My hamster is driving me insane with her bar chewing.

FirefoxMiho · 12-09-2018, 02:31 AM

I just upgraded her cage to the Prevue 528 cage which is 620 square inches of space.

I bought $50 of toys last week.

I have buried treats all over her cage.

I have sprayed diluted apple vinegar on her cage bars.

And now I reluctantly sprayed lemon juice on the cage. That alone should show that I have had enough. I can’t have her wake me up throughout the night and continue this behavior that will injure her teeth.

Upgrading is not an option for many reasons. Including plans to move and I cannot have a heavy cage. But I will return her current cage and put her back on the 55 gallon if I cannot get this resolved by next week.

Chezzu · 12-09-2018, 03:21 AM

Ah I'm so sorry to hear you're having such a time with your little furbaby!

Sadly I know your struggle all too well, my little Paprika has 775 square inches of unbroken floorspace, a 12" wheel, chew toys, edible nibbler toys, hide toys, tunnel toys, mental stimulation toys.. I scatter treats, I re-arrange his cage and swap toys every week and a half to keep him stimulated.. AND YET!! He chews the plastic on the sides of his cage constantly.

I've found that the only thing that helps is having long and frequent play sessions outside the cage before I go to bed, which tires him out a little, maybe you could try interacting with her more! It may help!

alpacassei · 12-09-2018, 05:13 AM

Could you post a picture of her setup so we can offer suggestions on how to improve it? Is her wheel the right size and working properly?

Unfortunately the Prevue is considered the minimum cage size here and a lot of Syrians, females especially, do better with a 100x50cm cage (775 square inches). Bar chewing can be dangerous so it might be safer to move her back into the tank.

I checked the dimensions for the average 55 gallon tank and it’s around 700 square inches which is a lot more space than the Prevue has

FirefoxMiho · 12-09-2018, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpacassei

Could you post a picture of her setup so we can offer suggestions on how to improve it? Is her wheel the right size and working properly?

Unfortunately the Prevue is considered the minimum cage size here and a lot of Syrians, females especially, do better with a 100x50cm cage (775 square inches). Bar chewing can be dangerous so it might be safer to move her back into the tank.

I checked the dimensions for the average 55 gallon tank and it’s around 700 square inches which is a lot more space than the Prevue has

The 55 gallon is 584 sq inches.

I’ll probably put her back in the tank if I don’t get this solved.