Bar Biting

[aimsdavies]

Hiya!
I’m at a bit of a loss really. My new hamster, Puff, has lately been biting the bars of her cage. For the first week since I’d brought her home she’d been fine with little to no biting at all. It’s only recently where it’s started to become a habit.
I’ve known a while that she’s a big chewer, which is why I’ve provided plenty of toys and chews for her to occupy herself with. She’s constantly chewing on toilet rolls, so there’s plenty of those too.
She’s been biting the bars in a specific corner of her cage. I own the Barney cage, and she seems to always prefer the far right corner. I’ve noticed this and placed numerous toilet rolls and chews in this particular area and yet she stills bites on the bars.
I thought it may be boredom, though she has plenty of toys already, so I went out and bought more. It wasn’t that either.
I tried rubbing a small amount of olive oil on the bars, that didn’t work. I did 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water and did the same, still didn’t work.
I’ve resorted to squeezing cardboard through the gaps in hopes that at least that won’t hurt her teeth. I don’t know of anything else I can use.Any ideas? I don’t fancy buying a tank, but I will if it’s the only option. That is my last resort.
Please help!
Thank you!

[Baron]

What kind of hamster is she? Do you have pictures of her cage layout? How deep is her substrate?

I have noted that female syrians can be quite picky with cages. I had a female inside a Barney too. But no matter what kind of toys or substrate level I put in there, she wasn't happy. She's now housed inside a 120 cm cage with a deep level of substrate (close to 25-30 cm) , and she seems settled.

[Natasha95]

When I want my hamster to chew on his chew toys, I usually put a VERY thin layer of peanut butter on the toys, and he goes crazy. He loves it! But I think peanut butter should only be used sparingly if you decide to try that. Other than that, is there anything that could be stressing your hamster out? Mine only chews on his bars when he's angry or isn't feeling well, like if he's constipated.

[Razor]

Have you tried using Whimzees dental chews? They are usually loved by almost all hamsters and can keep them engaged for hours. I recommend the toothbrush one.
Also, check that the wheel is spinning freely. If the wheel seems to have stiffened up a bit, they can get quite bored easily. If it is, try lubricating it with vegetable oil.
And finally, does she get enough out of cage time? This could also be an attempt at indicating she wants to get out. But if that is the case. Start a routine. So she knows that at a certain time she will be let out. The alternative ends up with the hamster training you instead.

[cypher]

I had a ham who just liked to chew the bars in one corner of her cage for no reason I could see, putting cardboard over the bars in that area or maybe trying to fix a bendy bridge over the bars there can help.