Do Hamsters Pee A Lot?

Hamsters are not only wonderful pets, but they’re adorable too. However, hamsters are not known for being the most hygienic. For first-time pet owners, you might want to know if hamsters pee a lot and how much they pee.

Hamsters pee a lot, up to 5-6 times daily. Healthy hamsters only produce about 7 ml of urine. However, hamsters with diabetes can pee up to 10 times more (~75 ml or 2.54 fl oz). Hamsters also typically pee when scared, and this is normal. Young hamsters pee far more often than adults.

While hamsters do pee a lot, it’s generally when they’re scared or young. Read on to learn how much hamsters pee, the average urination for hamsters, and the types of hamsters that pee more than others.

How Much Do Hamsters Pee?

According to the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM), hamsters pee more often than other pets but with a much smaller volume.

Hamsters produce as much as 7 ml (0.24 fl oz) of urine a day. They typically pee about 1-2 ml (0.03-0.07 fl oz) 5-6 times daily. Hamsters will urinate when picked up or startled, even if they’ve emptied their bladders. Those with diabetes can pee up to 10 times the volume of healthy hamsters.

While adult hamsters pee up to 7 ml a day (0.24 fl oz), juvenile hamsters can pee more because they have very weak control of their bladders. You can expect baby hamsters to pee very often and reduce their volume as they mature and develop more control.

Additionally, hamsters never fully empty their bladders and always have a reserve. This reserve is a defense mechanism to express submission to a foe or predator. Hamsters may also urinate on particular objects to mark their territory.

While your hamster will pee when it gets picked up, it will become accustomed to you and moderate this practice over time.

In general, hamsters urinate in proportion to their overall body size. However, because of their peeing frequency, it may appear as though your hamster is peeing more than it should.

How Often Do Hamsters Pee?

Hamsters pee 5-6 times a day to release their bladders. Additionally, hamsters pee anytime they’re startled, but with a much lower volume. Juvenile hamsters and hamsters with diabetes pee more often than healthy adults.

Typically, adult hamsters pee about five times a day or once every 2-3 hours. While this frequency is much greater than in other pets, the total volume of urine remains consistent with their body size.

However, a more significant concern is how often hamsters pee when they don’t need to empty their bladders. Most hamsters, even well-trained adults, will urinate when handled or at the slightest sound.

Juvenile hamsters, or those in the first three months, are prone to urination and pee frequently enough to be considered “constant.”

Frequent urination is normal. If your hamster isn’t urinating or has gone more than 24hrs without peeing, consult a veterinarian immediately to diagnose the issue.

Where Do Hamsters Pee?

Hamsters pee in their litter boxes or where they consider their litter box to be. Also, they may pee on specific objects to mark their territory. Hamsters that urinate in multiple or unsuitable locations can be taught to use a litter box.

Hamsters, like other mammals, are reasonably hygienic and will attempt to pee and poop in specific locations to avoid disease or parasites. In most cases, this location is a litter box provided to the hamster.

However, some hamsters may not take to the litter box and end up peeing in undesirable locations or even on structures within their cage, such as their hamster wheel. In these situations, the best practice is to litter-train your hamster.

Pet Keen recommends using a covered litter box in the corner of the cage for the best effect. Remove any items the hamster is currently peeing on to remove the temptation.

Hamsters prefer to pee and poop in the corners of a cage, where they are least vulnerable and have no threats behind them. Additionally, having a covered litter box with a sandy substrate inside can improve feelings of protection while urinating.

Do Hamsters Pee White?

Hamsters do pee white. Their urine is cloudy and off-white due to the substrates within. Typically hamsters excrete protein, cholesterol, and calcium carbonate, which present a whitish color. Hamster pee that is colored, sludgy, slimy, or contains kidney stones indicate health issues.

Generally, hamsters pee a cloudy white color. While lacking color, their urine can still stain fabrics if it isn’t washed out immediately. If your hamster’s urine isn’t white or isn’t typical in quality for your hamster, consult a vet to diagnose the issue.

Why Do Hamsters Pee on You?

Hamsters pee on you because they’re frightened. Because they are prey animals, hamsters are alert to danger and are very sensitive to environmental cues. When they are picked up or hear loud sounds, they urinate out of fear.

Hamsters don’t choose to pee on their owners. They do so in reaction to being picked up or scared. Generally, this happens most often at the onset of owning a hamster and decreases as hamsters get used to their owners.

In addition, adult hamsters have much better control over their bladders than juvenile hamsters, who are much more likely to urinate at the slightest provocation.

Do Hamsters Pee When Scared?

Hamsters pee when they’re scared or startled. Urinating is a defense mechanism that signals submission to predators or rivals. Expressing submission in the wild deters foes who may consider the hamster a threat.

In the wild, hamsters have many predators and are generally evasive. One way to deter potential threats is to empty their bladders, signaling that they are submissive, scared, and not a threat. This practice is also common among other hamsters to demonstrate the social order.

Why Do Hamsters Pee on Their Wheels?

In addition to peeing on their owners, hamsters sometimes urinate on their toys or structures within their cages.

Hamsters pee on their wheels and other structures to mark their territory. Urinating is how hamsters imprint their particular smell on an object or space. Additionally, hamsters may urinate in specific places that they deem their litter boxes.

Sometimes hamsters pee out of fear, but they also pee on objects that they lay possession of. This practice is common among most mammals in the wild and can be remedied with training.

Hamsters will also urinate on their wheels or spaces they consider a bathroom. This practice can also be remedied by teaching a hamster to use the appropriate area.

In either case, if a hamster is peeing outside its litter box, remove that item and replace or clean it. Potty train the hamster in a new litter box and return their items when they regularly urinate in a more suitable location.

Do Some Hamster Species Pee More Than Others?

While all hamsters pee frequently, some hamsters pee significantly more than others. Specifically, hamsters with diabetes mellitus (DB) urinate up to ten times more than hamsters without.

Diabetes is a disease in mammals that prevents the production of insulin. Insulin is a necessary hormone that transports sugars from the blood to cells so that animals can get the energy they need.

Without insulin, glucose stays in the bloodstream, unable to get where it needs to go. Excess sugar, like salt, requires more water to remain in the bloodstream and is urinated out when there’s too much.

As sugar builds up in the bloodstream, diabetic hamsters become thirsty and constantly drink water to balance their blood sugar levels. As they drink water, they urinate just as frequently to filter the sugar out of their blood.

Are Chinese Hamsters Prone to Diabetes?

While all species of hamsters can get diabetes, captive Chinese hamsters are prone to DB, and in most cases, it’s inherited genetically within this species. Because wild Chinese hamsters do not have the same predisposition to DB as domesticated ones, the gene for DB likely arose from captive breeding.

Diabetes in Chinese Hamsters is Type 2, meaning the hamsters are insulin resistant but still produce insulin. This type differs from Type 1, where individuals cannot produce insulin.

Hamsters with diabetes will be excessively thirsty and need to urinate often. Additional symptoms include:

Large appetite
Weight loss
Fatigue and boredom
Irritability
Urine that smells sweet or like nail polish remover (Acetone)

Do Chinese Hamsters Pee on Everything?

Chinese hamsters with diabetes pee frequently and on everything. Diabetes increases blood sugar, making hamsters thirsty, so they must drink water constantly. As they drink, their bladders fill, and they urinate before they can make it to their litter box.

While hamsters with diabetes may not pee on everything, it certainly seems so. Because of their condition and the amount of water they drink daily, they urinate up to 75 ml (2.54 fl oz) of pee a day, compared to a max of 7-8 ml (0.24-0.27 fl oz) in healthy mice.

If you’re worried that your hamster may have diabetes, contact a vet to diagnose your hamster and devise an appropriate diet/hydration plan.

Final Thoughts

Hamsters are adorable and loyal pets. However, they are well known for how much they urinate.

While hamsters pee frequently, they don’t pee more than average for their body mass and are pretty hygienic animals. They will pee when scared or picked up. Nonetheless, this practice is more common in younger hamsters and moderates as they get older.

Hamsters with diabetes, especially Chinese hamsters, pee far more because of their condition. These hamsters can pee up to 10 times as much as healthy hamsters and have weak bladder control.