Bin cages- Chew through the mesh??

[FlyLikeAValkyrie]

I'm looking into making a bin cage possibly, but then I wondered can hamsters chew through the mesh?? Autumn loves chewing the bars etc..so I'd be a bit worried that she'd chew through the mesh?

[Younr017]

Ive also been wondering this

[cathface]

this hasn't happened for me... if you get 6mm mesh, they can't even chew it! I have 13mm mesh on one bin cage at uni, which Badger gnaws at incessantly in the middle of the night so I blow gently on his face when he does it, but his bin cage at home is 6mm and he can't chew, only climb. :)

[kyrilliondaemon]

Yeah, 6mm mesh is unchewable and 1cm mesh is thick enough to withstand teeth (although I'd switch to 6mm mesh for bar chewers).

[laurajaey]

I have 13mm mesh and my hamster hasn't chewed through it :)
xo

[StarlightSerenity]

I'd be highly impressed by a hamster if it managed to chew threw metal to be honest.

I'd definately go for the 6mm mesh though, to prevent any chewing (not good for their teeth, mouth etc).

[RockinHammies]

we have the 1/4" wire mesh and I dont think she could even get her jaw in the square to chew it to be honest...

[obscura]

I'm looking into making a bin cage possibly, but then I wondered can hamsters chew through the mesh?? Autumn loves chewing the bars etc..so I'd be a bit worried that she'd chew through the mesh?

I don't even use mesh. I've seen many bin cages where people have cut large squares or rectangles either on the sides or tops of the bins for a mesh window. I haven't done this with any of my bins. I just drill lines of holes in the tops of the bins, and also on the upper sides of the bin (high enough where the hams can't grab the holes or chew them, but not too high where it's in the way when you put the top back on the bin).

I wasn't concerned about the hams chewing through the mesh, as much as I was concerned about them getting a hold of the plastic edge where the window was cut out. I figure if there is anything they can get a hold of, they will start chewing the plastic until they can get around the mesh.

I haven't seen or heard of this happening, but there's always a possibility as some hams are bigger chewers than others. Also, I realize Syrians are bigger chewers than my Campbell's dwarfs, so I was skeptical about using a bin for a Syrian. However, I haven't had any issues. The same goes with mice and gerbils. I have a pair of those as well and none of them have managed to chew the plastic.

Just check the bins and make sure there are no grooves of plastic poking up where the animals can get their teeth around it to chew.

[cathface]

I wasn't concerned about the hams chewing through the mesh, as much as I was concerned about them getting a hold of the plastic edge where the window was cut out. I figure if there is anything they can get a hold of, they will start chewing the plastic until they can get around the mesh.

I prevented this by putting the mesh on the inside of the cage, so they can't get through to the plastic anyway.

[nblackwell33]

Silly question. When you say 6mm, you mean the space between the wire, not the thickness of the wire itself, right?

[kyrilliondaemon]

Yeah, although I have now learnt that stubborn chewers can sometimes chew it

[edikft84]

My syrian chews on the mesh. Being in a hot, humid tropical country, I thought I'd give my little long haired syrian girl more ventilation by cutting a big square on the sides of her bin cage and covering them with mesh. She chews is all night long! She has many toys, a big wheel, a gnawing chew toy but she seems to be more interested in the mesh. It's 1cm wide, I'm just really frightened that one day she might chew through it lol.

[Flamestriker]

My previous bin cages were of mesh (the lids) but the new one simply has holes drilled in the lid. Lots of them (holes, not lids).

After the current occupant (a Syrian) I intend keeping a dwarf in there, so I'm hoping to keep the lid off and have more substrate and still not to allow the ham to escape. It's one of the big Ikea bins.

Squeak was in an Alexander but some serious bar chewing saw her plonked in a bin cage. Now the hybrid is going in the Alexander...