Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Housing

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-25-2016, 01:06 PM   #1
WelshHammi
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 115
Default New cage??

Hello and merry Xmas

I'm still having a chewing time with my Syrian!

I was wondering do I change her to a linnmon cage
But I am worried she will chew the wood!
She chews everything but she is chewing her wood toys to get to her bars

Thoughts?
WelshHammi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-25-2016, 02:17 PM   #2
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: New cage??

Hello. Not sure what you mean by a Linnmon cage? It sounds like she needs to be in a glass or perspex tank. Glass tanks are expensive in the Uk. You could get a detolf if you have space (£40 from Ikea and needs a lid making but there are lots of tutorials on how to do that). Only thing with a detolf is it has metal bars inside and wood ends and she might chew at those. You could mesh the inside of the end wood parts but the bars could be an issue.

A good option would be a maxi duna multy (perspex tank) or a Zoozone 2 which is cheaper but needs meshing on top as the bar spacing is 2cm.

Cage Maxi Duna Multy

Zoo Zone Small Animal Cage - Large on Sale | Free UK Delivery

They have a hole in for a water bottle, which many hamsters chew at but that is easily blocked off with a screw in chew or nut and bolt and then you can either have a bottle stand or velcro the bottle to the inside of the tank.

Alternatively, it might be to do with her current cage. Not sure what cage she is in at present, but if it's quite small that can often be the cause of bar chewing and can stop with a bigger cage. I'll check out your other posts, as some hamsters if adopted can have a fairly ingrained bar chewing habit and then a tank is the best way to go really.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-25-2016, 02:38 PM   #3
WelshHammi
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 115
Default Re: New cage??

She is currently in a hamster haven! Big one! And have toys and chews of every kind! A huge wheel and plenty of substrate

I got her at 6 months

I've put her wooden chews infront of the bars and she is now biting those instead of bars
But she bits the wood to get to the bars!

The cage was the one vanilla ham made out of a linemen table

Or do I go for a 150litre bin cage?
WelshHammi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-25-2016, 02:39 PM   #4
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: New cage??

Ok just checked your other post about the chewing! So she's in a hamster heaven at the mo, which is a good sized cage. It sounds like she is just a chewer. I wouldn't try meshing inside the cage - they can still chew mesh and just end up cutting their noses!

The perspex tanks I linked are a bit expensive if you can't afford another cage. I noticed others suggesting bin cages, which is a good idea. But to get a big enough one probably wouldn't work out any cheaper than getting a Zoozone 2 so I reckon that would be a good option - and look out for second hand ones (although you probably need one quickly!). Then you would need a piece of mesh which wouldn't cost much as just big enough for the lid - and some cable ties (about £1 for a pack).

Meanwhile I'd try a few things to try and break the habit. Scatter feeding has been mentioned. Sometimes it can be that something isn't right about the cage set up for them. You said she has plenty of substrate and a big wheel. All I can suggest is - check the wheel is working ok. And maybe try changing the set up slightly. If you have all the plastic shelves/house the cage comes with, try taking one or both of them out and putting a large house in on the floor of the cage on top of the substrate (eg an upturned shoe box with a hole cut in for the door would do) and a bendy bridge over the door as a kind of tunnel/access onto the roof - makes it dark inside and tempts them to nest inside. You cut the bottom out of the shoebox and use the lid as a lift off roof and cut a hole in the front for a door.

This will distract her and she may be so busy building a new nest and sorting herself out she might stop. Some hamsters don't like a lot of space over their heads either so a rat sputnik or tube tied to the roof can give some cover (ideally a rat sputnik could be next to a shelf for access). My old cage was the same height as the hamster heaven and the rat sputnik was good in it as it hangs so low they can climb in from the substrate level.

The only cost there would be the rat sputnik. This is how I had Charlie's old cage set up - it's exactly the same as the Hamster Heaven but without the tubes and smaller bar spacing.

The large house is on the right with the bendy bridge over the door. 10cm medium rat boredom breaker tube tied to the roof - it leads from the house roof to the sputnik (originally that was to stop him jumping out that side! But he loved that roof run tunnel). The sputnik fits in front of the wheel with a bit of space to spare between them. I had a vine log on the left so he could climb up to the other side of the sputnik, but a shelf does the same thing.

This evolved around what he seemed happy with. He seemed to like things over his head - the tube and sputnik gave that roof cover and his favourite place to sit was under the sputnik. The roof tube also seemed to make him feel safe higher up (ie overhead cover). And he liked the large house a lot and built a huge nest and moved his wee corner inside it so I then put his potty inside the house.

So a change of set up might help. The little plastic pod houses in the Hamster Heaven don't really allow for hoarding very well. This is basically what the hamster heaven would look like if you took all the plastic shelves and houses out and started with an empty cage.



The only other thing I can think of to try is a bit of training. I'm not sure where her cage is - is it in your bedroom? Anyway as soon as she starts chewing the bars, turn the lights out and leave the room. That way she won't get attention.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-25-2016, 02:44 PM   #5
WelshHammi
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 115
Default Re: New cage??

Yes I think a new haul of things mightn't help her out!
She has lots of wooden stuff so I think like you said more of a change up!

Hopefully this will work!
WelshHammi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-25-2016, 03:04 PM   #6
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: New cage??

If you got the rat sputnik and tube it wouldn't cost too much, and keep her existing familiar toys too .

Rat rations sell the rat sputnik for £4.99 and you can choose your top and bottom colours

Sputnik - XL - £4.99 : ratRations.com

The tubes are a couple of pounds at Rat rations too

Chew Tubes - Boredom Breakers - £1.61 : ratRations.com

Generally rat sized toys and houses are good for Syrians

I tied mine up with sisal string - not easy to find but you can get it on ebay. Or there are other rat sized tubes you can get as well. If you like that idea. I'd avoid hammocks if she's a chewer.

Charlie loved his Sputnik and a lot of hams on here do - especially if you put substrate in it. He also had the small sputnik that came with the cage - I used to have that over his house roof and put his veggies in it.

But - it might be that she is just a real chewer and it could be better to put the money towards something like a Zoozone 2 instead and keep her existing toys. You can still have a sputnik in a Zoozone though.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2016, 06:05 AM   #7
pinkneon
Pink Glittery Hamsters
 
pinkneon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 6,037
Default Re: New cage??

Can you post a pic of your cage set up for us to see? It might be that soemthing is bothering her maybe? I found with some hamsters that just moving or changing something stopped the bar chewing. Also, have you checked that the wheel and bottle are working correctly?
pinkneon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2016, 06:36 AM   #8
WelshHammi
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 115
Default Re: New cage??

Yes both working well!
I will post pic of cage in next few days! Currently staying away from her as I have a really bad cold!
Just did a water and a food sprinkle whilst wearing a towel over my face and gloves!
I'm hoping a zoo zone 2 might pop up cheap soon! Seen one on here awaiting reply!
Going to do a toy haul for her in mean time she got given some for Xmas☺️ And she has a Sputnik and doesn't even bother with it she more of a sniff if I can't eat it I don't want it girl!
WelshHammi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2016, 12:21 PM   #9
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: New cage??

Ah you have to tempt them into the Sputnik lol! Our hammy wasn't interested in the hamster sized one (I think that's the one that comes with the hamster heaven) but he was more interested in the rat sized one - also it needs to have good access so they go in it - ie right next to a shelf so easy to walk into, or at the end of a tube. Once they go in it they get to quite like it as snooze spot usually. With the small one, I had it hanging over Charlie's house with a little step nearby and a shelf behind it, so he could get in it easily, and I used it as a place to put his daily veg, so he knew it was in there and would sit there munching a bit. I think the rat sized ones are a good compromise instead of a hammock.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-26-2016, 12:35 PM   #10
WelshHammi
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 115
Default Re: New cage??

I will try!
I have managed to get a maxi Duma ferplast on gumtree for cheap!
Collecting tomorrow so I can sort her out!!
Fingers crossed this will solve the problem! Still going to give her the Sputnik and tubes on the roof as she might like it! Going to take your advice and do some show box with a bendy bridge and see if that helps! Fingers crossed!
WelshHammi is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
bars, cage, chewing, wood, worried

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 10:05 AM.