urinary tract problem I would get your hammie to a vet soon.

I hope your hammy is alright. Oh and aspen is safe as it is a hard wood shaving.

[HamsterHaven]

Your Hamster might have diabetes, that what they do when they have it.

[Christmas_Hamster]

That is only one syptom of diabetes. The other two are that the urine smells sweet-ish and that they are drinking a lot more.

[Jessika]

Whatever the worry, please don't get too worked up over prognoses -- to find the actual cause, please bring it to a vet. I can theorize all day about what COULD be the problem... but fact is I'm not a vet. I can only strongly suggest taking it to a vet and having a proper exam

[HamsterHaven]

Your Hamster may have Diabetes, thats what happens when they have too much sugar in their diet. As a result they wee alot, they may loose some fur, they sleep alot more.
If you want more info on Diabetes visit:
http://hamsterhaven.forumakers.com/s...-issue-t73.htm
Hamsters can die from this- so make sure you feed the Haster plenty of veg and a bit of boiled egg.
Get your Hamster vitamin drops, as that will help.
What breed is your Hamster?
Mainly, Russian Dwarf Hamsters suffer from this anyway, and if that's the case it's not you fault.

[Christmas_Hamster]

Those vitamin drops just foul the water/food. Unless prescribed by a vet they are a waste IMO.

The main thing to do is cut out sugary foods from the diet. This means no corn, peas, carrots, fruits or store bought treats. Then try and get some pedialyte(sp?) and 50/50 the water it will help keep them hydrated and help them not need to drink so much which will also cut down the urine back to normal. But yes high-protien foods are needed like hamsterhaven said hard boiled egg, tofu, chicken, soy milk, and other such things.

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