Your hamster’s white pee may indicate an infection in its urinary system, so a vet can do a urinalysis to see any signs of infection in your hamster’s urine. It’s a good idea to jot down recent changes in your hamster’s behavior or diet before seeing the vet in case they inquire.
There are several reasons hamsters pee white, and this article explains them in great detail.
What Causes White Urine in Hamsters?
- An adjustment to one’s dietary habits.
- Reduced consumption of protein.
- Kidney diseases
- A bladder or kidney infection that produces inflammation is a common sign of many illnesses.
- When urinating, the bladder does not completely release its contents into the surrounding tissue.
- Nitrates are found in the urine in high concentrations.
- Because the urine is more readily passed by the kidney and remains in the bladder longer when less water is consumed, bacteria can grow in the bladder and cause your hamster’s pee to turn white, which is why it is important to drink enough water.
- Exhaustion and a lack of sleep.
What Color Is Hamster Discharge?
Hamster excrement is usually a light yellow. There are many different shades of brown and gray that you can find in the hamster’s excrement, depending on the hamster’s diet (darker colors often indicate more protein).
Specifically, 90% of the discharge is water, 7% is urea and uric acid crystals and silt, and 1% pigments (pigment granules). Roughly 2% is other components, such as oxygen, the breakdown of the discharge.
The hamster’s coat color is determined by where it lives. The deeper hues are seen in cooler areas, whereas the silt, urea, and uric acid crystals are more prevalent in warmer climes.
White blood cells create uric acid as a byproduct of their efforts to combat illness.
To be safe, keep in mind that hamster excrement can be any color, from yellow to white to gray to even green. Sickness or stress can induce these hues.
The likelihood of your hamster developing diarrhea or other color-related changes in its discharge is higher than typical if it has just moved to a new cage and began eating a new meal or recently introduced another hamster to its cage.
You should never allow your hamster to climb on other hamsters or the cage bars if you observe a bright red, orange, or green discharge, or blood from missing or injured skin.
Having your hamsters in the same room for a week may be all needed to avoid this type of issue. You should seek emergency veterinarian assistance if you find cuts on your pet’s paws, ears, or legs.
Is It True That Female Hamsters Urinate?
Females spray urine during the heat of the mating season. Female hamsters that have not been spayed will spray pee (season).
One week following the first day of estrus (heat/season), they will go through a scent gland cycle and mark their territory again three days before going into heat.
Before her first heat, a female will not go through this scent gland cycle if she is spayed. Her typical “heat” cycle will instead take place.
Hamsters are prone to peeing on themselves. “Urine spraying” is a means of defining their area and establishing boundaries. Besides, why would they do this?
Fear or extreme weather conditions force them to commit these crimes; therefore, they have no option but to do so.
There are two things to remember if your female hamster sprays pee outside her cage: You don’t want to see or smell it. As a second consideration, you don’t want your hamster marking her territory in your home, which is why most people prefer keeping their pet caged.
Clean the bedding and ensure the stench is gone if you’ve got a cage. Let’s say your flooring is made of wood or something else susceptible to staining.
Paper towels or old newspapers might work well in this situation (or better yet, place a litter box filled with paper towels or newspapers in an inconspicuous area of your house). Spraying water over the pee will encourage her to remark since it will spread the stench.
Should I Let My Hamster Out of Their Cage?
If your hamster suffers from a specific illness, you may need to take it to the vet. Leaving your hamsters in their cage if they are peeing white is OK.
If they generate infected pee, keep them in the cage until they are well again.
When your hamster has an infection, your veterinarian may advise against allowing him out of his cage. Consider the circumstances to determine whether or not to let them out for supervised recreation.
It’s advisable to isolate the hamster for a week and closely monitor its feces and urine for any changes. You should be able to tell whether your hamster has pooped by looking at its color, smell, and consistency.
You should consult a veterinarian if any of these changes are seen.
FAQs
Is it okay to wash my hamster?
It is okay to bathe your hamster; however, how long should your pet be submerged in the tub or sink?
Bathing hamsters are going to be mostly determined by their size. As an example, if you leave a Syrian hamster in the water for more than fifteen seconds, it may begin to suffocate.
Your hamster should still be able to feel the bottom of the bath water with its paws, even if the water isn’t too deep.
Bathing your hamster doesn’t require additional conditions beyond following these fundamental rules. If you try to wash your hamster’s fur and head with water that is too hot or too cold, it will not enjoy it.
Contrary to what you would think, it probably likes to feel that you’re looking out for it.
There are options out there that will let you bathe your hamster in a larger bowl or plastic tub, even if you don’t have a bathtub big enough.
You may wash your hamster’s bath water with warm water from the faucet. Tip the tub over so the water drains out, and then leave it for about twenty minutes before refilling and tipping over again.
Does hamster pee smell?
Hamster pee smells because of their special diet and architecture, and hamster urine may have a distinct odor from other rodents.
Some dislike the smell, while others don’t pay attention to it. The uric acid level in hamsters’ urine may cause it to smell “musty, sour, rancid, or ammonia-like,” according to some sources.
According to one source, if a hamster’s body is in good health, its pee will not smell. One such explanation is that the kidneys may not be able to excrete waste items if the hamster is very dehydrated properly.
How do you clean pee off a hamster?
- Put the hamster in a brown paper bag for ten minutes
- Use a damp towel to clean the hamster’s hindquarters.
- Toss or shred the paper bag after cleaning it to eliminate any remaining dirt or stains.
- With a moist towel, clean the hamster’s cage.
- Please fold the paper bag so no water remains inside after wiping it dry. Alternatively, you may place it in a garbage can.
- Dry the hamster with a damp cloth after shaking off any extra water. 6.
- You know how oily a hamster’s back is, so rub some of your hair conditioners on it!
- Ensure that the hamsters don’t become dizzy by putting them back in their cage and shaking the bed.
- Please put them in their cage and their food dish in front of them.
- Wait ten minutes before attempting to brush the hair off them; otherwise, you risk spreading illness.
- Step 10 should be repeated twice to three weeks for a clean hamster.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, the color of your hamster’s pee is due to the pigment in the food he eats, which is not easily broken down by the water.
It is typical for hamsters to suffer from ammonia poisoning, a life-threatening disease that can lead to serious sickness and death if left untreated; this is a common problem for hamsters. Pet hamsters commonly die from this, and it’s one of the most preventable.
You may detect a strong odor of ammonia. When ammonia fumes come into contact with the eyes, they can cause corneal ulcers.
A spike in body temperature and neurological disorders such as seizures can be caused by exposure to high ammonia levels in the environment.
Because salt and water cannot exit the bloodstream due to the elevated ammonia level, the body becomes dehydrated; This might weaken the immune system and produce an overactive thyroid gland.
Your hamster has to have an ammonia-free environment to avoid ammonia poisoning. The cage should be cleaned often and placed in a well-ventilated area.
The bottom of the cage can be lined with clean coffee filters, which act as absorbent sheets. The newspaper contains too much acidity and can burn open sores in your hamster’s mouth, which can lead to major infections, which are easily lethal if not treated by a veterinarian right away; this is why you should avoid using newspaper.