Moon's Graden

How much water does a Hammy need?, The one I got yesterday does not seem to
be drinking it although it is eating and using it's tred-mill thiny-ma-bob.
Please help :-)

Thanx
A stressed out Hamster owner

Hi Barry,

Hamsters don't drink much water all in all, but so long as you supply a
fresh bottle of water daily they are happy.  They may have a drink just 2-3
times a day - but like humans they will take all they need.

Don't worry unless your hamster shows signs of dehydration.  Such signs
include lethargy, not being particularly active etc.

To be on the safe side - make sure that the water is dripping from the
bottle ok - every so often the ball-bearing in side water bottles can get
lodged preventing the water from dripping through.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Shel

        Don't panic. Hamsters definitely need water, but being desert
creatures, they don't need a whole lot. An entire day's supply for most
hams could be contained in an inch-long chunk of carrot. Also, it takes at
least 7~10 days for a hamster to become acclimated to its new surroundings.
Until then, eating, drinking and activity habits may be completely
topsy-turvy. Don't worry about that. I would be more concerned if you're
using the standard "wire" wheel. They can be extremely dangerous - not for
every hamster, but for many. I would either seek a solid floor wheel like
the Wodent Wheel (www.transoniq.com) or modify the current wheel by running
a strip of cardboard or similar material through the rungs to create a
solid running surface. If you've already got a solid wheel, that's great.

        Congratulations on your new pet, and best of luck with him/her!

        DGI

********************************

         David G. Imber
   Maniform Creative Services
     http://www.maniform.com

********************************

Just to add to what David and Shel have said:

We kept a close watch on one of our dwarf hams for a couple of weeks,
checking his water intake every day. He drank about 5 ml (milliliters) a day
(one mark on his water bottle), and less on days when he got something juicy
like a bit of fresh cucumber. If your water bottle doesn't have marks on the
side, it can be very hard to see a difference of just 5 ml.

Of course a Syrian hamster is larger and will drink more.

Ted

Ted:
see a difference of just 5 ml.

Ah, but Syrians are more efficient about such things kidney-wise.  Male Syrians
average water consumption is just 5 ml/day, females 2-3 times that.

Jane

Oops! No kidding? I'd read that 10-15 ml/day was typical for a Syrian but
didn't realize that applied just to the females. (And why more for them, I
wonder?)

Are there differences in things like food intake and wheel time, too?

Ted

Ted:
realize that applied just to the females. (And why more for them, I wonder?)

I figure their bodies are pretty busy with all that heat stuff.  It may also
have been an average that included pregnant and lactating males, though I don't
know.  The figures are from a laboratory manual.

I don't know, although the same manual said average food intake was 10% of body
weight.

Jane

Thanx very much for all your comments, they are greatly appretiated :-) Emma
is now drinking and all is well.

Thanks again
Barry