URINARY SYSTEM
Hamsters are adapted for the desert environment by having both renal and respiratory conservation mechanisms, but unlike some desert rodents they cannot survive on metabolic water alone (Newcomer et al.
1987).The kidneys are reddish brown and bean shaped. The right kidney lies at the level of L2-L4 and the left kidney lies at L3-4. The kidney is unipapillate, having a very long papilla extending out into the ureter (Bivin et al. 1987; Magalhaes 1968). This is an adaptation to an arid environment as it produces very concentrated urine and prevents dehydration.
Urine is thick and creamy with a normal pH of 5.1-8.4. Hamsters usually produce up to 7 ml of urine per day but this can increase up to 75 ml/day in hamsters with diabetes (Harkness & Wagner 1995). Proteinuria can be found even in normal hamsters.