THE HAMSTER MAY HAVE TO GO :(

[Bunsey]

to be honest, i think maybe you would be right to pass her on. I don't really think you sound cut out to care for a hamster. I don't think you have the right attitude/feelings towards animals. I think it would be better to give her to a home who will tame her, love her and get her a nice big cage and wheel. If you're near bradford then there should be plenty of Northern Hamster Club members who would be willing to take her and tame her.

i've got a hamster here that used to bite you if you tried to touch her. It took us 6 months to tame her with gardening gloves. If she had never become tame, we still wouldn't have got rid of her. It never would've crossed our minds. I don't want you to take it like i'm having a go, but you're obviously not a true animal-lover. I think you see your hamster as a thing for your entertainment, an animal, rather than respecting her as an equal to yourself, who happens to be of another species. Some people are just not right for animal-keeping and i think you're one of them. That's not meant as having a go at all.

[Bex]

Why did you get a hamster in the first place, if you couldn't cope with the amount of chewing/noise they give off? Surely you looked into it? Or was it just on a whim, that you got the hamster?

My hamsters have the glass tanks you're on about...perfecto, yeah? Both mine have one of those, and one of them does the same as yours...bites the sealent. I have had the tank for around 2 months now, and neither of the hamsters have escaped. I would suggest keeping them away from bedrooms, so you can sleep. But maybe the suggestion that you might have to pass the hamster on, at the first hurdle, would be an inclination that maybe you don't really want the hamster, or the responsibilty of looking after the hamster? I don't mean this to offend, but having a pet is nothing to take lightly, and if you can't handle them, then they could be better homed.

[LocoRocoPanda]

A few of your problems is it sounds like you really weren't ready to take on a nocturnal animal nor understood what it meant to keep a hamster and also have you considered maybe your hamster is really bored. My hamster have chewing blocks, a wheel and a network of tubes and it tends to keep them very busy. Also you must tame your hamster thankfully my Chinese Hamsters are lovely and handle very well. Playing with them outside e.g. letting them run up your arm (something my hamsters seem to love nearly as much as just settling down and eating some cabbage with me while watching TV) works a hamster so they don't have the energy to chew on bars.
And you do tend to get used to the noise they make at night.
Also age has nothing to do with it. I'm 15 and my hamsters are just 6 months old and they're always happy to just relax because they spend all their time running and playing.
Try doing some more research into hamsters. Don't give up because she isn't perfect.

[WinnieTheHam]

Originally Posted by chavvy91

Shes 2 month old and shes so annoying, she will never settle down on a night when people are trying to sleep, but the thing is she cnt stop biting the cage, she had a brand new plastic tub cage and she started chewing a hole where the water bottle spout goes, we tryed everything, even putting vasline all over where she was biting and tryed blowing on her and she wouldnt stop. So i went all the way to Bradford today to pick up a hamster tank (made of glass), hoping that would atleast stop her destroying the cage, and she still hasnt given up, shes biting off the sealing that holds the glass panels together, its so loud and annoying and shell end up escaping and i refuse to buy any more cages!
so shall i just get rid, or is there really a solution?!

Oh and if someone mentions taming her i cant go near her she just bites, and she wont take food off me either.

Well now you have a glass tank, it wont be as annoying. My Syrian has a glass tank and he nibbles the silicon off, but it barely makes an annoying sound.. You should have researched about hamsters before you got one, because they're known for chewing things and almost everywhere on the internet states that they're nocturnal.

Don't blow on her. This can be threatening and stressful, it will probably make her chewing worse. Chewing bars is a sign of boredom and stress. Has she got plenty of enrichment? (toys). I advise giving her plenty of substrate too so she can dig instead of chewing excessively.

Has she got gnaw blocks to chew on? If not then that could be another reason to why she is doing it.

The main thing i advise is don't get frustrated with her. Be patient and calm around her, and she then will probably calm down. Rub your hands in her bedding and substrate every day. Do it before you handle her or try hand feed her too. Doing so puts her scent onto your hands, so she wont be as scared to approach you if you smell of her. It will also put your smell into her enclosure, and she will eventually get used to it.

Also don't change her environment around too much, this causes stress, what will then lead her to chewing more and more. Just do a bit more research on taming her. Try find other ways of doing it. Speak to her in a soft tone so she gets used to your voice, also speak to her before you enter her cage so she knows it's you and not a predator.

What kind of environment is she in? Because the ideal place is a quiet, draft free environment. Don't place her near a TV, speakers or busy areas in the house because she wont feel safe and this also leads to stress.

I really advise you to rub your hands in her substrate though, she will get used to your scent and will be less likely to bite you after a while. She wont get used to you straight away though, its going to take time so you're going to have to be patient.

If she is a Syrian hamster, she needs a 12'' wheel ideally, so she can run on it without discomfort. It will also burn off her energy quicker and give her something fun to do and distract her from chewing.

[RubyDooby]

Sounds similar to Cruella she didn't stop chewing and although she kept me up at night I was more worried about her escaping and hurting herself. She ended up in a big tank and she did chew the sealant aswell but she did eventually stop after she had settled down. Make sure they have a suitable wheel and toys/chews to keep them occupied.

I never once thought about getting rid of Cruella I was just patient and waited till she matured, once she did it was never a problem again. Stick with the tank and fingers crossed she will calm down, all the switching cages will be unsettling for her. She needs time to settle and mature. Maybe try some chew sticks or something yummy she can gnaw on instead of sealant.

[leedsgurl]

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