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Old 12-07-2018, 07:27 PM   #1
Chicleteer
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Question Whimzee problem and question

Hi, folks. I had an problem come up with a Whimzee recently with my nine-month-old Syrian hamster, Chiclet. I have let her chew on small Whimzees (The ones that are shaped like a toothbrush), and she does seem to like them occasionally. A couple nights ago, however, I found her trying to stuff the whole thing into her cheek pouch! That Whimzee was 2 3/4 inches / 7 cm long and looks way too big for her to be storing in her cheek. I could see it poking out the fur on her back and there was still a good centimeter sticking out of her mouth. In a panic, I gently eased out of her mouth, which was not easy, either because she was fighting me or perhaps it was stuck, but I was eventually able to extract it. I was so afraid that she would get it completely in and it would get stuck so that she couldn’t push it out again and might get hurt.

I immediately removed all of them from her cage and playpen. What’s disappointing to me is that they seemed like a good chew toy, and I do want her to keep her teeth in shape. Unfortunately, she prefers to chew carpet more than most of the chew toys I give her, so I was happy to find at least some type of good chew toy that she might be interested in sinking her teeth into.

My thought is either to not give them to her at all, or perhaps buy bigger ones that she would not be tempted to swallow and be sure to remove them if she actually does chew them down to size.

Has anyone had a problem like this, and if so, do you have any suggestions? Thanks…
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Old 12-07-2018, 11:34 PM   #2
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Default Re: Whimzee problem and question

You might be surprised just how much they can get in those pouches!
I wouldn't worry though, they will often try to pouch larger items instead of just carrying them in their mouths so they can take them & hide them somewhere safe.
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Old 12-08-2018, 07:46 AM   #3
Chicleteer
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Default Re: Whimzee problem and question

Thanks, Cypher. That’s reassuring, and with this being my first hamster I’m still learning what things to worry about and not worry about. I must admit the photos I’ve seen of hamsters with hugely stuffed pouches look pretty scary, and yet this is probably natural for them... I think I’ll still give them to her, maybe one size slightly larger (mostly for my own peace of mind) and see how that goes!
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Old 12-08-2018, 08:55 AM   #4
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Default Re: Whimzee problem and question

I had a similar encounter with a past Syrian who tried to pouch a small whimzee chew this I why now I only use the medium sized ones for Syrians - preferably the hedgehog. Plus remove them when they get really small and I find they last a lot longer too.
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Old 12-08-2018, 11:39 AM   #5
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Default Re: Whimzee problem and question

Thanks, SKB — That does seem to be a good solution, and I’m going to try it.
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