Are you sitting and asking, “Why is my hamster losing weight?” without knowing what the cause could be? There are several reasons for a hamster losing weight and it’s important to understand the root cause as soon as possible.
So, what is ailing your hamster and why is it dealing with aggressive weight loss?
This is an essential question hamster owners have to ask as soon as they can. To make sure you are on top of things, take the time to analyze your hamster’s physique, assess potential medical concerns, and speak to a vet.
This guide is going to offer insight into what’s going on with your hamster and the answer to the question, “Why is my hamster losing weight?” You will also get the opportunity to learn more about the best hamster food for helping your hamster gain weight quickly.
Table of Contents
Best Hamster Food for Hamsters (EDITOR’S CHOICE)
- Advanced Nutrition Diets In Flip Top Containers
- More Convenient Than Screw Top Containers
- IMPORTANT VARIETY: Unique mix of ingredients create an irresistible blend to replicate diets found in a natural habitat and...
Last update on 2023-09-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The Wild Harvest Advanced Hamster Food is one of the premium-grade options for hamsters needing to gain weight. This food is well-formulated, healthy, and made of organic ingredients. If the goal is to help your hamster gain weight and stay healthy then it’s best to start with this hamster food. The taste is wonderful, it’s easy to digest, and comes packed with important nutrients.
The wonderful blend of ingredients makes it one of the more effective hamster foods on the planet. It’s the perfect addition to your hamster’s diet!
Reasons Why Your Hamster is Losing Weight
Low-Quality Hamster Food
It starts with the food going into your hamster’s digestive system.
If your hamster isn’t eating enough, it may have to do with the type of food it is getting. In fact, there are times when a hamster will eat loads of food but isn’t going to get enough nutrients out of them on a per serving basis.
This means you have to take a step back and analyze what you are feeding your hamster.
One of the worst mistakes a hamster owner can make is to feed low-quality food to the pet. This is going to have a detrimental impact on their health and could even cut into their lifespan depending on how poorly formulated the food is!
Be smart about what you are giving to the hamster. The food should be well-made, organic, and safe for your breed. This is the only way to make sure the hamster doesn’t end up eating something that shouldn’t be going into its digestive system.
When it is time to make a positive change, this is one of the easiest ones a hamster owner can make. Simply go out and buy good hamster food for your hamster.
Small Portions
Along with buying the best hamster food for gaining weight, you also have to think about how much your hamster is eating throughout the day.
This is all about understanding your hamster and its needs. Sometimes, you are simply not going to be putting enough in the food bowl leading to weight issues.
You will have to take the time to measure the hamster food, control the servings, and make sure the portions are well-sized.
To get started, take the time to measure the servings for a day. You are going to see how many calories the hamster is eating daily. Once you have this figure, it’s time to start increasing the number of calories the hamster is consuming each day by 200-300.
This is going to be a good starting point and will let you make adjustments over time. Give it a few weeks (assuming your hamster’s health isn’t declining rapidly!) and then continue to increase the portions until their weight goes up.
Remember, you don’t want to overdo things! There is no reason to make your hamster overweight by overdoing the increases.
Gradually increasing the number of calories your hamster eats daily is more than enough.
Underlying Health Issues
This is one of the more concerning causes of hamsters losing weight.
If your hamster is starting to decline in terms of energy levels then this may be the leading issue. In general, a hamster can start dealing with health-related trouble as they grow older. If you have an aging hamster then this has to be where your mind goes first.
When there are health-related issues, take the time to visit your vet as soon as you can.
The vet is going to take a complete look at your hamster, analyze what is going on, and come up with an underlying diagnosis. This is essential to ensure your hamster is being treated effectively and can get back to living as soon as possible.
Ignoring these health issues and assuming they will go away is the wrong approach to take!
You have to do your due diligence and it is ALWAYS better to be safe rather than sorry. Unfortunately, many hamster owners don’t do this and end up having to deal with their beloved pet passing away.
Please take the time to visit a vet and see what they have to say before making adjustments. This will shed light on what has to be done and which changes will work.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Not having enough nutrients to eat is a major concern for the average hamster.
When the hamster isn’t getting enough nutrients through its food, there are going to be signifiant related issues that will start to pop up.
As a result, you have to make sure to see what the hamster is eating and only give it high-quality hamster food.
If you are not giving the hamster safe food, how is it going to remain healthy? It is almost impossible to ensure the hamster remains healthy when its diet is poor.
If you are worried about not giving the hamster good enough food, it’s best to go with the recommended hamster food above. The right blend of nutrients and ingredients will go a long way in improving your hamster’s health and increasing its weight over time.
Don’t assume things are going to work out on their own. You have to do your homework and make sure the changes are effective.
If necessary, you should also take the time to include high-value supplements for your hamster such as Oasis Vita-Drops High Potency Multi-Vitamins. These multi-vitamins are going to be a great way to help your hamster gain weight and stay fit.
Excessive Physical Activity
An underrated factor that has to be kept in mind would be your hamster’s physical activity throughout the day, week, month, and year.
How much time is your hamster spending inside a hamster ball or a hamster wheel? Is it more than normal or is it something that has not been as high as it should be?
This is an important detail to think about because it is possible for your hamster to overexercise. While the average hamster can handle consistent movement, this doesn’t mean it has an unlimited well of energy to tap into! The hamster is going to burn calories, so you have to be sure it isn’t burning too much on a per day basis.
If you want to test this particular cause, take a step back on the physical activity for your hamster.
This doesn’t mean you take away everything! The goal is to simply reduce the amount of time spent inside a hamster ball or only letting them work out on a hamster wheel for set periods. This is going to vary from situation to situation.
When you start asking “Why is my hamster losing weight?” this is a good detail to think about. Sometimes, it can be the exact opposite where your hamster stops using its hamster wheel. If that is the case then you know it may have something to do with a health issue.
Your goal has to be to continually analyze how much physical activity your hamster is getting. This is one of the best ways to recognize patterns and start making adjustments immediately. When you do make adjustments, do it gradually so your hamster stays as healthy as it needs to be.
Final Thoughts on “Why Is My Hamster Losing Weight?”
If you are sitting around asking “Why is my hamster losing weight?” it’s clearly the right time to take action.
Letting things continue as is can become a major point of concern for your hamster’s health. In fact, one of the leading causes of hamsters passing away ends up being poorly diagnosed health issues. This also applies to hamster owners not willing to take action as soon as there is a change in the hamster’s physical health.
Whether it’s putting together a good sand bath for hamsters, finding a safe hamster ball, buying a trusted silent hamster wheel, or using world-class hamster bedding, you have to be ready to make adjustments on the go when it comes to new hamster accessories.
If you are in a situation where it is time to start asking “Why is my hamster losing weight?” then it’s best to start with this guide.
You can implement the tips mentioned here and also keep an eye out for the factors that are most commonly known as troublemakers in hamsters.