[Fluffagrams]

Hello there, I have moved your question off of the original thread so that more people have the chance to notice it and you should hopefully get more replies.

Hamsters may bar chew for a number of reasons and ideally to stop the behaviour, you'll need to know what has been causing it so here's a few things that you can consider as a way of ruling out various causes...

What chews are available to your hamster? I have found that my hamsters have shown absolutely no interest in chewing the wooden things that they sell in pet shops for this purpose and they seem a lot more willing to chew a dog biscuit or something like a Whimzees chew which is sold as a dog chew.

Is there an issue with your hamster's teeth? To rule this out, you'll need to quickly have look in your hamster's mouth to make sure that the teeth aren't too long.

Is there something about the cage that's bothering them? Check that the wheel is working and that your hamster is able to use it comfortably. Check the water bottle too. It's also worth thinking about any changes that you've made to the cage recently as they can get attached to certain toys and can get a bit upset if they're taken out.

Is there anything outside the cage that's bothering them? For this one you could think about where in the room the cage is placed such as being next to electronic equipment that may be omitting a buzzing inaudible to us but also if there are food and treats nearby that your hamster can smell. On two occasions, things outside the cage ended up being the cause of bar chewing in my hamstery... once because there was some hamster food kept in a tub nearby and another because a female hamster had developed an interest in one of my boys.

Is it attention seeking? Does your hamster stop chewing when you give them attention if so the problem could be an attention seeking behaviour. If this is the case then rewarding the behaviour will only reinforce it. I know it's not easy to keep up ignoring it, particularly when you're worried that they may harm themselves so it's worth thinking about putting an obstruction in the way and if your hamster is keeping you awake, considering moving them into another room for a while.

The final reason for bar chewing is simply because they can and it's become a habit. In this case, it's better to obstruct the areas that they're likely to chew and keep them occupied as best you can. Ideas that have worked for me have included treat kebabs and food parcels as they allow the hamster to chew in a more productive manner.