Hamsters can suffer from bladder or kidney infections. The most common symptoms are excessive urinating, blood in the urine and excessive drinking. Other symptoms may include squealing when urinating and listlessness.

A hamster with a bladder or kidney infection will require antibiotic treatment by a vet to cure the infection and will need to be kept warm. Access to sufficient water is also essential. It is also advisable to clean the cage more regularly, using a disinfectant designed for small animal cages to prevent the Aspergillis Fungus developing in the area of the cage the hamster uses for urinating.

Once treated hamsters usually recover from bladder and kidney infections within a few days. However, very rarely a hamster may have a severe kidney disorder or kidney failure and as well as the above symptoms may show severe wasting. Unfortunately such severe problems may not be curable.

Hamsters that are fed a poor quality diet or a diet high in fat content are more susceptible to developing bladder infections as this causes the urine to become more alkaline.