Alternative to barred cage

Engel · 03-17-2020, 01:26 PM

These past couple of weeks ghost has been driving me nuts. All he does is chew the bars all night. I can't sleep and it isn't fair on everyone else in the house hold.

He's in the Alaska with loads of climbing stuff and elevated tunnels and shelves as well as 6" bedding, wheel wood, loofah and cardboard chews everywhere. Plenty of food. Even food in cardboard tubes as a boredom breakers. He's got sand and loads of hides and bridges.

I've tried adding oil onto the bars so he picks the bars rather than bites...not fooling him. He has an hour out every night.

I've tried adding more enrichment and adding less. Nothings working.

I'm thinking of a barless cage. I don't have room for a detolf. I also need something where the door is on the side rather than the top as I stack cages to make them fit.

Any ideas on barless cages that I can stack?

Can't use shelves as my walls crumble and the floor is VERY uneven.

sushi_78 · 03-17-2020, 01:44 PM

I can't think of anything other than DIY options. Even with a DIY cage, you'd need to find a way to get ventilation in the sides without using bars. Some fine mesh (such as 6mm) may have holes too small for him to put his nose through to chew, but I'm not certain.

Could you make a bin cage with a door on the front? I think some people use parts of old cages as doors for bin cages.

There are front opening glass tanks, such as this, but the ventilation is all on the top, and I wouldn't want to risk stacking them.

Engel · 03-17-2020, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushi_78

I can't think of anything other than DIY options. Even with a DIY cage, you'd need to find a way to get ventilation in the sides without using bars. Some fine mesh (such as 6mm) may have holes too small for him to put his nose through to chew, but I'm not certain.

Could you make a bin cage with a door on the front? I think some people use parts of old cages as doors for bin cages.

There are front opening glass tanks, such as this, but the ventilation is all on the top, and I wouldn't want to risk stacking them.

Ugh I was dreading someone saying that. I have 0 DIY skills. Are vivariums an option?

sushi_78 · 03-17-2020, 01:55 PM

I think the ventilation is still on the top of front opening glass vivariums. The wooden type vivariums have ventilation in the sides, but I'm not sure whether it would be sufficient for a hamster. They're designed to keep heat and humidity in for reptiles.

The Marrakesh and Kerry terrariums do have a ventilation grille at the back, but I wouldn't think that would be sufficient as the only ventilation. Potentially if the cage on top was raised slightly (on a couple of bricks or something), there might be enough air flow from the top. This could work especially well with the Marrakesh as it has a flat wooden surface around the lid, whereas the Kerry has an uneven barred lid, which might not be very stable. The Kerry terrarium may be a little smaller than you are looking for anyway. But of course these aren't front opening.

Dalis_mum · 03-17-2020, 02:00 PM

I have used the exo terra to resolve precisely this issue. They're not cheap but I found prolific chewers will even chew out of a bin cage. The meshed top is plenty of ventilation. There was a cheaper copy I found on eBay if you want new. The glass Viv's are a hefty investment but they really do stand the test of time. I love them for small furries.

Engel · 03-17-2020, 02:06 PM

What could I use to diy a cage? MDF board?

sushi_78 · 03-17-2020, 02:20 PM

I would not use MDF board because of all the glues used to form it, which may be toxic. Likewise for chipboard. For a flat surface like a cage wall, plywood would be ok, but this shouldn't be used anywhere the hamster could realistically chew, such as for shelves within the cage. Solid, untreated, kiln-dried pine or spruce is safe to use anywhere, including for shelves, but not pine furniture board as this is laminated with some kind of glue.

Another option I thought of would be to get a glass tank and build a wood and wire mesh topper for it, using 6mm mesh. As I said, I'm not certain whether 6mm mesh would deter chewing, but it may. You could even use something like perforated metal which would definitely prevent chewing, but then it starts getting pretty expensive, and the skills needed are much more technical. I actually designed a front-opening topper recently for my gerbils (not built yet). It's designed to sit on top of a Kerry terrarium. Your tank could be more shallow for safety for a hamster. I've put a screenshot below to show the concept:

LunaTheHamster1 · 03-17-2020, 02:44 PM

As a temporary measure could you get some chew mats/carrot shaped wicker things and attach them to the bars, so he has something to chew on that is less harmful for his teeth and less noisy for you all.

Engel · 03-18-2020, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1

As a temporary measure could you get some chew mats/carrot shaped wicker things and attach them to the bars, so he has something to chew on that is less harmful for his teeth and less noisy for you all.

I've got different toys attached to the bars but clearly the bars are nicer

I attached a panel from a cardboard box to the area he's chewing. Woke up this morning with a hamster sized hole in the middle of it. Ugh

Going to try putting something on the chews to lure him to that. I don't have peanut butter. Would jam or coconut oil do? Those are the only thing I have in the house that I use

Pebbles82 · 03-18-2020, 12:56 PM

As Dali’s Mum says - an exo Terra is ideal. They are hugely expensive new. Second hand ones are sometimes available on ebay. They do one that is 90 x 45 x 45 Cm, So you basically have a glass tank with front opening doors.

The Marrakesh terrarium is also good. Better than the Kerry as longer do easier to have top access with your arm going in at an angle. Not front access but easier than something smaller that is top opening. You could also think about the maxi duna multy. It has a lovely big lid and is not too tall so access is easy.