How to Diagnose and Treat a Dehydrated Hamster

Diagnosing Dehydration in Your Hamster

Pinch your hamster’s skin. One of the easiest ways to tell if your hamster is dehydrated is to do the ‘skin tent’ test. Using the thumb and index finger of one hand, gently pinch some skin at the base of your hamster’s neck to create a ‘tent’ of skin. Let go of the skin. If it stays up in a tent, then your hamster is dehydrated. If your hamster was well hydrated, then the skin would flatten back out as soon as you let your fingers go.

Look at your hamster’s body. When your hamster is dehydrated, he’s not going to look too good. For example, his eyes will appear droopy, sunken in, and dry. His fur will also look ruffled and unkempt because he isn’t grooming himself like he used to. Overall, your hamster’s body may look thinner. If your hamster is severely hydrated, his tongue may swell.

Observe your hamster’s behavior. Your hamster will groom less when he is dehydrated, leading to the ruffled coat. He will probably move more slowly as well, since he isn’t feeling well and just doesn’t have energy to run around like he used to. Your hamster might even become irritable and seem confused in his cage. When your hamster is dehydrated, he will also urinate less. The urine that he does produce will be very concentrated (dark color) and have a strong odor. These symptoms are not necessarily specific to dehydration, but are clear clues that your hamster is sick and needs treatment.

Treating Your Hamster’s Dehydration

Rehydrate your hamster. Dehydration in hamsters is very serious, so you should not delay in getting your hamster to your veterinarian. However, if you cannot get him to the vet right away, start rehydrating him at home to get him on the road to recovery. You will administer fluids by mouth with a syringe, which is available at your local pharmacy. Rehydration by mouth is recommended when the dehydration is caused by diarrhea. The best type of rehydration fluid for your hamster is one that contains salts and sugars (e.g., Lectade, unflavored Pedialyte). Rehydration products are available at your local pharmacy and grocery store. Plain water is not recommended because it would dilute the already-reduced amount of minerals, salts, and sugars in your hamster’s body. If you can’t go to the store, you can add a pinch of salt and sugar to plain water and give that to your hamster. However, it would be best to purchase a rehydration solution that already has the proper mix of salts and sugars. Draw up the fluid in the syringe (preferably a 10 milliliter syringe). Wrap your hamster snugly in a towel with one hand. With your other hand, place the syringe just inside his mouth on one side and empty the syringe’s contents drop by drop. Make sure that you give your hamster a chance to swallow the fluid in between drops. Never force fluid into your hamster because there is a risk that you will force fluid into his lungs, which is likely to be fatal.

Take your hamster to your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will be able to give your hamster more advanced dehydration treatment. Other than commercially available rehydration products, your veterinarian will also have other fluids available, such as 0.9% saline or lactated ringers solution, to rehydrate your hamster. Your veterinarian will assess how severe your hamster’s dehydration is before administering fluids. This will help him or her calculate how much fluid to administer to adequately rehydrate, but not over hydrate your hamster. Your veterinarian will probably try to give your hamster fluids by mouth first. If your hamster cannot drink on his own, your veterinarian will inject the fluids under your hamster’s skin (‘subcutaneous injection) using a sterile needle. If an underlying health condition (e.g., Wet Tail, diabetes) has caused the dehydration, your veterinarian will treat that condition as well.

Feed your hamster fresh produce. Fresh produce with a high water content can also help your hamster if diarrhea is not the cause of his dehydration. Cucumber is a good vegetable that you can give him.Apples also have a high water content. Consult with your veterinarian before giving your hamster fresh produce to treat the dehydration—introducing fresh produce to your hamster’s diet too suddenly can give him diarrhea, which would make his dehydration worse.

Preventing Dehydration in Your Hamster

Keep your hamster’s water bottle full. Hamsters commonly become dehydrated when their owners forget to refill their water bottles. Do not forget about your little hamster! Keep a close eye on his water bottle and refill it with fresh, clean water as necessary. A constant supply of fresh, clean water is essential to keeping your hamster well hydrated. Check the ball bearing in your hamster’s water bottle to make sure it is working properly. If the ball somehow gets stuck, it could prevent your hamster from being able to sip the water from the bottle’s spout.

Feed your hamster a balanced diet. Keeping your hamster healthy with a well-balanced diet will go a long way towards preventing dehydration. Components of a healthy hamster diet are a commercially available hamster mix, a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and a few sweet treats now and then. Baked chicken, low fat cottage cheese, and plain low-fat yogurt are also good choices for your hamster’s diet. They are high in protein, which is an important nutrient for hamsters. Foods you should not feed your hamster include onions, tomato leaves, and raw potatoes. Other foods to avoid feeding your hamster are chocolate, junk food, and watermelon. Talk with your veterinarian if you are unsure what types of food to feed your hamster.

Don’t let your hamster overheat. Heat stroke (mild or severe) is another common cause of dehydration in hamsters. Unfortunately, heat stroke can happen very quickly in hamsters, so you must be diligent about keeping your hamster cool, especially in the summer months. Keep his cage out of the path of direct sunlight. The room where you keep his cage should be well ventilated. If you are traveling with him in the car, make sure his cage is not by a sunny window. Check on him frequently. If he starts to suffer from heatstroke (saliva dribbling from mouth, heavy breathing, lying on side), move his cage to a cool location, take him out of his cage, and run cool water over him to cool him down. Dry him off and let him recover quietly in his cage. Start rehydrating your hamster with Pedialyte (or water, if that’s all you have). Get him to a veterinarian as quickly as you can for further treatment.