Which hamsters are prone to diabetes?

Like humans, hamsters can get diabetes. Some species of hamsters including Russian dwarf hamsters (Campbell’s, winter whites or their hybrids) and Chinese hamsters develop diabetes more easily than others. Although purebred winter white hamsters supposedly do not develop diabetes as easily, most of the hamsters labeled ‘winter white’ in pet shops are hybrids and not purebred. As such, I consider them ‘diabetes-prone’ too.

Conventional hamster wisdom (I just made up that term) says no to fruit but…

Many hamster web sites and forums advise against giving fruit to diabetes-prone hamsters. The assumption is that fruit are naturally high in sugar and giving them to your diabetic/diabetes-prone hamster will worsen its condition. Up until recently, I have avoided giving fruit to my winter white dwarf hamsters because of this. However, other than being higher in sugar than say vegetables, fruits are healthy and packed full of vitamins and minerals.

Not all fruits are high sugar

Fruits are also not all equally high in sugar, some of them don’t really have that much sugar in them. And who decides how much sugar is too high anyway? None of the information I came across mentioned a specific amount.

Blackberries vs Bananas vs Turnips

Take blackberries for example — every 100 grams of blackberries contains just 4.9grams of sugar. Compare this to bananas which contain 12 grams of sugars. And turnips, one of the ‘safe’ foods listed on Hamster Hideout for even diabetes-prone hamsters, have 3.8grams of sugar.

Why is it that turnips are okay at 3.8grams of sugar but blackberries are not? Does the 1.1g of sugar make a difference or are blackberries incorrectly assumed to be high sugar simply because they are a fruit?

I’ve been guilty of making this assumption myself on my dwarf hamster food list (to be updated with a fruit section soon). If you look at the comments, I’ve advised against giving carrots…but 100 grams of carrots contain just 4.7 grams of sugar so that’s even lower than blackberries.

Okay, some fruits (and carrot) have less sugar, now what?

The amount of sugar in a fruit doesn’t really tell us much about whether we can give them to a diabetic hamster. All we know is that some fruits have less sugar than others and not much more sugar than turnips. Instead of looking at the amount of sugar and trying to figure out whether it’s good or bad, why not look directly at what research says about diabetes and fruits:

Fruits are good for diabetic people (so maybe they’re okay for diabetic hamsters?)

While this is for humans, the American Diabetes Association says that fruits are okay for diabetic people. Also, human studies show that eating whole fruits, especially blueberries, grapes, and apples, helps lower the risk of diabetes. You can find the news article here, and the actual research here.

So…does this mean I should give my diabetes-prone hamster fruit?

While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that whole fruits lower diabetes risk in hamsters, I am of the opinion that feeding the occasional fresh fruit isn’t so bad even if your hamster is diabetic.

This article was inspired by Taxonomist’s thread on questioning conventional diet recommendations

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Some hamsters like to chew stuff up and a lot of people find their plastic accessories don’t last long when their pet hamster keeps using them as chew toys. If you use a plastic bottle stand or a water bottle that’s placed directly in the cage, you might have to replace them often because they’re so easily damaged by your pet.

A while ago, Flaxseed the winter white hamster started chewing at her water bottle stand. We had plenty of chew toys for her but she seemed to prefer the bottle stand and bottle over her regular chew-toys. Look at the huge hole she made!

Flaxseed had to go back to her old cage because she chewed up her bottle stand. She’s now back in the DIY bin cage with her new chew-proof bottle stand!

The solution: A chew-proof ceramic bottle stand

We got her more attractive chew toys and hamster-safe dog treats, but she didn’t stop chewing on the stand. In the end, we found a ceramic bottle stand that’s not just chew-proof, but also protects the bottle from getting chewed on. There’s also space inside the stand and an entrance so the hamsters can use it as a hideout.  Below is a photo of Flaxseed and Oatmeal with their ceramic bottle stand/hideout.

boo_the_hamster requested photos that show the whole bottle stand, but we thought a video might be clearer. The video’s a little shaky but you can see the entire ceramic stand, the area where we put the bottle in, and the ‘hideout’. Also the stand/hideout is a good size for dwarf hamsters but probably too small for a Syrian hamster.

Where to buy a ceramic bottle stand

The above bottle stand is now available on Amazon in Yellow 😀

We got the above bottle stand from China and it’s also available on Aliexpress which is a China-based shopping site.

Amazon US sells a different (and cheaper) ceramic bottle stand for hamsters (photo below) but it doesn’t come with a hideout.

This article discusses the best hamster bedding you can get for your pet.

Traditionally, wood shavings are a popular option for hamster bedding. However, some types of shavings sold in pet stores are actually harmful to hamsters. For example, bedding made from pine or cedar contain chemicals that can damage your hamster’s lungs in the long run.

Unlabeled wood shavings are also frequently made from these two materials and should be avoided. Always check the labels on the product to make sure that there isn’t any pine or cedar in it.

Other than pine and cedar shavings, scented bedding may contain harmful chemicals and are not that great for your pet hamster’s sensitive nose even if they smell great to you.

Your hamster spends literally all the time in their bedding so it’s important to get something safe and healthy for it. Here are some of the best bedding you can use for your hamsters and other small pets.

Carefresh Ultra and Carefresh Colors

Carefresh Ultra is the first bedding I got for my hamsters and the one I like best. If you look at some of our earlier hamster pictures, they all have Carefresh Ultra bedding in them! This bedding is also pretty popular among other hamster owners.

Carefresh Ultra is made with white cellulose fiber and free from dyes, ink, and other chemicals. Because it’s white, it’s also easy to spot any soiled bedding which you can then remove (a.k.a spot-cleaning). By spot-cleaning, you can go longer between bedding changes/cage cleaning before the cage starts smelling bad or looking dirty.

In my opinion, this bedding absorbs odor very well. And according to the manufacturer, it’s absorbs odor three times more than traditional bedding.

The only downside to this is probably the cost since Carefresh Ultra is quite expensive compared to other types of bedding like Aspen. Some hamster owners get around this by mixing the more expensive Carefresh with other cheaper (but still safe) alternatives.

Carefresh Colors is another bedding that I like a lot and my robo dwarf hamsters are using this at the moment. It comes in many colors and looks really attractive in a hamster cage or tank, especially if you get matching colors with your cage or accessories. Although Carefresh Colors has dyes in them, the dyes are pet-safe and the bedding absorbs odors just as well as the Ultra.

However, with Carefresh Colors, you won’t be able to see soiled bedding as easily as the white Ultra so it’s not as easy to spot-clean the cage. Similarly, it’s a little pricier compared to other beddings.

Some owners have mentioned that both Carefresh bedding can be quite dusty but I haven’t really observed the same thing. If this is a problem for you, the next bedding (below) might be a better choice.

Kaytee Clean and Cozy

Kaytee Clean and Cozy is another bedding that’s popular with hamster owners. This is supposedly fluffier and softer than Carefresh but I haven’t actually used it myself.

According to other owners, this is highly absorbent and less dusty than Carefresh. It’s also cheaper if you compare the amount of bedding you get for the price.

If you decide to get Kaytee Clean and Cozy, make sure it’s the unscented version because they also sell scented ones under a similar name.

Although I’m not using this right now, it’s one of the bedding I’m going to try next when my existing stock runs out.

Update 20 September 2013: I’ve just switched to Kaytee Clean and Cozy and it really is as soft and fluffy as everyone says. It looks like shredded tissue and feels like it too except it controls odour (although not as well as Carefresh). It’s also completely dust-free and expands a lot from it’s original compressed packaging. I’ll probably be using a combination of this and Aspen from now on!

Aspen Bedding

If price is a concern, aspen bedding would probably be your best option. Aspen is one of the few wood shavings that are not harmful for hamsters. Compared to the other bedding, this is much cheaper for the amount of bedding you can get.

However, Aspen bedding is not as soft or absorbant as Carefresh or Kaytee Clean and Cozy.

There are many brands of Aspen bedding and Kaytee has it as well.  Because it looks very similar to Pine, Cedar, and other wood shavings, be sure to check the label if you’re getting it from a pet store.

PS: I found a great video that reviews and compares Carefresh Ultra, Aspen bedding and Kaytee Clean and Cozy. (Note: Prices mentioned in the video may not be accurate because of differences in location)

Yes! Dog treats or biscuits are pretty hard and are usually given to hamsters to help them wear down their teeth. Although wooden chews do a fine job of that, some hamsters simply refuse to use them. In that case, getting a plain dog treat (no additional flavors) for the hamster can help encourage it to bite on the treat and prevent their teeth from being overgrown.

It’s important to get a plain dog treat because not all of them are safe for hamsters. For example, dog biscuits with garlic or onion in them should not be given to hamsters as these food can be harmful to your pet hammy.

Many experienced owners milk bones which you can get online or in major pet stores. It’s quite big so a single piece should last a long time (the entire box would probably last forever in hamster-years) These are not available where I am so I got my hamster another type. You can see my winter white dwarf hamster, Flaxseed, chewing on a dog treat in the photo. That was taken weeks ago and right now, it’s still a whole piece with lots of bite marks on it (:

Dog treats may also be a good source of protein although I would not recommend anyone giving it to their hamster as food. Some hamsters may enjoy the treat so much that they eat the treat instead of their regular food. If you notice your hamster going through the biscuit really quickly and not touching their food, it might be wise to remove the treat for a while. This is important because the treats do not contain all the nutrients that hamsters require to be healthy.

That said, it’s rare for a hamster to eat only the dog treat instead of their regular food mix (I’ve only heard it happen once). All four of my dwarf hamsters enjoy chewing on dog biscuits, but never as their main source of food.