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Early on in the history of Chinese hamster research in laboratories it was discovered that some became diabetic spontaneously rather than as a result of obesity & insulin resistance as in some other lab animals like rats & mice so diabetes is a genetic predisposition caused by a degeneration or reduction in certain cells in the pancreas which produce insulin & is not originally caused by poor breeding practise but it may be that a failure to breed out those with the genetic predisposition has resulted in a higher likelihood of diabetes occurring in pet hamsters.
Laboratory research has also shown that stress can be a factor in the onset of diabetes in Chinese hamsters, they are quite sensitive compared to other species so it’s best to avoid stress as much as possible.
I can’t find the whole article but there is a summary here.
https://journal.psych.ac.cn/acps/EN/abstract/abstract1276.shtml
Diabetes is not uncommon in pet Chinese but by no means are all pet Chinese predisposed to diabetes so while there is a good chance a pet Chinese won’t develop diabetes it is worth taking care with diet & keeping a look out for any signs or symptoms of the disease.
They can develop the disease at any age but most often tend to be quite young when the first signs appear.
Diet, diagnosis & measures to help manage health in diabetic hamsters is really very much the same for any species so also applies to Campbell’s Russian & Russian hybrids.
The most important thing is to feed a healthy diet that is low in sugars, even natural sugars like fruit & corn products, most veg are fine even the sweeter ones are ok as an occasional treat as the fibre in them does slow absorbtion to some extent & some like peas are also a good source of protein & all veg contributes micronutrients to a hamster diet.
The second dietary consideration is fat, there is quite a lot of research that shows a low fat diet can be beneficial even when the hamster is predisposed to diabetes or pre-diabetic.
It’s not such an easy thing to do as many of the things they enjoy especially the things we give as treats do tend to be high in fat but it is best to keep the higher fat treats to a minimum as a treat rather than a frequent food.
Animal fats seem to be more of an issue than vegetable fats although both can be contributory factors so things like mealworms & any kind of meat treat (cat chicken treats for example) that are high in fat are best kept to a minimum for healthy Chinese & avoided completely should a hamster be diabetic.
Good protein & fibre levels in the diet will be beneficial.
Symptoms.
The first symptom you are likely to see is increased thirst & urine output.
You may also notice the sweet smell of sugar in the urine.
It is important to test the urine to be sure if it is diabetes & if so to check both glucose & ketone levels.
These same symptoms may also be a sign of a urinary infection or a kidney problem so always test & consult your vet. (Even with a diagnosis of diabetes it is important to bear this in mind & if your hamster appears unwell don’t assume it’s just the diabetes but also check for a UTI or kidney issues.)
To test a hamsters urine you need to put them in a clean empty plastic box & wait, if they are peeing frequently it shouldn’t take long but if it takes longer than expected & the hamster shows signs of becoming stressed it’s best to stop & try again later.
A vet will need a urine sample if they’re going to be able to make a diagnosis of diabetes, UTI or kidney issues so it’s best to ask them about this before an appointment.
Other than excess thirst & peeing you may notice an increase in appetite, weight loss & changes in behaviour.
When Chinese are unwell they tend to become quite reclusive even when bonded with their owner & are normally quite interactive, their behaviour & body language shows that they’re feeling vulnerable.
If a diagnosis of diabetes is confirmed always ask your vet for advice, some unfortunately will just say there’s nothing you can do while others will be helpful in giving advice on managing the condition & measures you can take to help your hamster.
Chinese hamsters can live a good life with diabetes & live to a fairly good age so it need not be as dire as it seems if you get a positive diagnosis.
Long term they can develop kidney & heart problems & cataracts so as they get older it is even more important to monitor closely & keep in touch with your vet.
There are no medical treatments for diabetes in hamsters as they are far too small to be able to inject with insulin as a human would be but there are some measures you can take to help.
Always consult your vet first.
If a urine test shows just high glucose & no ketones then fenugreek seeds can be given to help reduce hyperglycaemia, these can be given as dry seeds, a tea made by soaking the seeds in water (I’m really not sure if a. hamster would drink that though) or as sprouted seeds. The safe dose is up to 25 seeds but you would need to proceed slowly with just a few seeds, see if your hamster will take them & keep a check on the glucose levels in the urine tests so you know if you need more or less.
If the urine test shows high ketones without high glucose it’s recommended to give a 50/50 pedialyte water solution to prevent dehydration & maintain energy levels.
If it shows high ketones & high glucose then both the solution & fenugreek seeds can be given.
I haven’t seen this suggested for hamsters but I did come across an interesting article on the benefits of sprouted soya beans as a hypoglycaemic.
https://sproutpeople.org/sprouts/nutrition/science#soybeans
As hamsters can & often will eat soya products then this might be something worth considering as a possibly more acceptable & palatable alternative to fenugreek seeds. Sprouting soya beans is also quick & easy to do.
Diet.
Diet should be high protein, no sugar only complex carbohydrates, low fat & high fibre.
Increasing protein can help with energy levels & weight loss but care should be taken with older hamsters as too much protein can put a strain on the kidneys which will already be working extra hard with the high glucose excretion.
The usual protein supplementary foods can be given, egg white, tofu & plain white chicken meat are all fine.
The pseudograins (buckwheat, amaranth & quinoa) also supply good levels of protein as well as being a good source of complex carbohydrate & fibre so these can be added to the diet quite freely.
My Chinese have all enjoyed just straight unhulled buckwheat but also enjoy it sprouted, they also like sprouted quinoa while not being so keen on the dry seed.
These all make a good porridge too which can help with hydration as well as nutrition.
Keeping fat levels low is hard I know but try to use a mix that isn’t too high in fat (they vary a lot) & avoid too many fatty treats like nuts & some seeds.
Some healthy fats are essential but these should be present in a good mix.
Flax seeds are a good source of healthy fats as well as extra protein & fibre & with the health benefits they offer are a good food to use in moderation.
I’ve read several articles on dietary fats & diabetes in Chinese hamsters but found this one the most informative (& readable!).
https://www.cambridge.org/core/serv...y-determined-diabetes-of-chinese-hamsters.pdf
Most hamster mixes along with some veg will provide adequate fibre so it’s not really something you have to adjust yourself.
Every hamster is an individual so each will differ to some extent when unwell but i hope this general overview will be of some help as a starting point for anyone who’s hamster does develop diabetes.
Laboratory research has also shown that stress can be a factor in the onset of diabetes in Chinese hamsters, they are quite sensitive compared to other species so it’s best to avoid stress as much as possible.
I can’t find the whole article but there is a summary here.
https://journal.psych.ac.cn/acps/EN/abstract/abstract1276.shtml
Diabetes is not uncommon in pet Chinese but by no means are all pet Chinese predisposed to diabetes so while there is a good chance a pet Chinese won’t develop diabetes it is worth taking care with diet & keeping a look out for any signs or symptoms of the disease.
They can develop the disease at any age but most often tend to be quite young when the first signs appear.
Diet, diagnosis & measures to help manage health in diabetic hamsters is really very much the same for any species so also applies to Campbell’s Russian & Russian hybrids.
The most important thing is to feed a healthy diet that is low in sugars, even natural sugars like fruit & corn products, most veg are fine even the sweeter ones are ok as an occasional treat as the fibre in them does slow absorbtion to some extent & some like peas are also a good source of protein & all veg contributes micronutrients to a hamster diet.
The second dietary consideration is fat, there is quite a lot of research that shows a low fat diet can be beneficial even when the hamster is predisposed to diabetes or pre-diabetic.
It’s not such an easy thing to do as many of the things they enjoy especially the things we give as treats do tend to be high in fat but it is best to keep the higher fat treats to a minimum as a treat rather than a frequent food.
Animal fats seem to be more of an issue than vegetable fats although both can be contributory factors so things like mealworms & any kind of meat treat (cat chicken treats for example) that are high in fat are best kept to a minimum for healthy Chinese & avoided completely should a hamster be diabetic.
Good protein & fibre levels in the diet will be beneficial.
Symptoms.
The first symptom you are likely to see is increased thirst & urine output.
You may also notice the sweet smell of sugar in the urine.
It is important to test the urine to be sure if it is diabetes & if so to check both glucose & ketone levels.
These same symptoms may also be a sign of a urinary infection or a kidney problem so always test & consult your vet. (Even with a diagnosis of diabetes it is important to bear this in mind & if your hamster appears unwell don’t assume it’s just the diabetes but also check for a UTI or kidney issues.)
To test a hamsters urine you need to put them in a clean empty plastic box & wait, if they are peeing frequently it shouldn’t take long but if it takes longer than expected & the hamster shows signs of becoming stressed it’s best to stop & try again later.
A vet will need a urine sample if they’re going to be able to make a diagnosis of diabetes, UTI or kidney issues so it’s best to ask them about this before an appointment.
Other than excess thirst & peeing you may notice an increase in appetite, weight loss & changes in behaviour.
When Chinese are unwell they tend to become quite reclusive even when bonded with their owner & are normally quite interactive, their behaviour & body language shows that they’re feeling vulnerable.
If a diagnosis of diabetes is confirmed always ask your vet for advice, some unfortunately will just say there’s nothing you can do while others will be helpful in giving advice on managing the condition & measures you can take to help your hamster.
Chinese hamsters can live a good life with diabetes & live to a fairly good age so it need not be as dire as it seems if you get a positive diagnosis.
Long term they can develop kidney & heart problems & cataracts so as they get older it is even more important to monitor closely & keep in touch with your vet.
There are no medical treatments for diabetes in hamsters as they are far too small to be able to inject with insulin as a human would be but there are some measures you can take to help.
Always consult your vet first.
If a urine test shows just high glucose & no ketones then fenugreek seeds can be given to help reduce hyperglycaemia, these can be given as dry seeds, a tea made by soaking the seeds in water (I’m really not sure if a. hamster would drink that though) or as sprouted seeds. The safe dose is up to 25 seeds but you would need to proceed slowly with just a few seeds, see if your hamster will take them & keep a check on the glucose levels in the urine tests so you know if you need more or less.
If the urine test shows high ketones without high glucose it’s recommended to give a 50/50 pedialyte water solution to prevent dehydration & maintain energy levels.
If it shows high ketones & high glucose then both the solution & fenugreek seeds can be given.
I haven’t seen this suggested for hamsters but I did come across an interesting article on the benefits of sprouted soya beans as a hypoglycaemic.
https://sproutpeople.org/sprouts/nutrition/science#soybeans
As hamsters can & often will eat soya products then this might be something worth considering as a possibly more acceptable & palatable alternative to fenugreek seeds. Sprouting soya beans is also quick & easy to do.
Diet.
Diet should be high protein, no sugar only complex carbohydrates, low fat & high fibre.
Increasing protein can help with energy levels & weight loss but care should be taken with older hamsters as too much protein can put a strain on the kidneys which will already be working extra hard with the high glucose excretion.
The usual protein supplementary foods can be given, egg white, tofu & plain white chicken meat are all fine.
The pseudograins (buckwheat, amaranth & quinoa) also supply good levels of protein as well as being a good source of complex carbohydrate & fibre so these can be added to the diet quite freely.
My Chinese have all enjoyed just straight unhulled buckwheat but also enjoy it sprouted, they also like sprouted quinoa while not being so keen on the dry seed.
These all make a good porridge too which can help with hydration as well as nutrition.
Keeping fat levels low is hard I know but try to use a mix that isn’t too high in fat (they vary a lot) & avoid too many fatty treats like nuts & some seeds.
Some healthy fats are essential but these should be present in a good mix.
Flax seeds are a good source of healthy fats as well as extra protein & fibre & with the health benefits they offer are a good food to use in moderation.
I’ve read several articles on dietary fats & diabetes in Chinese hamsters but found this one the most informative (& readable!).
https://www.cambridge.org/core/serv...y-determined-diabetes-of-chinese-hamsters.pdf
Most hamster mixes along with some veg will provide adequate fibre so it’s not really something you have to adjust yourself.
Every hamster is an individual so each will differ to some extent when unwell but i hope this general overview will be of some help as a starting point for anyone who’s hamster does develop diabetes.
It's a less common veg to get. I like the idea of the Rodipet hybrid mix with artichoke in (or is it asparagus!).
