Sore face from chewing bars :(

Abijones · 04-01-2017, 04:13 AM

Our Syrian has given herself sore patches on both side of her face, presumably from chewing the bars. She has plenty to chew on her cage, what can I do about it? I tried to get a photo but you can't really see the sore parts, they're more obvious when she's just been chewing .

Abijones · 04-02-2017, 10:58 AM

These photos show the sore patches a bit more clearly.

Drago · 04-02-2017, 11:10 AM

Something you can do to help combat the issue is take wooden laundry clips and clip them on the bars around the area she chews often. I'll link some below. A permanent fix would be to attach a strip of cardboard or plexiglass around the base of the cage where she can reach the bars so that she can no longer chew. I hope the problem resolves soon, best wishes

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00...dry+clips+wood

**Cinnamon Bear** · 04-02-2017, 11:14 AM

If it were me I'd try Drago ' s suggestion & if that doesn't work I'd get a 40 gal glass tank ( if u live in US) or a large bin cage, that would eliminate the problem altogether. Plus you don't want the hamster hurting his teeth plus sore face. I'd put the hammy in a different cage asap but that's just me. Hope this helps?

Edit: I see you live in UK, so that eliminates the glass breeder tank. There are people on the forum who might be able to suggest a better cage for bar chewers

JustTooFluffy · 04-02-2017, 11:19 AM

Try Drago's suggestion or you could get his chews and leave them in the box where you store its food and leave them there awhile then it might chew because of the food scent

Abijones · 04-02-2017, 11:20 AM

Thanks, I will try The wooden clothes pegs. I'm not going to change the cage, she's only been in it for about 10 days and it's lovely and roomy. She likes climbing all around the bars and seems to favour the top corners as chewing points, I've checks for sharp bits and there aren't any. I don't understand why she doesn't chew the wooden things and toys though?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustTooFluffy

Try Drago's suggestion or you could get his chews and leave them in the box where you store its food and leave them there awhile then it might chew because of the food scent

That sounds like a great idea, I'll give it a go

Drago · 04-02-2017, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abijones

Thanks, I will try The wooden clothes pegs. I'm not going to change the cage, she's only been in it for about 10 days and it's lovely and roomy. She likes climbing all around the bars and seems to favour the top corners as chewing points, I've checks for sharp bits and there aren't any. I don't understand why she doesn't chew the wooden things and toys though?

10 days isn't very long and part of the reason she is chewing could be due to her still adjusting. Not many hamsters actually chew on wooden toys unfortunately, most of the time they'll take a nibble here and there, but leave them mostly untouched. Food chews like whimzees, greenies, and other hard dog treats will help with maintaining tooth health and keeping her stimulated. You can also try scatter feeding a bit as this will keep her busy and entertained

**Cinnamon Bear** · 04-02-2017, 11:26 AM

Hoping your hammy will adjust & these suggestions will solve the bar chewing 4 good

cypher · 04-02-2017, 12:06 PM

Chewing bars isn't generally due to a lack of other things to chew although if you haven't already tried them I would give whimzees a go as most hams love them & not many really enjoy wood chew toys.
It could be a part of exploring the new cage but enrichment is often the answer, lots to do to distract her & plenty of interest in the cage generally.
Lots of deep substrate, cardboard or cork tubes, boxes, anything you can think of really to keep your ham busy!
Putting things on the bars can help but it can also serve to just draw attention to the area even more so isn't always the best way to deal with it.
If her face is getting sore it might be worth putting some cardboard or something over the areas that get chewed though. The cardboard may get chewed instead but that's ok, just replace it.
Never reward bar chewing by paying attention, always ignore it & don't give your ham attention until it stops as it can become an attention seeking habit.
There's a very helpful thread on managing bar chewing here.

souffle · 04-02-2017, 12:21 PM

Bar chewing is a bit of an addiction for hamsters and is very hard to stop. If she has only been in there 10 days and has already damaged her face it could get much worse and end up with some vet bills and still have to move her.
Firstly ensure that the wheel is big enough - wheel addiction can override bar chewing sometimes.
Next you need to block her chew points.
If it is the roof lay a solid thing like a tile over it. Aim is to stop her getting her nose through. Weave cardboard though the bars so she can't get it through or maybe use something like a plastic file or a log bridge and zip tie that over the chew points.
You really must stop it as if they get a fright and twang the teeth on the bars they can take them out by the roots. There are some threads with hints to help