chewing

[becka]

Hello



My syrian Pheobe has started chewing the metal spout of her water bottle at night - I can sleep through most things but this is driving me mad!

She's got wooden chews and loo rolls but nothing can tempt her a way from the bottle. Can anybody recommend any hamster chew thing that their hammy finds irresistable?



Thanks



Bx

[souffle]

We have one that does that too! She can even stuff the whole tube inside her pouch! With persistance they can knaw through the metal. It also is a pain as they drain the water bottle so you can't leave them overnight or anything. Can you rig it up so only the tip of the bottle is inside the cage or maybe look for a different type of bottle such as a sippy. We had to resort to a dish then after a few weeks put the bottle back and she had forgotten about it by then. You could use a dish by night and put the bottle back by day so she remembers how to use it but you can sleep at night in peace.

[babyboos]

Is it working freely - sometimes, especially in England the spout can fur up inside. Maybe try removing the bottle as souffle suggests. A chunk of moist vegetable overnight is sufficient if a bowl gets dirty quickly. Hopefully she will grow out of it...

[Emma]

Hi Becka!



(for those who don't know, Phoebe is Hazel's sister!)



Hazel is a menace about chewing everything, so it doesn't surprise me if Phoebe turns out the same! Like babyboos said though it is worth checking the bottle is working freely though I find Bristol water does scale up the bottles, especially the spouts.



If it is purely a behavioural thing, distraction is a method I try to use - change the cage about regularly (every few days), introduce new toys to it - hiding/hanging/chewing things - anything else for her to do basically. When a ham has concentrated his/her chewing on a particular spot on the bars, for example, I've jammed a biscuit or tasty chew through the bars at that spot, so they chew on that instead, maybe you could try jamming something through the bars right next to the water bottle as a distraction.



If all else fails, there are silent water bottles available - I haven't tried them myself, but have had them recommended - Rat Warehouse sell them http://www.ratwarehouse.com/shop_detail.php?item=115 (the spouts are lined with plastic to keep the noise down)



Personally I wouldn't use a dish as I feel it would be too easy for the hamster to tip it up and spill it, and so be without access to water - I'd try a bird drinker, the ones you see sold for budgies, and try and attach that to the cage somehow - like this kind of thing (so you know what I mean) http://www.petcentreonline.co.uk/ecomme ... ct~780.htm

[souffle]

With regard to using a dish, both Runty and Peppermint always had a dish and as long as you keep a close eye on them they never had a problem. The heavy pottery ones are best and have never been knocked over by ours but I guess it is up to the individual hamster. They would occasionally kick bedding in but we changed them twice a day so they were fine. Hope she is breaking her habit now!