Bar Chewing - Page 2

Coco61 · 06-18-2017, 01:23 PM

Hi AP, typical problem. I had it with Mocho when he came home from Tuftyfluffs. The reason breeders prefer their little ones to be a bit older before unlimited access to a wheel is because a pup has been known to overdo it and with fatal consequences. Once is once too many. Like Serendipity I had it in his playpen for a couple of days but was soon asking advice here about putting it in his cage. He was nearly 9 weeks old when it went in his cage and he never bar chewed again as far as I knew. Hope it solves the problem for Quigley.

AprilPearl · 06-18-2017, 01:31 PM

Oh God. No. Thank you so much for telling me. Have removed the wheel. Will not. Cannot. Risk that.

Coco61 · 06-18-2017, 01:40 PM

Oh help AP, I didn't mean to alarm you that much. Just wanted to explain why that advice is given. Of course it is a very rare occurrence but I can understand that after Mushu you don't want to take any risks. Keep a watch on him in the playpen. If he uses it sensibly by stopping and starting after a rest then he will be ready. If he wheels too much when so young then you are on hand to stop him for a bit.

AprilPearl · 06-18-2017, 01:42 PM

Thanks Coco. No, no. I am so glad you told me as it's just not worth the risk and I had no idea that could happen whatsoever. I think, especially considering he is a week younger than I initially thought, that waiting a few weeks will be a good idea. He can still use it in the playpen.

FelicityAnn · 06-18-2017, 04:14 PM

Esme went through a bar-chewing phase, so I cut a lot of rings of toilet paper tubes, strung them on sisal string and tied them to the bars across where she was chewing. She attacked them ferociously, which did her no harm, then took lots of the bits back to her nest.

When the rings get a bit tatty, I just cut some more & thread them on the string. Although there's plenty of other places she could chew the mesh, she seems content to chew the cardboard.

Before I discovered that the rings worked, I used to stroke her nose when she was chewing, and told her off very gently. The guilty look on her face when I did that was precious!

Drago · 06-18-2017, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coco61

Hi AP, typical problem. I had it with Mocho when he came home from Tuftyfluffs. The reason breeders prefer their little ones to be a bit older before unlimited access to a wheel is because a pup has been known to overdo it and with fatal consequences. Once is once too many. Like Serendipity I had it in his playpen for a couple of days but was soon asking advice here about putting it in his cage. He was nearly 9 weeks old when it went in his cage and he never bar chewed again as far as I knew. Hope it solves the problem for Quigley.

Ah good to hear the reasoning behind it! I know it's a thing with Chinchillas being allowed out of their cages as they'll overdo it and can get heat stroke, but never thought of it with hamsters..

AprilPearl · 06-18-2017, 11:03 PM

Thanks everybody once again for your advice. Yesterday, I tied bendy bridges to all the areas of the bars he likes to chew best and most of the rest of the bars for good measure. But, I couldn’t cover them all. The result was that Quigley simply moved to chewing the bars in a different place, despite having to stand up to do so (there was a bendy bridge fastened to the bars below them). As a result, I had to move out of my room again. He didn’t start until about 11:30pm last night which was later than before, so maybe all the changes and his food being scatter fed distracted him. I’ll try making him a toilet roll/paper treat parcel tonight. I really hope he does stop eventually, otherwise I will have to move him to a tank which would be a shame as I do love his savic plaza.

Here are my failed defences.

I don't think he gnawed on this side:

But he gnawed above the bendy bridges on this side:

Drago · 06-19-2017, 03:39 AM

Naughty Quigley! You may find it worthwhile to cover the areas he could possibly reach with cardboard and see if that deters him a bit

AprilPearl · 06-19-2017, 04:29 AM

I thought of that Drago, but I am always slightly concerned that the carboard could have something harmful on/in it. What type of cardboard aoukd you suggest?

AmityvilleHams · 06-19-2017, 04:34 AM

Just use plain cardboard with no dyes.Anything that is dyed would be unspecified and being unspecified is a serious safety risk,as always,whether natural or artificial.