Hamster chewing plastic wheel and not using chews?!

[minyoongi]

Hey guys, I'm new to Hamster Central. So I've done lots of research about hamsters and I got a brand new hamster. I got her a big bin cage which is 450 square inches and provided her with many toys and chews. So I'm very scared because my hamster has been chewing the plastic off her trixie wheel and I've tried giving her the chews and some toilet rolls with food inside, but she's not interested in them. So I already started the taming process and I let her settle in. I've tried hand feeding her, which she has taken the treats, but she has been hissing at me after a few minutes and she hides. Please help me because I feel like I'm not a good owner though I've tried everything I could and followed everything. I've given her a good diet and she has many toys to play with.

[Drago]

Hello and welcome to HC!

How long have you had your new ham? What species is she? While 450 is suitable, it is certainly on the smaller side, especially for syrians. However, my guess is that the chewing is due to her still settling in. I recommend a bare minimum of four days for your hamster to settle before attempting any sort of taming. However, I find the most success in a week or more of acclimating. She's likely just stressed right now, the best thing I can recommend is to scatter food and treats before she wakes up, to try to prevent her from chewing at the wheel. If the chewing is too persistent, switching to a wooden wheel wouldn't be a terrible idea!

It sounds to me like she's not super confident yet. Take things slowly, start by simply talking to her from outside the cage, getting her used to your voice and presence. Hissing and hiding indicates that she's scared, so I'd try offering one or two treats if she's comfortable, then leaving her be. The key to taming is patience and persistence.

Try to relax, these things will take time. Let her settle, and take things slowly. Best of luck

[cypher]

Some hams do seem to make a habit of chewing plastic wheels, if she keeps it up & it might be worth considering a wooden wheel but if you haven't had her long maybe give her more time to settle & see how she goes.
Have you tried giving her whimzee dog chews? Most hams love to chew those, the small toothbrush is the most popular one, you can get them in most pet shops or online.

If she's taking treats from you then you're making good progress, the hissing just shows that she's still nervous, if you're offering treats in the cage then that may be scaring her a little at this stage.
Once she's had a few days to settle try taming out of the cage in a playpen, play or you can use the bath (with the plug in & a towel in the bottom).
Just go slow & steady with taming & she'll gain confidence soon enough.

[minyoongi]

Hi, thanks for the replies my hamster is a Syrian banded hamster and she has settled in for around 3-4 days. I've slowly encouraged my hamster to take the treats from my hand, following from my fingertips. I've had her for almost a week (which I understand because hamsters need a lot of time to settle in.) I've tried adding some of her favourite hamster mix seeds and nuts inside the loofah chews I have, and thankfully she has been inclined to chew them, but only for a short period of time. I have left her alone when she's started hissing at me. I am very appreciative with the replies you all have given me. And don't worry about the cage because once my hamster is slowly settled in, I might let her play out of the cage or do a few of the taming sessions. I cannot stress about how happy I am for your replies. Thank you

[CMB]

You may be able to get a soldi metal wheel. They are sold for chinchillas, degus and rats. I saw one recently, but can’t remember where.