Why is she biting me?? - Page 2

cypher · 05-27-2016, 06:24 AM

Yes do it daily, new tissue each day for a few days at least, don't worry if she seems to ignore it she just needs to get used to your scent in the cage.

Pebbles82 · 05-27-2016, 04:02 PM

I would also avoid cleaning the cage right now - just spot clean it. I know that's difficult when you don't know where she is peeing, but just take out a few handfuls of substrate here and there and add a few new handfuls and mix them in a bit - it'll reduce the whiff for now!

I was wondering if she has enough "cover". Sometimes if the cage is quite open they can feel a bit exposed and feel anxious. So plenty of tunnels and hides, a cardboard box with the side cut out - for floor toys. A shelf can be good as well for something to hide under.

Sorry if you have all that already. Also she needs a house that's big enough and dark enough inside so she gets time in the dark to feel safe and build a big nest. You could try putting a tunnel or bendy bridge type thing over the house door to make it darker inside.

I would suggest not trying to handle her yet. It's frustrating - but patience is the key! We had to upgrade our Syrian to a new cage early on and it set back taming and we had to wait a couple of weeks and start all over again - but we got there eventually. Just give her a bit of time to do her own thing and talk to her through the bars occasionally and say nice things to her!

**Cinnamon Bear** · 05-27-2016, 07:14 PM

I've had two winter whites, only currently have one winter white and she is a biter from day #1. She knows what she is doing but she does it anyway. I don't think she can help herself. The winter white I had before her bit even harder and would draw blood. I tame them no different from the rest of my hammy's and 4 out of the 6 don't bite. I'm working with my Chinese and she hasn't bitten lately so that's 5 out of the 6. But Chloe, my WW hybrid will be a biter who whole life. Nothing I can do about it, but still love her the same.

hamtarokid · 05-27-2016, 09:25 PM

Okay, I'll start doing the tissue daily then and I'll try the handfuls of substrate cleaning method.

There's not a lot of open floor space in her cage, but she likes to sleep in what open spaces there are, especially the nest she made behind the wheel. But she always retreats to the tunnels under her digging tower when she wants to be left alone.

hamtarokid · 05-29-2016, 12:14 AM

I don't know if this could be related, but here in the last week she's started chewing up her cardboard toys and she didn't do that before.

cypher · 05-29-2016, 12:45 AM

Hard to say really, cardboard is for chewing so she may just have begun to enjoy that but they can chew more if they're stressed too so I just keep going slowly with her doing the things mentioned before & see how she goes.

Pebbles82 · 05-29-2016, 02:35 AM

Sounds like she is enjoying chewing her cardboard? Apart from the tunnels does she have an enclosed house in the cage? They need an enclosed house that's dark inside, to retreat too really - if they can't go somewhere dark they can get a bit stressed. Sorry if I said that before, I can't remember lol. An upturned shoe box or similar cardboard box with a hole in for a door would do and she'd probably nest in it if it was dark inside.

One thing that reduces is stress is being able to do normal hammy behaviour things - ie build a big nest somewhere dark (they often block off the doorway to the house with substrate to make it completely dark inside), open to the substrate, with enough depth of substrate that they can bury hoards under their nest or nearby.

hamtarokid · 05-29-2016, 06:27 AM

She has both a little porcelain house that she doesn't use as much because the inside gets lit up due to its placement and a house made from a cardboard box that is pitch black inside. I do see her go into it fairly regularly but she doesn't really sleep there.

cypher · 05-29-2016, 07:26 AM

As long as she has a house, or two, & plenty of shredded toilet tissue so she can make a nest if she wants to she'll be happy, some do prefer to sleep in the open.
Most of mine tend to burrow down below the house pulling some tissue or substrate over the door behind them but I have had one who always slept in an open nest which was really cute to see.

hamtarokid · 05-30-2016, 05:45 AM

Yeah, she likes to sleep either behind her wheel or in her digging tower. But the other day she slept in a corner pressed up against the wall of the cage and it was super cute.