Behavioral Dilemma

[RowanWyrd]

I recently returned to my parent's house for winter break with Ubi, and had to get him into a new cage to keep there for visiting. It's a combination bin and standard cage with a tray and bars. This is the first time in his life that the little ham has ever been exposed to bars and it's rapidly becoming a problem.

Ubi has *never* before asked to get out. Really, he demonstrates no desire to leave his cage most of the time. He's very inquisitive while out of his aquarium, but all things being equal, would rather be left to his business inside. When I switched him to the barred cage, he has started gnawing the bars at night loud enough to wake me up. When I come over to check on him, he's crawled out of the door and wants to play. If I put him back and try to sleep, he starts all over again. At first I was worried he'd become a bar chewer, but he only does it when I go to sleep, he'll be up and about while I'm awake in the early evenings and is totally fine.

I don't want to encourage him to be a brat and be annoying to get his way, but I am still really excited he's finally warming up and wanting to play. Any advice?

[SinNyx]

Some hamsters are just attracted to bars, not only to get out and have a play.
To hamsters bar chewing can be a bit soothing with the repeated action, and to others they like the metal, some hamsters prefer wood, some choose the metal when they can. It may just be the repeated action that is calming him down.
So no matter how much you do really take him out, he may just keep bar chewing anyway because it will be nice to him

Obviously providing him with other things to do may help - wheels, chews ect and I am guessing you would of already tried that!
I know some people may use a spray on the bars but I myself never have and I am not sure if it may actually harm a hamster or not either. For me bar chewing has never been too much of an issue since the hams have their own little room and I can't hear most of it!

[Nush]

My hammy bar chews whenever he wants to come out. He doesn't do it often, only the 3 to 4 times he wants to come out. I think they try it and see if you respond and once you go and check on them, they learn that they can get you to do what they want!

It may well be that when he was in the aquarium, he did want to come out but didn't know how to tell you.

Obviously, like me, if you keep going to see him every time he bar chews it'll only reinforce his behaviour. If you ignore the bar chewing, no matter how loud he is, he'll stop. Because my hammy only does it a few times, I haven't discouraged him. I got his teeth checked by the vet a few times now and he said his teeth are well aligned so the bar chewing is not excessive enough to make an impact.

My Syrian tells me he wants to come out when he sits by his door. He's quite a patient guy, bless him. The way to train him is to wait for him to do an action e.g. sit on a ledge then go and see him every time. So that he learns every time he sits in a particular place you will likely take him out.

[racinghamster]

I would be more worried about him injuring his teeth if he is not used to a barred cage. Changing cages can stress a hamster sometimes and chewing the bars could be a sign that this is the case. If he doesn`t crave attention while in his usual tank, the barred cage has allowed him to change his behaviour and once they start to chew on bars, it can become stereotypical and dangerous. It`s a shame you didn`t have a perspex style cage or another tank to house him with only bars on the grill above.

Depending on how long he will be residing in this cage, if it means he is going to continue this learned behaviour, it might be wise to get a tank just so you can sleep and Ubi isn`t obsessed with any bars!

[RowanWyrd]

Thank you guys so much for all of the advice. He didn't take the 11 hour car ride here in the tiny carrier I had to put him in, so i'm going to chalk a lot of it up to stress and think he might want to get out to me so much because I'm familiar. I did put his original bedding down in the new cage, but he's been a little off ever since the car ride. Healthy not his normal routine.
I've decided since I'll be here for a month and a half that I'm going to put him into a bin cage with as similar a layout to his home as possible. I really hope that lets him settle in. I'd wanted to keep him in the same to get things as stable as possible, but I simply cannot stand the bar chewing. If you have any advice, suggestions, or opinions on my plan, please let me know. I really just want to do right by him.