83 replies to this topic

[Yukionna]

Yea, Yuki's case was pretty bad. So bad that before I realized what was going on she was lethargic and barely moving. After a couple of months she had one relapse and ended up nearly completely blind so...I think it definitely effects some hamsters in a much worse way. With Yuki I'm pretty sure she was one of the unlucky 3 per litter that diabetic hamsters can have that are born with the disease.

[cattdogg]

Hi! I'm new here -- I have a Chinese Dwarf, Ham-Ham, who is about 7 months old. About 3 months ago, he started drinking/peeing a lot, and I did some research online and deducted he was probably diabetic. I never realized that there was sugar in most hamster treats and food! I switched him to the Hazel Hamster, got him some pedialyte and fenugreek, and also picked all of the corn/peas out of the HH food. After 3 months, he drinks normally, I don't have to change his cage every 3 days anymore. He loves the fenugreek though, so I still put a little in his food. A treat now is a puppy milk-bone, and he loves it. Since he likes the fenugreek, I allow him a tiny bit of corn in his food, and an occasional bit of carrot and he's OK.

His favorite fresh veggie is either romaine lettuce or what's called "broccoli slaw" -- it's shredded broccoli with a shrd of carrot or two. I have 3 other hamsters (1 other Chinese Dwarf and 2 Winter Whites) that I put on the same diet, without the fenugreek and pedialyte. Maybe they won't get the diabetes since they were never allowed the sugary treats.

Edited by cattdogg, 20 January 2011 - 05:16 AM.

[Yukionna]

Yea, in retrospect I think it's probably a good idea to limit foods high in sugar in any dwarf you buy, because of the likelihood of them coming from a mass breeder. You don't take any chances they won't either develop it, or get seriously ill from it, probably. It's interesting that he can have carrot though, since it's a food high in sugar. Pedialyte, too, can be high in sugar and I'd feel a little dubious about giving that. But, I'm happy to hear that your hamster is doing well. My hamster is currently ill with a different illness....I think I just accidentally popped an abscess in her cheek while trying to put neosporin on it. (Because my mom is mean and won't let me take her to the vet even though she's my pet and I'm 25 years old....some mom's are too over-bearing ne?)

[cattdogg]

It's unflavord pedialyte, so no sugar, and before he started doing well on the "new diet" with the fenugreek - I didn't let him have ANY carrot. Now it's just 1 shred or 2 of fresh carrot, it's a minute amount. But no peas, corn, honey treats or fruit or anything sugar related. I figure his "sweetest" treat is the carrot. If he hadn't made such a vast improvement, I wouldn't have even done that. He eats the fenugreek in the brocolli salad mixture, and gobbles it up.

[cattdogg]

and I just read your note about your mom not letting you take your hammy to the vet... :( I got a lot of flack for taking my little Peanut Butter to the vet (you can read some of my posts last week... long story short, he had a stroke and died :( - but I had thought his shaking was due to an ear infection, which is only treatable by antibiotics, so I took him to the vet.) But the way I figure it, they are still little creatures that deserve a shot at life -- but not everyone sees it that way. I spent like $108 between the meds and the visit, only to have him die that night -- but to me it's worth it knowing I did all I can to save his little life. Unfortunately, there are lots of people that think the way your mom does. Not necessarily mean, just have the mindset that hammies are "throwaway pets". But you have a good heart and are doing a good job with your hammy.... hopefully he'll be all better soon!

[Yukionna]

Thank you for your kind words, unfortunately Yuki went to play over the bridge a couple days ago. I'll never forget that cute little look she used to give me that said everything will be ok.

That being said, I just wanted to do a follow up post to this thread.

Having treated a hamster in this manner I have to say, that it worked. I never had an issue again with Yuki with regards to diabetes. Though, of course, diabetes may shorten the expected life-span of a hamster, with a treatment of fenugreek, hazel hamster, and some fresh vegetables a hamster can improve to the point where they seem "normal."

[ferry789]

Yea the natural cure is always going to be the best for you hamster and fenugreek can help the pancreas to secrete more insulin and body tissue to utilize it better.

[♫Hamster On a Piano♫]

Hi, Fenugreek reduces the sugar levels, but if you're using a mix high in sugar a hamster may continue to shed because their glucose levels are still too high. I noticed that you said you were using a mix with fruit, veg, and seeds. I would not feed a dwarf hamster fruit at all, because of the high sugars. Also remove corn or peas, anything that would have sugar in it must be eliminated. The milkbones help to supplement the diet so that the hamster won't be missing vital nutrients from the foods you've removed.

Yukionna, yesterday when I was cleaning the cage I saw quite a bit of fur sticking to my dwarf hammie's food bowl. She's very active, eats, drinks and urinates properly. Does this mean she is diabetic, since there was a lot of fur fallen?

[Archaeohammie]

This is my first post here; Im very interested in the Fenugreek issue for diabetic hamsters. Ivan the Terrible, my sable Syrian, is mildly diabetic. However, I am concerned about fenugreeks laxative properties as a side effect in humans. Perhaps its sheer fear, as I have just lost my darling little tiger girl Gaga today to some mystery illness ( apparently not wet tail, according to our vet) which commenced with diarrhoea and ended in muscle wastage. While I would be very enthusiastic about a natural remedy to even mild diabetes, I am nervous,as you experts can appreciate. Can you advise as to its gastric tolerance in hamsters , please? thank you so much in advance.

[cyinmin]

Hello,

I'm no expert but just to share with you that I have been feeding my hamsters about 8-10 fenugreek seeds a day for over a year. They loved it and doesn't seemed to have any issues with their poos. I also feed them natural unsweetened yogurt alternate days which I read from the forum, is good for disgestive systems.

This is my first post here; Im very interested in the Fenugreek issue for diabetic hamsters. Ivan the Terrible, my sable Syrian, is mildly diabetic. However, I am concerned about fenugreeks laxative properties as a side effect in humans. Perhaps its sheer fear, as I have just lost my darling little tiger girl Gaga today to some mystery illness ( apparently not wet tail, according to our vet) which commenced with diarrhoea and ended in muscle wastage. While I would be very enthusiastic about a natural remedy to even mild diabetes, I am nervous,as you experts can appreciate. Can you advise as to its gastric tolerance in hamsters , please? thank you so much in advance.

[missPixy]

Yukionna, yesterday when I was cleaning the cage I saw quite a bit of fur sticking to my dwarf hammie's food bowl. She's very active, eats, drinks and urinates properly. Does this mean she is diabetic, since there was a lot of fur fallen?

I can answer for Yukionna here~~ no, fur sticking to the bowl doesn't
equal diabetic. hamsters shed and so the fur is just natural cycling.

the only way to truly tell if a hamster is diabetic is by testing their
urine using a urine test strip (Bayer Keto-Diastix is one brand.)

[♫Hamster On a Piano♫]

Ooh I see, thanks missPixy!

[tinypixie]

I was unable to obtain actual fenugreek seeds at my health foods store.. I picked up in the spice section some ground fenugreek seeds.

I was wondering in what way I could use the ground fenugreek??

[malloria]

To those of you who have used fenugreek: how long should a dose (certain # of seeds) be fed and urine be monitored to make a decision about whether the dose should be increased? In other words, how long should I feed Mable 5 seeds (initial dose, begun last night)? Or should I feed more considering that her level is off the chart? Thanks.

[ElizaPD]

Hello Everyone! I am new here, and I am about to adopt a Diabetic Russian. I work at a PetSmart, and we adopt out all animals with special care requirements. I fell in love with this little girl and decided to take her. I have not brought her home yet, she has a UTI and is on antibiotics to clear it up. Once she is all set I'll bring her home. I have already purchased Fenugreek seeds. I found them in the spice section at a local health food store. I have a healthy russian, and offered her some of the seeds, but she did not like them. Picky I suppose! I have found the forum very helpful, thank you all for posting!

Recently, at PetSmart we started selling a new Hamster food made by Oxbow. It is called Essentials. It is made without sugar, and is Timothy hay/oat and barley based. The protein content is 17% and the Fiber is 11%! Which is more than the Hazel. I wanted to double check that this food has no sugars, so I called the company, and they are currently running an analysis on it for me to make sure! I will let everyone know what they find. Here is the URL to the food:
http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1534