serial cage eater!

Pinkchi · 06-14-2009, 11:54 PM

My syrian hamster, Gizmo has a problem. She cannot live in a cage with bars as she chews on them constantly so I bought her an immac bingo guinea pig cage (very similar to zoo zone) and we have had to remove her house and a few toys to keep her off the bars at the top but now she's chewing holes in the side! Quite honestly I do not know what to do about it. Pretty soon she will have chewed her way out! She needs a new cage but what can I get for her that doesn't have bars to chew and that she won't be able to eat her way out of?

shazzy · 06-15-2009, 12:46 AM

Hi there,

My Little Mo is a chewer too...not to the extent of chewing the plastic in her Duna but she chews anything thats metal!

I find the wrapping toilet paper tubes around the bars on the roof helps...then she can occupy herself trying to get up there to reach it, and she'll be chewing the cardboard rather than the metal!

souffle · 06-15-2009, 02:48 AM

They are rodents and they do have a need to chew. You seem to have one who is very intent on bar chewing. Is she actually damaging her nose on the bars? You may have to let her have limited chewing opportunities so that she is occupied with that and not chewing her cage. Our roof chewers we give a house with a curved roof so they can only stand on top for short periods before they fall off! If you go to B&Q to the drains a gutters section there are all sorts of exciting pipes and gutters you could give her and she may decide to chew these! Bits of drainpipe make good tunnels. Give large bonio dog biscuits and nibble sticks with the wood inside. Make sure she has a wheel that she likes and that fits such as a Junior Wodent or 8in Comfort wheel. She will likely settle down in a bit. Put the cage in the bath if you feel she may escape from it.

Pinkchi · 06-15-2009, 05:39 AM

She has a silent spinner and zillions of toys I alternate between to try and stop her becomming bored of them. She has loads of bits of wood to chew and a kabob with wood on, loo roll tube, wood stick bridge thing, loofah ball etc and also a climbing frame thing but I had to remove it due to her bar chewing. She's not hurting herself that I can see but sometimes she makes little squeaky noises? I thought she was just attention seeking but she does it 24/7. I don't want her deystroying her cage and when she bar chews it rattles loudly and wakes people up and then I get whinged at. I honestly think she's a psycho hamster lol