russian dwarf hamster losing weight

[Veer]

Thank you both. I did check her teeth, i don't see anything unnusual.l, but i cannot see in her mouth.
Will see if i can find the science selective, i thought these pellets are too big for dwarfs?
Why are they better then the Beaphar pellets?

 

[Maz]

They are really quite small actually. They used to be bigger but are more smaller thinner pellets now, They would be fine for a dwarf hamster. I think she will actually eat them as well. I've never known a hamster not eat those.

There is no way you can tell how much a hamster is eating really as they eat such tiny amounts regularly so even if you checked the hoard you wouldn't be able to tell.

 

[elusive]

I think the ingredients are better in the science selective, the other ones have things like animal & vegetable derivatives that can mean just about anything.
I think the size would be ok too.

 

[Member ID2]

It is impossible to tell how much exactly a hamster eats because they hoard so much so a change in her set up wouldn't really help.

I don't often weigh my hamsters and assess their health more by appearance and behaviour but will take them to the vet should they start to look thinner, appear lethargic or in discomfort.

Did you give your hamster a health check and check for any lumps?

Yes, i'd definitely leave the formula out, feed Bunny dreams only and supplement with things like dried mealworms and sunflower seeds.

You could check the ingredients list of the Beaphar and Science Selective pellets online to see if there is a difference and then opt for the one you feel is the most suitable. Ingredients can vary from country to country.

If your hamster continues to lose weight for no obvious reason it may be a good idea to get her checked by a hamster knowledgeable or exotics vet.

 

[Maz]

I would only use science selective pellets personally. They've been tried and tested for a long time. Good idea about giving extra treats like sunflower seeds. As Elusive says she is still a good weight but I can see you're concerned. If in a week's time, with some science selective added to the bunny and a few sunflower seeds scattered daily, she has lost more weight then you might need to think about a vet check up in case there is something going on, but I suspect she will gain some weight again after giving sunflower treats and science selective.

 

[Veer]

She is eating the beaphar pellets for a while now, with some seedmix scattered in te bedding.
She eats about 4gr pellets and only a sprinkle of seeds. she gained her weight back in a week or so, but now continues to gain weight. She is 52gr now.
Just as happy and active as always.
Should i feed less pellets?
(I also tried science selective for her, but she prefers the beaphar)

 

[Maz]

I would continue as you are. Very pleased to hear they suit her. She is unlikely to become overweight on pellets.

 

[Veer]

Me too, but i think she should stop gaining weight at a point..... she has never been over 50 grams.

 

[Veer]

she is about 55grams now for about a week

 

[RainbowBrite]

That is wonderful news!

 

[Veer]

Update: In the past 2 months she kept her weight around 56-58gr.
In the last few days she is loosing weight again, just like she did before. Seems healthy otherwise.
Only change is that i gave her a bit more seedmix and sprays instead of only Beaphar with just a tiny sprinkle of seeds.
She now weighes 4grams. She went from 56 grams to 47grams in two weeks.
Is it normal for russian dwarfs to drop weight from time to time ?
Should i stick to only Beaphar and she if she gaines back weight again?

 

[Maz]

I'm sorry to hear this. Does she actually look and feel thinner? Is it possible the scales aren't reading reliably every time? I have some flatbed ones and if I use them on carpet they give a different reading every time! Mine are only reliable if on a hard surface.

 

[Veer]

She feels a bit thinner, but i can't see it.
I am sure that the scale is reliable.
What to do?

 

[elusive]

It’s not normal for them to drop weight, once they’re fully grown they do normally keep a fairly stable weight and a loss of nearly 10g is quite a lot.
Which seed mix have you given her, is it the Bunny nature one? It does seem that the change of food back to a seed mix is probably the issue so if she seems healthy with the Beapher maybe stick with that or try another mix along with the pellets & see how that goes.

 

[Veer]

Yes it is the bunny dwarf hamster mix.
I will try and see how she does with only Beaphar pellets again.

 

[elusive]

It is a little strange as the Bunny mix is quite a good one so it’s hard to see why she would be losing weight on that, I can’t really think of anything else to suggest tbh.

 

[Veer]

I don't know what can cause this either.
Maybe she is just picking out the seeds she likes. I will look in her mch for a stash, and switch her back to pellets only for a while.

 

[elusive]

It would be worth a look at her stash just to see what she’s eating & what she’s just hoarding, if there’s a lot of seeds there it may be that she’s taking them but not eating them.

I’ve never used the Beapher pellets & just wondering if they’re hard like science selective or softer & possibly easier for her to eat.

 

[Maz]

It’s possible she could have some kind of food intolerance to some ingredients. If she was doing well on the beaphar pellets then yes, maybe keep her on those.

We had a dog many years ago who could t tolerate any dog food except one particular brand of dry all in one food.

It’s not unheard of for a hamster to have a food allergy or intolerance.

 

[Veer]

But is the beaphar a good food?
Ahe didn't want to eat any beaphar after canging the cage this weekend, so i gave her some Bunny dwarf food.
saturday she hoarded 10grams in about 30mintes and i gave her a new 10gr sunday afternoon. That was also gone in 30minutes.
After that i only gave Beaphar and sje ate about 5grams since sunday evening.
She went from saturday 46gr to 49gr this morning.

What food do you think is better? BUNNY OR Beaphar?
She seems so only be hoarding the Bunny food, so maybe combine the two so she has some variety from the Bunny what she can hoard, and the Beaphar for her to snack from.