Warning Signs
- Excess water drinking
- Weight loss (or) gain
- Maple syrup smell
- Changes in behavior
Testing for diabetes
Step 1:
Place your ham in a small carrier, with nothing in it but them. (this is important: no bedding, no water, no hide, etc) a healthy dry snack would be fine, but nothing else.
Step 2:
Check on them regularly until you see that they've peed. (this should hopefully take less than an hour)
Step 3:
Use a Pet Urine Test Strip to test the levels of glucose in the pee. If it spikes, then you'll know their body may not be processing sugar properly!
What do I do if its positive?!
The only way diabetes can result in death is if someone does not realize their hamster has developed diabetes, and feed them fruit or something with sugar, and the hammies sweet system is unable to process this sugar, this can lead to diabetic shock, which can lead to them passing.
Lifestyle changes
Avoid all fruit and never give any sugary treats.
Limit carbs, and feed a high protein, high fiber, low fat diet (which is already the recommendation for hamsters)
Make sure your sweetie always has lots of water in their enclosure because they may need access to it more than others!
