A hamster’s pee color can be a good indication of their overall health, so it’s worth monitoring regularly. Many hamster owners do so and will grow easily concerned if it appears a different color than usual. You might have a new hamster and be wondering what color hamster pee should be in the first place; if so, you’ve come to the right place.
While some variations of hamster pee color could suggest health problems or serious concerns, others carry completely innocent explanations. In this article, we will go over the common varieties of pee color, when you should be concerned, and what you should do if your hamster’s unusual pee color stains its cage.
What Color Is Hamster Pee?
Hamster pee is usually milky white and quite thick. If it appears cloudy and thin your hamster is consuming too much calcium, and you should alter its diet immediately. If it persists you should visit a vet for advice.
Equally, if your hamster’s pee is completely translucent, they may be consuming too much water. You should monitor their water consumption and remove food with high water content from their diet until the issue resolves.
Can Food Affect The Color Of Hamster Pee?
The food you feed hamsters can absolutely affect the color of their pee. While it’s good for hamsters to regularly consume fruits and vegetables in small bites, you should note what you have given them to reflect on should their pee color change in the days following.
One of the most common colors for food to turn your hamster’s pee is red, either bright or with a pink tinge. Things like beetroot, cabbage, carrots, and strawberries can do this.
While food affecting the color of hamster pee is nothing to be worried about, a change to their usual can become easily concerning. If this occurs, remove the food from your pet’s diet and monitor them for a few days. If it persists, it may not be the food changing your hamster’s pee color, and you should visit a vet for tests.
Is Yellow Pee In Hamsters A Sign Of Dehydration?
In humans, the yellower the pee, the more dehydrated we are. It’s easy to believe the same is true for hamsters.
For hamsters, however, yellow pee can be completely normal. Many pet owners, including myself, have realized some hamsters will have more yellow pee than others. This is very common.
The yellow color usually won’t appear out of the blue. If your hamster is a new pet, this may be their usual. If not, it could be the food you’re feeding them temporarily changing the concentration of their pee.
Why Is My Hamsters Pee Orange?
Unlike yellow pee, orange pee in hamsters is something to be concerned about. It is an indication that your hamster’s pee is too concentrated, which suggests they aren’t drinking enough and could therefore be dehydrated.
If your hamster’s pee is orange, keep an eye on their water bowl, or water bottle, to monitor how much they are drinking. Feeding them foods made mostly of water, like cucumber, could also up their intake and solve dehydration.
If your hamster has orange pee, other signs of dehydration to look out for include:
- Tight skin. You can find out if your hamster has tight skin by scruffing the skin on the back of the neck. The longer it takes to go back to normal, the more dehydrated they are likely to be.
- Foul-smelling & Dark Urine. As well as being orange, there is a strong, potent smell that often accompanies a dehydrated hamster’s pee.
- Lethargy/Tiredness. You may notice your hamster isn’t engaging in enrichment activities. This is because dehydration exhausts the body, and your hamster may only have energy for basic activities. It will spend a lot more time sleeping.
- Sudden unexplained weight loss. Depending on how long your hamster is dehydrated, it may appear thinner or have lost weight unexpectedly. Their fur may also be thinner, and go missing in places.
If the orange pee is accompanied by additional signs of dehydration, or it continues for more than a few days, your hamster will need veterinary intervention.
Why Is My Hamsters Pee Red?
Red pee in hamsters is often misinterpreted as a sign of blood. It’s normal for this to worry you, but red pee in hamsters can be completely normal.
In fact, the pigmentation in a hamster’s bladder means a reddish tint to its pee is completely normal. A drop in temperature during winter or colder months can also result in this change in your hamsters’ pee.
Foods such as beetroot, red cabbage, and, surprisingly, carrots, may also give your hamster’s pee a reddish appearance.
In some rare cases, red pee in hamsters may be a sign of a UTI when combined with other symptoms. This is more likely if your hamster is a female, as they are most susceptible to UTIs.
Why Is My Hamsters Pee Pink?
Pink pee in hamsters is more likely to indicate a potential UTI than red pee, as mentioned above, but it could also indicate more severe issues. This includes things like tumors or dysfunction of the reproductive tract in un-neutered/spayed hamsters.
This is because pink pee in hamsters can signal fresh blood somewhere in the urinal tract. You can usually tell if this is the case by watching how it dries. If the pee turns brown, it’s a good indication of blood, and you should visit your vet as soon as possible.
Hamsters aren’t always bleeding if they have pink pee, however. If you have fed them food like strawberries or cranberries, this may explain the change in their pee.
This is why we suggest tracking the foods you give your hamster as it allows you to make judgment calls quickly.
If you aren’t sure, remove any fruits and vegetables from your hamster’s diet for a few days. If it goes back to normal, it is probably food-related and nothing to worry about.
Why Is My Hamsters Pee Brown?
If your hamster’s pee is brown in color, it could be a sign of blood in the urine, which is another indicator of a UTI. If it turns brown once dried, this may also be the case.
But brown pee in hamsters may also be indicative of organ issues, especially in the liver. If the liver isn’t working correctly, it will struggle to remove some of the poo and other waste. This causes the urine to turn brown and may lead to more severe problems if not treated immediately.
You also need to make sure that the brown liquid from your hamster is pee. If it is actually poo, it could be diarrhea, which is deadly for hamsters as it dehydrates them fast.
If your hamster’s pee is brown, take them to the vet as soon as possible. They will be able to advise next steps if it is serious or put your mind at rest if it is something that can be easily treated.
Does Hamster Pee Stain?
Hamster pee is completely safe for humans, and will not stain clothes.
If cleaned immediately, it won’t stain cages, but this isn’t always possible. Most hamster owners clean their cages once or twice a week, so finding some temporary stains is completely normal.
These stains may change in color, too, but this is nothing to worry about. Yellow pee once dried may appear browner, for example, but this would not indicate a medical issue on its own.
If your hamster’s pee is cloudy-colored, due to excess calcium, you are also more likely to see stains in your hamster’s cage. This may be more likely in plastic cages and be harder to remove as it hardens quickly.
Hardened mineral deposit stains that appear white are also more likely if you take longer between cage cleanings. It could also be a sign that you are using poor cleaning practices.
Not only are these deposit stains more difficult to remove, but they are indicative of bacteria build-up and could seriously harm your hamster in the long run. If you are looking for advice on how to clean hamster pee, we can help.
How To Clean Hamster Pee
Before you start to clean your hamster’s cage, put them in a safe space and remove any toys, food dishes, and water bottles from the space. You should also remove any bedding and additional accessories at that stage.
Then, using a pet-safe disinfectant, create a solution according to the instructions on the bottle. Soak the hamster cage in the mixture for at least 10 minutes before scrubbing the cage, paying special attention to areas with potential build-up.
If you have a build-up of hardened mineral deposits, you can use a scraper to scrape these parts of the cage. You may also need to repeat the process to get the cage completely clear.
Once you have completely cleaned the cage using this process, soak and clean the additional accessories you removed, and wait for them to dry completely. Then you should return the hamster to its cage with new bedding, and the things you previously removed.
As prior mentioned, you should aim to repeat this process at least once a week to prevent hamster pee build-up and stains. It also makes the cleaning process a lot easier.
During summer months, or in hotter climates, hamster cage cleaning may need to be undertaken more regularly, like twice a week.
Final Thoughts
Healthy hamster pee should be milky white in color and appear quite thick. If it is cloudy and thin it could be a sign of calcium overload, and you should alter its diet and take it to the vet if the problem persists. If your hamster’s pee color is thin and transparent, they may be drinking too much water.
A hamster’s pee being a different color isn’t automatically a concern. Food like strawberries and beetroot can make it appear different but should clear up in a few days if you remove them from their diet. Even if you don’t, being aware of what you’re feeding them is always advisable.
If your hamster has brown or pink pee without an explanation, however, it could be indicative of a more serious problem. You should seek immediate advice from a vet if you haven’t fed your hamster anything that could cause this, or if your hamster has additional symptoms.