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Old 03-30-2019, 08:48 AM   #1
Budd
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Default Bar Chewing

Hi,

I’m new to Hamster Central so hope I have put this in the right place.

I have a white Syrian Hamster and he his around 8 and a half months old. From an early age we have always taken him out of his cage every day and given him the run of the house in his ball and the run of my bedroom without it. I usually put his cage on the floor so he has access to food water and toilet when he is in my bedroom and when in his ball I pop him back in to rehydrate get something to eat and use his toilet so he’s usually out for an hour or so.

Over the last two months no matter how long he is out of the cage as soon as I put him back in he drinks, eats and pees then runs to the top shelf and chews on his bars, not a nibble but a full blown two bars at a time chew. At this point I usually take him back out for another half hour but when I put him back in he’s straight back up to gnaw again. It’s really distressing for me to watch and I don’t know what else to do. This can go on for ages.

He has lots of toys, hanging hammocks, treat balls and chews and a huge wheel plus a flying saucer wheel so I don’t think it’s bordom. Plus I change his toys over and put different ones in every so often.
What else could I try to stop him chewing the bars, I have also put a little lemon juice on the bars but he just finds somewhere else to chew them.
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Old 03-30-2019, 09:45 AM   #2
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Bar Chewing

Hello and welcome I wouldn't put lemon juice on the bars, it's bad for them.

It sounds like it could be caused by a couple of things, either or both. You say you lift his cage onto the floor. They get very stressed by any change of environment of their cage - even moving it into another room can cause them to go a bit bananas. So it's best left in one place where it lives normally and let him out by letting him walk into the ball from the cage eg. And then letting him out of the ball on the floor.

Also if his cage is too small he will not be happy staying in there. It is probably a combination of the too, assuming his cage is a bit small.

Syrian hamsters need a cage at least 80cm by 50cm of continuous floor area - when the cage is big enough they enjoy their environment in the cage and sometimes don't even want to come out much!

What cage do you have at the moment? For now try weaving cardboard in the bars in the area he is chewing, but he will just move to another area.

For an idea of a good sized cage for a Syrian, the Barney, Alaska and Hamster Heaven cages on this page are all big enough. Anything smaller than the Hamster Heaven could well lead to bar chewing.

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small.../hamster_cages
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Old 03-31-2019, 02:53 AM   #3
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Default Re: Bar Chewing

Hi, thanks for the reply,

His cage is around 68cm however I am in the process of buying the Alaska which is 84x48x44 so is a little bigger, also gets good reviews. I would have loved the Mamble 100 but I can’t find anywhere big enough to house it.

I read up about the lemon juice, wasn’t quite sure about it so didn’t use much hence why he was back chewing early this morning. He tends to do it when someone is in the room, we set up our GoPro and he doesn’t do it when the room is empty so could be down to bordom even though he has loads of things in his cage, he’s not really one for playing with toys he prefers running around.

Looking forward to getting his new cage and other bits and bobs I have ordered so hopefully this will make him a happy hammie again ��
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Old 03-31-2019, 04:14 AM   #4
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Default Re: Bar Chewing

Does he have a suitable wheel? Most smaller cages dont have the space for a 28cm wheel
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Old 03-31-2019, 05:36 AM   #5
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Default Re: Bar Chewing

I think the Alaska is better than the Mamble anyway The Mamble does have bigger floor area, but is very tall and very hard to set up to avoid injury from falls, which ends up costing quite a bit more money in shelving too.

68cm isn't too bad but it sounds like your hamster does need more space. Also as alpa says they do need a 28cm diameter wheel.

That can be another reason for bar chewing - if the wheel is too small it can cause them back pain as they run with a bent back - and then they either stop using it, or get frustrated and want to be out more for exercise.

Bar chewing can sometimes be to try and get your attention (as it sounds like here!) and sometimes you have to work out if they are really trying to tell you something. For example if something is broken, like a ladder,and they can't access food or water on a shelf, they will frantically bar chew to try and tell you. Or if a wheel is jammed and not working. So it can be a kind of communication as well.

I'm sure your hammy will really like the Alaska cage. Some tips!

Fill the base with substrate to just under the edge of the base. The more you put in, the less you will use in the long run because you don't need to change it all so often and can spot clean mostly. So it ends up working out cheaper, but also allows more natural behavioiurs (they get busy digging, building mountains out of the substrate, burying hoards under the nest etc). But it also cushions any falls if they happen to monkey bar across the roof at night when you're asleep!

If you're getting the Alaska from Zooplus and you don't have a wheel big enough, then the 28cm Trixie wheel is cheap and will come postage free if ordered at the same time as the cage.

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...r_cages/284288

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small..._wheels/174195

If you don't want pink then email them at the time of ordering and say - any colour but pink!

Also moving them over to a new cage needs to be done carefully so they settle in well. Otherwise they can have a complete funk at the change and get very stressed. Doing it cold turkey can cause that.

It's a good idea to set up the new cage with substrate and a couple of tunnels or toys and maybe one toy from the old cage, and let the hamster just have a play time in it the day before moving. They either explore and enjoy it and look happy, or freak out and want to come out again. If they freak out, put them back in the old cage, and do it again the next day. Second time they will probably enjoy it and explore a lot. Then the day after move everything over. It gives them chance to adjust by "trying it" before moving and can really speed up settling in time (which otherwise can be a couple of weeks of stress behaviour).

When actually moving them over you want to move everything across from the old cage without cleaning anything, and try and set things up in the same layout as much as possible. So move all the old substrate across, and spread it out on top of the new substrate you've already put in the Alaska cage.

Ifhe has a house with a nest inside, try and move that across intact, along with most of the hoard underneath the house.

So you need somewhere to put the hamster while you're swapping things over.And check evertyhign is safe before putting them in the new cage - eg food and water is easily accessible, ladders are secure, wheel can't fall over etc and nothing hard to land on if falling from roof height. If you have any pointy or particularly hard items, put them under the shelf.

A tip re toys - before you spend money on stuff that ends up being binned! (I wasted a lot of money on useless toys!). Most items sold for "hamsters" are either too small and only suitable for dwarf hamsters, or dangerous - fall apart or have nails. Tubes or tunnels need to be 6 or 7cm in diameter minimum - rat sized ones eg.

Any holes in toys or house entrances need to be atleast 6cm in diameter. 5cm at a push. The little white cat house in the Alaska is no good as a house and the holes are too small - some smaller syrians fit in it, but it's best removed. If you don't have a house he nests in already, then a cardoard box or shoe box under the shelf is best. A house that is open underneath and sat directly on thesubstrate helps them have normal behaviours - they can burrow down a bit in the substrate and bury hoards under the nest, and they can keep it clean easier themselves - it gets more ventilation. So the nest stays clean and dry and doesn't need throwing away (unless it gets pee'd in). They can often start bar chewing as well if you've just doen a big clean out and thrown away the nest and hoard! They are very particular about the nest and hoard. If it isn't pee'd in/on it can be left for quite a long time and they add bits and take bits out of it. If it is pee'd in then it does need removing, but always try and leave a bit of the old nest behind, that's dry, even if a bit whiffy - then they just rebuild it with new nesting material.

Safest nesting material is plain white toilet paper torn into strips. Never use fluffy bedding as it's dangerous - pet shops sometimes sell it just in case you didn't know. A big pile of nesting material in the cage (but not inside the house) and they pouch it and take it to rebuild the nest.

Toys - avoid anything with chains or open rung ladders, or fabric items which can be chewed and threads get wrapped round teeth or limbs. Best to stick to ceramic, plastic, cardboard or wood. Check new wood toys for nails protruding or splinters.

Rat sized toys are a good size for syrians.

Generally they aren't that bothered about toys unless it's ahidey place like a tunnel or hideout, or has food attached! Things that give overhead cover are good as although they like the floorspace they don't like feeling too exposed from above - which is why a shelf and a good sized house are good.

Hanging rat sputniks are good too - like a plastic hammock - something to sit under and feel secure or climb into. It works best hung next to a shelf where they can climb in easily. With a bit of bedding inside.

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...ls/dens/209851

After moving them across it's a bit like going back to when you first get the hamster - leave them alone for a couple of days except for putting food and water out, so they can adjust, scent mark everything and decide what's what. Unless they show signs of wanting to come out then just leave them.

After that it's back to - don't move things around, change things or clean anything for the first two weeks. Just spot clean the pee place every few days.

Using a litter tray works well - if you put that in the place the hamster has chosen to pee - often a corner of the cage. So when you know where the pee place is, spot clean the pee and put the litter tray there, with Chinchilla bathing sand in (soaks up the pee) andput a tiny bit of the pee'd on substrate on top and the hammy will use it.

If you put the litter tray anywhere else it will be ignored! Then you just empty the litter tray every few days and the rest of the cage stays clean and dry

Hamsters are naturally very clean little things if they can have normal behaviours - they will use a toilet/litter tray and if they decide it's getting a bit smelly before you've emptied it they sometimes cover it up with substrate! They rarely pee in the nest once they've got to 8 months, if there's a litter tray and the house is big enough. Most hamsters pee in their wheels now and then.

Ongoing - you can spot clean mostly if you have enough substrate in and only need to change all the substrate every 6 to 8 weeks or even longer if a litter tray is used. And then do partial cleans - eg substrate one week, wheel another week, toys as and when needed - they oftendon't need much cleaning.

When doing the substrate, it's a good time to prune the hoard if it has got really big and remove the bottom half so it doesn't go funny. Dry hoard lasts well though. But always add a handful of new food to the hoard if you remove any, in the same place.

If you remove the hoard and nest they can start peeing on/in it to deter invaders! Then it becomes a cycle.

Hope that helps and sorry if you knew it already!
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Old 04-01-2019, 06:17 AM   #6
Budd
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Default Re: Bar Chewing

Thank you so much for the info, there are some bits that I didn’t know that I will start doing now. I didn’t realise about his hoards. When I clean the cage and bed I usually just throw it all out and fill his bed with new food and bedding, he tends to take the fresh fruit or veg into his cage and I’m worried it might go off.

Hi alpacasse
his wheel is huge, it’s a 12” rat wheel, the trixie one that Serendipity put the link to in black. Even though the flying saucer wheels are smaller he still likes to use it. He runs on it occasionally but sits on it most of the time watching what’s going on in the living room and eating his treats 😊.

The substrate I used when I first got him was sawdust then changed to the pellets, they look like pretzel sticks broken up. He seems to like it. I also have sawdust in a tower for him to dig but he never uses it. He doesn’t burrow to be honest. I tried hiding food in it, a trail from top to under but nah, not bothered about it. He’s quite happy climbing the bars and running on his wheel. I had the Sputnik but again never used it even when putting treats in it, they would still be there a couple of days later. I do also have natural paper bedding, the soft kind which I have never used yet so I could put some of that in to his new house, it will be softer than the pellets.

Yes, I bought the cage off Zooplus. I read a lot of reviews about it before I bought it. It must have meant to be as the Mamble 80 was totally out of stock everywhere. The thing I liked about it was the large tubes. Like you said, any tubes, houses and wheels are way way too small for large Syrians but the Mamble tubes are really wide.

His old cage is going to be used for a 2yr old Russian dwarf that I’m adopting in two weeks, it’s a good size for him. I kept all of the tubes from previous cages so they can be used for him too so any info you have would be greatly appreciated. I’m thinking only low shelves because of his age and the floor space is ample

The other things I bought for Bud were hanging hammocks, a new house that sits on the substrate, a three level climbing frame, wooden bridges and a wooden arch for him to hide under. The house is huge, I used a measure tape to make sure

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small..._houses/228485

The climbing frame
https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small.../stairs/114639

The bridge
https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...bridges/227525

The Hammock
https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...es/mats/204595

He’s really good with his litter tray, uses it all of the time so when I clean the cage which is every few weeks I use a spade with holes so all of his poop falls through the holes. He never pees on the substrate or in his bed. He’s a clean little fella and his cage never smells bad. I clean the hamster potty every day
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Old 04-01-2019, 10:47 AM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Bar Chewing

The toys look fine - I’m sure he’ll enjoy those. Yes paper substrate would be better. It sounds like cat litter you have? They love digging and burrowing in the paper substrate.
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Old 04-01-2019, 10:51 AM   #8
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Bar Chewing

With fry and veg - I find they tend to eat it straight away and don’t hoard it. I tend to put it out in the cage at feeding time on a separate dis - just a very small piece about 1cm square size although doesn’t have to be square obviously! They don’t eat very much. Then you’ll see him eating it. It’s the first thing our hammy goes for when he wakes up and eats it there and then. But you could check on his hoard now and then to make sure he isn’t hoarding anything fresh that could go off.

Yes it would drive him bonkers if you throw away his nest and hoard each time!
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Old 04-01-2019, 01:17 PM   #9
Budd
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Default Re: Bar Chewing

Pets at home sold me the pellets, it’s made out of compressed wood shavings I think, it’s not cat litter as it was in the hamster, rabbit, rat section and it has a pic of hammies on the front.
I went in to his board when I put him in to his ball and found some carrot in there, I have thrown it but replaced it with the same size that was left and I have also put toilet tissue in his cage to see if he takes it to his bed. He usually gets rid of bedding he doesn’t want in there.

What do you use as substrate in your cage? I’m due a visit to Pets at Home so will pick some up. I don’t like the pretzels, it’s hard and not comfy cozy at all.

So say I want to give him a some veg and fruit, would it be a cm of each or a cm in total? I think I might be giving him too much and that’s why he’s taking it to his bed.
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Old 04-01-2019, 01:33 PM   #10
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Default Re: Bar Chewing

Use Carefresh paper bedding or Katey cosy paper / aspen. Don’t buy anything labelled soft wood, pine or cedar
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