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Obesity in Hamsters
To Many Treats = Fat hamster |
Obesity in wild animals is unheard of, but in domesticated animals particularly cats and dogs it has become more common place. This more so in pampered pets that are often overfed and under exercised. Overweight and obesity are the result of an energy imbalance, an energy imbalance occurs when the number of calories consumed is more than the number of calories used. Being overweight can cause problems for the hamster. This can result in a reduction in life expectancy and susceptibility to Type2 diabetes, heat intolerance, skin problems, heart and circulatory disorders.
The cause of obesity is the result of an animal eating more than it requires, the excess is then stored as fat and the animal will eventually become overweight. This is the result of overfeeding of an improper diet containing too much fat and too many carbohydrates.
All commercial treats should be avoided, these are the treats sold in pet shops for your pet.
A relatively healthy and active hamster will not usually over eat; he will eat what he needs then store the rest for later. His normal daily routine of exercise burns off most of the stored calories.
Older hamsters may tend to put on a little extra weight as older hamsters are inclined to sleep more and become less active.
It can be seen in the video below this hamster is overweight. The cause of this is through what I call comfort eating. The hamster had become inactive for quite some time, due to confinement with a hip injury. The hamster ate more though boredom rather than necessity.
Due to the confinement exercise was very limited, or near nonexistent, an energy imbalance then occurred.
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Obese hamsters
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