Bar chewing concerns

[livedinhogwarts]

@Serendipity7000

4 inches sounds like a lot of substrate, but if it's more comfortable for him then all the better. I have a wooden tunnel made of bark, but he never seems to go in it. He usually uses one corner of the cage as a hideout as it's pretty much hidden from everyone.

[Pebbles82]

3 to 4" minimum is recommended usually. 4 to 6" is good. Even then it squashes down quite quickly. It helps cushion any falls if the climb to the roof, lets them dig and burrow and bury hoards (all normal hamster behaviours) and means you only really need to spot clean and empty a litter tray now and then and don't need to do big cleans very often (which stress hamsters). If you've done a full cage clean recently that could stress him as well - it takes away all their familiar scent.

When you have more substrate the bottom half of it tends to stay clean and dry so even when you do do a cage clean you can replace the bottom half and mix it in (so it still smells familiar). Some people put up to 12" of substrate in tank style cages so hamsters can dig tunnels!

Even when doing a substrate clean it's best not to do a full clean (ie don't clean everything at once). Warm water is fine for the cage base unless there's been disease, and do the wheel a different week and the toys a different week again - that way something always smells familiar.

The basics for them to feel settled in a cage are enrichmet - enough substrate, enough nesting material (a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper - they pouch it and take it to build a nest), a house that is dark inside (they really need somewhere dark to retreat to and feel safe). Enough toys, tunnels, hidey places to feel secure and keep interest (old pringles tubes or kitchen roll inner tubes slit down the side are fine).

Sometimes just giving them a large house that is dark inside can change their behaviour. A shoebox house is ideal. Cut the base out of a shoebox and cut a hole for a door in the long side near one end. Keep the lid as a lift off roof. If you put a bendy bridge over the door of the shoebox house it makes a tunnel entrance so it's dark inside. He'd probably love that - it should fit under the Alaska shelf.

Not sure what substrate you're using but Fitch is popular. It works out cheap as you buy it in bulk. It's paper and dust free. So you can afford to use plenty. But basically the more you put in, the less often you need to clean the cage (especially if he has a litter tray to pee in).

The other thing is not to throw away the nest and hoards when you do a clean - that really stresses them out. Do you think the bar chewing may have co-incided with the last clean out? Clean outs can really stress them. Pet shops say to do it weekly but it's not necessary and will stress the hamster.

Sorry if you know most of this already. Try some of the above and see if he settles a bit. When putting a new house in I usually put a trail of treats like pumpkin seeds up to it and some food inside to tempt them in so they discover it. He'd probably move in and build a nest there.

There are a lot of reasons for bar chewing and it can be that something isnt right in the cage for them - but it can become a habit as well. Basically they are trying to escape and it may be because it doesn't feel like their territory if all their scent is removed.

Also best not to use any scented things like cleaners.

[livedinhogwarts]

@Serendipity7000

Thanks for all this advice ^_^ Possibly it was the cage change which stressed him out. I could tell he seemed unsure what to do with the extra space, and possibly cos of the bars he felt a bit exposed and stressed. I did a full clean out about 2 or 3 weeks ago, but he seemed fine afterwards. The bar chewing happened so suddenly that I can't really pinpoint the cause.

It's probably also worth mentioning that I suspect he might have fleas, since he scratches a lot lately and people in my family have been getting big red bites on their body. I plan to go to the vets to get him checked soon. It doesn't make sense where he could've gotten fleas from honestly...

I think a shoe box would be a good hideout for him. I have just the right box for him to use.

[Pebbles82]

He won't have fleas Hamsters don't get fleas. Hamsters can get mites (which are so tiny you can't see them) but humans don't get them from hamsters. It is normal for them to scratch a lot (I used to wonder about this) so unless he scratches himself sore anywhere it's unlikely to be mites - if you did suspect mites, don't buy anything to treat it yourself - a vet needs to do a skin scraping to diagnose whether it is or isn't mites (which they look at under a microscope as they are so tiny).

It is normal for hamsters to have mites - they live on them permanently - but if their immune system gets low and out of balance they can get too many and hence an outbreak.

With the hot weather it's more likely your family have had mosquito bites etc

Yes a lot of open space can stress them - if you make it cosy with plenty of bedding and hidey places and cardboard tubes as floor toys etc he may settle. 2 or 3 weeks isn't long for them to settle into a cage. Does he have a litter tray? If you have one of those his cage won't need cleaning that often.

[livedinhogwarts]

@Serendipity7000

Ahh wow I've heard online that hamsters can get fleas (like the cat and dog flea) if they go outside and are in contact with it. We have previously had fleas in our home though, since we had a cat before. We thought the fleas were all gone, but when we started getting bites we thought maybe they returned. I thought it was possible Sparky might have gotten them this way.

This is the website I heard this from:
https://www.omlet.co.uk/guide/hamste...ing_for_fleas/

Another website also:
https://www.cuteness.com/article/rid-fleas-hamsters

I did see a flea the other day in our house and I killed it lol xD It is equally likely that they are mosquito bites but I just assumed they were flea bites. The GP doesn't help much with telling me what they are either aha.

Do you think it's worth a vet trip? He doesn't seem to have irritated skin, but he always seems to scratch in this one spot like it's bugging him so much haha.

It makes sense that open space can stress them. Tomorrow I'm buying some more bedding as I've run out and then I can put a lot in his cage. He's been in the Alaska for about 5 weeks or so now. He doesn't currently have a litter tray but I plan to buy one sometime in the future.

[livedinhogwarts]

I'm almost certain that it's fleas which are biting us- I caught one sitting on my arm trying to bite me and then I tried hitting it and it jumped away T_T

[Pebbles82]

If you've had a cat then yes the fleas could have come from that into the house or feed off humans or other animals. Not everything on the internet is expert in hamsters though. Have a linked a site below that is a reputable information on Hamsters and it gives some detail about different types of fleas and what to do about it. Seems that general house cleaning regularly should solve it fairly quickly. However if some of them are possibly biting your hamster I would suggest taking him to the vet in a pet carrier (or small cage if you don't have a pet carrier) to be examined. They can test for mites at the same time and diagnose whether he has flea bites or not or whether he needs any treatment. Whatever you do don't buy or use any flea treatment or your hamster - it can cause serious health issues and even skin burns or respiratory problems, unless prescribed by a vet. According to this article the fleas are very unlikely to actually be living on the hamster but living nearby and just landing on the hamster to feed.

It sounds like one of those process of elimination situations. The fleas are more likely living in the house and feeding off the humans and possibly your hamster but not living on them. Sounds like a lot of house cleaning and hoovering regularly! Whereas for the hamster you would need a vet check and then probably a full cage clean.

Freezing will kill fleas, eggs and larvae (just checked this as freezing doesn't kill everything!). So you could bag up bedding in smaller bags and freeze it to make sure it is ok before putting it in the cage after the cage clean, and otherwise just wash down the cage and any toys or items. Rough wood items might need to be thrown away.

I think I would tackle it like this:

1) Have a big house clean. Freeze your bag of hamster litter.
2) Have another big house clean a week later. Clean out the hamsters cage - wash everything in warm soapy water and rinse well and dry and replace all the litter with the litter that has been in the freezer. Hide lots of treats in the cage for your hamster to distract from the cage clean!
3) See if everything subsides
4) If your hamster is still scratching, take him to the vet for an examination and skin scraping test. But don't do another big cage clean until you have results.

If your hammy doesn't have any sore places I wouldn't worry too much. Are you sure it's fleas and not just mosquitos at this warm time of year?

Hamsters Fleas

[livedinhogwarts]

@Serendipity7000

Thanks for all the advice! This sounds like a great plan of action to me. I'm certain that there are fleas in my house, as when I did a deep clean of everything, I found quite a few fleas jumping about. They jump so high- it's quite frightening!

My hamster's skin doesn't seem to have bites on it, but I don't really know how bites look on hamster skin. What would I do if I can't afford a vet consultation at this point in time? My parents are refusing to pay for one as we have a tight budget this month. I hope the fleas go away with regular cleaning...

Also, is it possible the fleas are causing my hamster to bar chew a lot?

[Pebbles82]

I did wonder that - but it could be a number of things - the heat for a start off and also maybe not being quite settled in the cage.

Maybe add more substrate to his cage now anyway and a house just to help him settle, while you tackle the clean up in the house - and then deal with his cage clean last in a week or two.

[livedinhogwarts]

@Serendipity7000

True it is probably those things also. I feel like he's not 100% settled in his cage just yet. I'll definitely give him more substrate to cosy in. I think he might need more entertainment too, like different toys.