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Old 04-30-2020, 05:10 PM   #1
Nika
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Question Bar chewing an monkeybaring in a detolf?

I posted recently in housing about enrichment advice for an active syrian in housing. I have been adding more and more things to her cage since, including hides, a sandbath, millet sprays, etc, and she has a 28cm wooden wheel (I believe it's the Karlie Wonderland one but it's hard to tell as I bought it years ago) which is working perfectly fine.
Whenever I put something new in her cage, she plays with it for a bit, then goes back to her chew corners where she bites the mesh on the lid and monkeybars on it as well. I have been trying to cover these corners with cardboard to stop her from chewing on the bars, because I don't want her to damage herself (and it's also a very annoying noise). She chews on the cardboard instead, then once she's done with it she goes for the bars again (even though I have even put a bit of olive oil on them).
I am completely clueless as to what to do. She seems to be trying to escape desperately and nothing occupies her, even after playtime outside her cage. Any ideas as to what the problem could be? I'm concerned for her and I want her to feel comfortable and entertained in her cage.
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Old 05-02-2020, 05:07 AM   #2
Ithuviel
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Default Re: Bar chewing an monkeybaring in a detolf?

My guess is that the cardboard and olive oil is only going to make her do this more....other than that i don't know what to say. Syrians are famous for never being content.
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Old 05-02-2020, 02:02 PM   #3
Ria P
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Default Re: Bar chewing an monkeybaring in a detolf?

Could you post a photo of your set up? What's she like when she's out of her cage?
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Old 05-03-2020, 07:38 AM   #4
Nika
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Default Re: Bar chewing an monkeybaring in a detolf?

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Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Could you post a photo of your set up? What's she like when she's out of her cage?
Sure!
These are recent pictures but I do change things around every few days (which occupies her attention for about 20 minutes haha) so since then I have added a little climbing tower! I also scatterfeed her.
[IMG]IMG_20200501_231934.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_20200501_231937.jpg[/IMG]

When she is outside her cage, she seems to be curious, she mostly just walks around, sniffs corners, chew-tests everything, and doesn't like going back in her cage very much (but once I pick her up she is fairly cooperative, she doesn't really bite, only as a very last resort when someone is annoying her). I think she has a lot of energy so I am in the process of building a playpen for her as my room isn't the best for free-roaming.
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File Type: jpg IMG_20200501_231937.jpg (2.62 MB, 32 views)
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Old 05-04-2020, 08:54 AM   #5
Petite
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Default Re: Bar chewing an monkeybaring in a detolf?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nika View Post
Whenever I put something new in her cage, she plays with it for a bit, then goes back to her chew corners where she bites the mesh on the lid and monkeybars on it as well. I have been trying to cover these corners with cardboard to stop her from chewing on the bars, because I don't want her to damage herself (and it's also a very annoying noise). She chews on the cardboard instead, then once she's done with it she goes for the bars again (even though I have even put a bit of olive oil on them).
Your hamster sounds a bit like our WW hybrid dwarf, Freya, who is also in a detolf. She found a corner where she could see cables and the floor below, and went crazy trying to get down there. In the end, we stuck masking tape on the underside of the enclosure so she couldn't see down through it, and happily she no longer does it. We've used quite fine mesh for the lids, so she can't monkeybar. I wonder if it might help to put something in that corner instead that might interest her more than the bars? We tried a seed log, which she loved (available from Amazon). Another option might be some cage furniture in the corner that she can't move.
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Old 05-04-2020, 10:41 AM   #6
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Bar chewing an monkeybaring in a detolf?

It looks very nice. A couple of suggestions - I would remove the ladders from the sand bath box - she can still get in via the bendy bridge. Or better still bury the sand box so she doesn’t need a ramp up to it. That way she can’t climb to the top easily (although realise she’s could still scale the wheel). Would also make the right hand end sort of sectioned off with deeper substrate so the rest of the cage is smaller and cosier and the third on the right is a kind of digging area. Not sectioned off exactly but just deeper substrate there. Perhaps with an underground hide in it as well. If she keeps chewing the lid though then you might need to make a raised lid. That would mean adding wood all around the underneath edges of the lids to raise the mesh top higher - but she may still chew the wood.

Some examples of raised kids below. Although it doesn’t look like an easy diy fix and might actually be easier to make a Diy cage )not cheaper though probably) like the Linmon cage.

hamster detolf raised lid
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Old 05-04-2020, 03:47 PM   #7
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Default Re: Bar chewing an monkeybaring in a detolf?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Petite View Post
Your hamster sounds a bit like our WW hybrid dwarf, Freya, who is also in a detolf. She found a corner where she could see cables and the floor below, and went crazy trying to get down there. In the end, we stuck masking tape on the underside of the enclosure so she couldn't see down through it, and happily she no longer does it. We've used quite fine mesh for the lids, so she can't monkeybar. I wonder if it might help to put something in that corner instead that might interest her more than the bars? We tried a seed log, which she loved (available from Amazon). Another option might be some cage furniture in the corner that she can't move.
I have tried putting things she can chew on in those corners, as well as heavier things, and she ignores them (or does everything in her power to climb on them).
Can I ask the spacing of your mesh? adapting my mesh lid to a finer one sounds like a cheapish solution for long-term.
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Old 05-04-2020, 03:52 PM   #8
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Default Re: Bar chewing an monkeybaring in a detolf?

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Originally Posted by Serendipity7000 View Post
It looks very nice. A couple of suggestions - I would remove the ladders from the sand bath box - she can still get in via the bendy bridge. Or better still bury the sand box so she doesn’t need a ramp up to it. That way she can’t climb to the top easily (although realise she’s could still scale the wheel). Would also make the right hand end sort of sectioned off with deeper substrate so the rest of the cage is smaller and cosier and the third on the right is a kind of digging area. Not sectioned off exactly but just deeper substrate there. Perhaps with an underground hide in it as well. If she keeps chewing the lid though then you might need to make a raised lid. That would mean adding wood all around the underneath edges of the lids to raise the mesh top higher - but she may still chew the wood.

Some examples of raised kids below. Although it doesn’t look like an easy diy fix and might actually be easier to make a Diy cage )not cheaper though probably) like the Linmon cage.

hamster detolf raised lid
Thank you for the suggestions, I really appreciate it! I actually added a bit more substrate on that end and put some tunnels in for her just the other day, but I may add more of them!
Thank you for the raised lid suggestion as well, it may be something to do in the future if I can't find a better solution! (yeah I don't think I can afford a different cage right now sadly).
It also seems like having more playtime with her outside her cage reduced the chewing a lot, but she still monkeybars.
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Old 05-04-2020, 04:18 PM   #9
Teddy001
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Default Re: Bar chewing an monkeybaring in a detolf?

Lots of out of cage exercise, play pen time. I’ve had female Syrians & the Detolf did not satisfy their energies. Many need very large enclosures, loads of enrichments, and a lot of out of cage play time.
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Old 05-05-2020, 03:40 AM   #10
Petite
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Default Re: Bar chewing an monkeybaring in a detolf?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nika View Post
Can I ask the spacing of your mesh? adapting my mesh lid to a finer one sounds like a cheapish solution for long-term.
Think "coarse net curtain" rather than "grid". I can't do links, but you can see it on amazon. It's listed as "wire mesh aluminium, medium, 500 mm x 3 metres", and is priced at £13.28. It works well for us.
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