Bar biting despite tons of enrichment?

[FrancescaKate]

Hi guys, I'm new here and I've not done an introduction post yet so I hope this is okay. I've had my Syrian (Cheshire/Chessie) for about two months now and we're having some bar biting issues with her.

I think I might have been a bit dumb when I got her, thinking that because I'm a zoology student I would know about cages but it turns out I don't! All the cages that we have at my university are apparently smaller than the recommended size and I'm beginning to realise the 'large' cage that PaH sold me is not so large after all!

She has so much enrichment, but I've heard that small cages can cause bar biting which must the case here. It makes me feel so guilty because I've put in so many different chews, hides, tubes and hanging enrichment but she just isn't interested in them. I've ordered a zoozone (the large one) so I'm hoping that it will come this week but I'm worried now that her bar biting will have become a learned behaviour that a larger cage won't fix.

I've tried her in two cages, the PaH one and one that only has bars on the lid. Both are too small and she climbs her toys to get to the bars to chew, it's almost obsessive but I don't blame her because it's my fault. She does have a wheel but she doesn't like it so I let her out in her exercise balls about twice a night, for around 15 minutes each or until she settles down and stops running.

Basically, I feel awful that I listened to PaH when they told me this cage was the best money could buy. I'm scared that she's learned to chew bars and that two months into having her is too late to have bought her a bigger one.

Do you guys have any tips for me to stop her bar biting until the new cage comes, or how to 'unlearn' this behaviour?

[Vectis Hamstery]

Welcome to the forum. Chessie is a sweetie I'm sure members will be along with their tips, but my suggestions can be found here: Managing Bar Chewers

[Artisans_uk]

Hi FrancescaKate, welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your new addition, Chessie, she is very cute, lovely photo of her.

Vectis has a wealth of experience and knowledge and her link is great. I have 5 dwarf hamsters at the moment, and amongst them is my first chewer. She just loves to chew, whether she is in her cage or the playpen, so it isn't always cage related. She loves the Antos dog chews and is nearly through her current crocodile whereas some of my older fluffs have had theirs for much much longer and have barely made an impression on their crocodile or toothbrush chew.

I was just watching her attacking the monkey nut in her cage, again, she is the first to really tackle these. I have to start all the others off on theirs or they just get left, so it's quite a novelty to see Marram taking on and succeeding in the challenge to get through to the peanuts inside without any assistance.

I have weaved cardboard through the bars of her cage to stop her biting the bars and it has stopped her completely, although her cage looks a bit strange now. I have realised that she will need a cage without bars and I am about to make three new cages, so in a month or so, she will be away from any bars. Until then, she will have to manage with the cardboard. At least it is much better for her teeth.

Bracken only bites the bars for attention and she is normally distracted with some olive oil brushed onto the bars, although she enjoys licking it a little.

I hope you find Vectis' link useful. If Chessie is an insistent chewer, then the Zoozone II should put an end to that habit.

[FrancescaKate]

Yes she is a little sweetie, and thank you so much for the link! She did the exact same thing as on one of the photos, where she chewed the plastic around the water bottle until there was a small hole which is why I had to move her into another cage.

I'm definitely going to order some dog chews but they might not come until the zoozone gets here. What is your opinion on people using lemon juice or diluted apple cider vinegar as a temporary deterrent? I'm really cautious about trying it because I don't want her to feel sick or anything.

[FrancescaKate]

Originally Posted by Artisans_uk

Hi FrancescaKate, welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your new addition, Chessie, she is very cute, lovely photo of her.

Vectis has a wealth of experience and knowledge and her link is great. I have 5 dwarf hamsters at the moment, and amongst them is my first chewer. She just loves to chew, whether she is in her cage or the playpen, so it isn't always cage related. She loves the Antos dog chews and is nearly through her current crocodile whereas some of my older fluffs have had theirs for much much longer and have barely made an impression on their crocodile or toothbrush chew.

I was just watching her attacking the monkey nut in her cage, again, she is the first to really tackle these. I have to start all the others off on theirs or they just get left, so it's quite a novelty to see Marram taking on and succeeding in the challenge to get through to the peanuts inside without any assistance.

I have weaved cardboard through the bars of her cage to stop her biting the bars and it has stopped her completely, although her cage looks a bit strange now. I have realised that she will need a cage without bars and I am about to make three new cages, so in a month or so, she will be away from any bars. Until then, she will have to manage with the cardboard. At least it is much better for her teeth.

Bracken only bites the bars for attention and she is normally distracted with some olive oil brushed onto the bars, although she enjoys licking it a little.

I hope you find Vectis' link useful. If Chessie is an insistent chewer, then the Zoozone II should put an end to that habit.

Oh hi fellow Nottingham person!

Yeah I've just checked out Vectis' link and I'm definitely looking into some of the methods on there. Just about to search the flat now for some cardboard to see if I can weave it through the bars, hopefully then she'll realise how fun cardboard can be instead of her bars!

Are those specific dog chews only available online or are they often sold in stores? Thanks again.

[Artisans_uk]

Originally Posted by FrancescaKate

Oh hi fellow Nottingham person!

Are those specific dog chews only available online or are they often sold in stores? Thanks again.

Hi again FrancescaKate - I am in Mansfield and all the local petshops sell them near me, including P@H, I have never bought them online. I get a few of the toothbrushes and some of the crocodiles, all in the small size for my dwarf fluffs, although the way Marram attacks them I might get the medium for her, then she can have a hedgehog shaped one!
I think last time I bought them at my local Kennelgate, the toothbrushes were about 25p each.

[Shannonmcn]

You can't actually buy the antos chews online but p@h does them for 89p for the small ones. I personally wouldn't use lemon juice or anything on the bars, I would try to distract her instead. There a lot of cardboard toys you can put food inside which she might show more interest in than normal chews, if you have a look on YouTube you can get tutorials. Making her work for her dinner will keep her occupied and a lot of hams won't chew wooden things. I have heard of smearing just a tiny little bit of peanut butter on wood to encourage them though.

She'll be much happier in the zoozone so you've done the best thing for her already

[cypher]

Originally Posted by Shannonmcn

You can't actually buy the antos chews online

I always get mine online!

[Shannonmcn]

Whoops! Where from? The only place I saw them online was on Amazon in huge multipack boxes unless that's what you do?

[cypher]

Sorry I should have said, I get them from ratrations Antos Treat Chews : ratRations.com even with 3 hams I don't think I'd ever get through the big Amazon boxes!