Advice??

WoodFamily2012 · 09-09-2015, 11:15 PM

Hey guys.
Mr Bojangles has always been a cheeky dude for chewing bars, in his new zoozone 1 cage he has this wooden bed, but doesnt sleep in it, sleeps under the level. But the problem we have is he climbs on the wooden bed and chews the bars and because we added mesh to stop him squeezing through..i worried he may cut himself or injure himself on the mesh. SO i took the wooden home out, making him not able to chew the bars anymore. His behaviour is the same and hes not acting stressed but now he just sits and doesnt seem like he knows what to do, he runs on his wheel for most of the night and eats etc but he seems so lost without chewing, even though he has plenty chew toys and snacks. I just feel horrid but it was so loud and i though dangerous.

Any advice on if he will just adjust or shall i put it back and let him get on?
Ive added pictures so you get an idea.

cypher · 09-09-2015, 11:40 PM

I wouldn't put the house back where it was, you do need to avoid bar chewing if at all possible as he may well hurt himself.
They won't normally sleep in a house on a shelf, they really like to have a nice deep layer of substrate under the house as well as the shredded tissue inside to nest in.
Could you not put the house on top of the substrate or can he still reach the bars if you do that?
If you can get more substrate in the cage then do as they like to dig as much as they like to climb & chew! Maybe half bury a tube or two (cardboard ones are fine something like a pringle tube or something) to give him something else to occupy him & take his mind off the bar chewing.

Piebald · 09-09-2015, 11:42 PM

I think you were right to stop the chewing I'd be worried he would damage his teeth. It will take him some time to adjust if that was his favorite pastime. Imagine if your computer was taken away . . .

Does he have any Whimzees? Those are popular chews.
My suggestions for your set up are much deeper substrate, and a couple more hiding places (cardboard tubes or boxes with holes cut for entrances). Egg cartons with holes in the peaks and treats/food in the valleys are good fun too. You could also try hiding some treats/food around the cage and toys for him to find. Foraging is a natural behaviour and something he would spend a lot of time doing in the wild. Try some of that and come back for more ideas. xx

WoodFamily2012 · 09-10-2015, 02:00 AM

The area where he currently sleeps is underneath the shelf, under where the house was located and it has alot of bedding and sawdust, enough that he can crawl into and hide completely if he pleases. Ill put some cardboard tubes there to take the beds place and that way he cant stand on them but still chew. It doesnt matter where i put the bed hed be able to chew because of its height im afraid

. I usually put treats in for him but he just scoffs the lot in 5 minutes lol ill try hiding them better!

Yeah he has a whimzee but i read on another thread not to leave it in the cage with them? Just let them chew away with supervision? I may of misunderstood, but it seemed it was dangerous in some way?

Thankyou for the great advice guys, always appreciated

xx

Bertiebobbins · 09-10-2015, 02:43 AM

I leave the Whimzees in the cage for them, I took out the one I gave Bertie and he got really aggy with me lol snatched it back then tried to pouch it which was quite amusing! He went through his really fast which is why I took it out. Nibble I've left it for him by his food bowl and he Nibbles a little on it every night but isn't nearly so bothered about it.

racinghamster · 09-10-2015, 03:41 AM

Removing the wooden hut was a good move. Hamsters like to sleep under a shelf where it`s dark during the day. It`s their burrow and place where they stash food and stay hidden. Having a good wheel means they get their excersize and stimulation. Climbing and bar chewing are eliminated so means the hamster is safer as a result. Your cage doesn`t look like a Zoozone 1? Without the exact measurements, it`s hard to tell, but if your hamster is a Syrian, perhaps a larger tank would give him more space? The cage you have looks fine for a single dwarf hamster, even though they too like more space where possible, but giving them space depends too on whether they get out of cage time or spend most of their time inside their cage. The wheel replaces running around on the floor, but if your hamster is happy enough, you shouldn`t need to change anything unless you feel the cage itself is on the small side. x

Pebbles82 · 09-10-2015, 03:49 AM

I agree with RH - I think it was mentioned before that he needs a bigger cage. You didn't have the dimensions of this one but it doesn't look as big as 80 x 50 which is the minimum size you should be aiming for really. Bar chewing is caused by many things, including stress and wanting to escape, but a larger cage often sorts it. I think that's why you moved him into the tank style one isn't it? sorry if your cage is the size of a Zoozone 1 - it's hard to tell on the photo - it looks about 60cm wide?

Basically more space and a bigger wheel should give him more of a life, places to go, things to do and hide under and dig in and a more comfortable run in a larger wheel.

WoodFamily2012 · 09-10-2015, 04:26 AM

The cages says ZooZone 1 on it, so im assuming lol
I cover him during the day because of the unit he is on and because he sleeps basically in the open, he is directly in line of sunlight etc, so i cover him otherwise he doesnt get much sleep.

Im going to add tubes and egg cartons when he wakes up so hopefully that sorts it, he seems happy otherwise xx

WoodFamily2012 · 09-10-2015, 04:29 AM

Ill give him the whimzee also!

The cage has been DIY'd thats probably why it looks strange, the shelf was added from his smaller cage that we moved him from and added in, my dad slotted holes for it to sit on and he seems happy like i say x

Piebald · 09-10-2015, 05:36 AM

The thing with the whimzee is to see how fast he looks to be devouring it. Some people have had very serious trouble if the Hammie gobbles the whole thing at once- their digestive system cannot handle it. Some of the whimzees are softer than others too apparently and those are to be avoided altogether. So I'd supervise the whimzee especially at first and see what kind of chewer he is.
Regarding more hidey places, they like to have cover as they roam from place to place so other boxes and tubes to explore in addition to the house will be entertaining for him. You never know there might be a hawk up there watching!
I think it would be nicer for him to have a house that is dark inside. Even just a cardboard one.
You can add more substrate and wall off the wheel with a bendy bridge so it still sits on a fairly low amount and isn't raised too high. Your ham will really love deep substrate so I would recommed this highly as a boredom breaker.
Is he a dwarf? I am trying to tell from your siggie but can't quite make it out.

ETA you mentioned covering him, just wonder how this is done? Those zoozones don't look to me to have the best airflow and I'd be worried about blocking off airflow.