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Chicleteer · 07-12-2021, 08:54 PM

I have a new hamster as well (female Syrian, about 2-3 months old) and she also is doing a great deal of bar biting. The cage she is in is the Prevue Pet Products 528, and the dimensions are (in inches) 32.5L x 19W x 17.5H, which is providing 617.5 square inches of floor space. (I just ran the conversion, which says that's equivalent to 3983.9 square cm.) I believe that's within the recommended amount in the U.S. and slightly under the British recommendation.

I also have a lot of chew items (including apple orchard sticks, a whimzee, rice pop chew treats, Snak Shak activity log, and other similar items from the pet store), a suspended "hammock" style wooden bridge, a bendy bridge, a little hanging teepee that she can climb into, a large Niteangel Hamster Birch chamber hideout (which she usually sleeps in), plus the other necessities like a wheel, water bottle, food dishes, and sand potties.

She's also an avid climber, and unfortunately her favorite activity thus far seems to be to climb up to the top of the cage and chew on the bars. She's doing it so much that it's beginning to worry me. I can't tell if she's trying to escape, or she just likes to chew bars. (She does chew the other toys, but my impression that she still spends a lot of time bar chewing.)

I know this bar chewing isn't good for her, but I don't know if I should wait to see if she grows out of it. I've had her for three weeks now. She's nowhere near being tame; she runs and hides when I come into the room. I've tried just spending some time in the room each evening and talking gently so she'll hear my voice, but so far she remains very skittish and nervous. I'm aware the taming might take a long time, but what I don't know is how long to wait and see if she gets over the bar chewing.

I realize that if this doesn't end, I will probably have to switch to an aquarium-style dwelling for her (I'm thinking a 40-gallon size). I'm hoping to avoid that if I can, but of course I'm willing to do it if that's what is necessary.

I'd be grateful for any thoughts on this, especially on how long to see if she grows out of it, and also if you think there's a problem with the cage size.

Thanks!

07-12-2021, 08:54 PM
Chicleteer Hamster Pup Join Date: May 2018 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 207	Re: New Hamster Bar chewing I have a new hamster as well (female Syrian, about 2-3 months old) and she also is doing a great deal of bar biting. The cage she is in is the Prevue Pet Products 528, and the dimensions are (in inches) 32.5L x 19W x 17.5H, which is providing 617.5 square inches of floor space. (I just ran the conversion, which says that's equivalent to 3983.9 square cm.) I believe that's within the recommended amount in the U.S. and slightly under the British recommendation. I also have a lot of chew items (including apple orchard sticks, a whimzee, rice pop chew treats, Snak Shak activity log, and other similar items from the pet store), a suspended "hammock" style wooden bridge, a bendy bridge, a little hanging teepee that she can climb into, a large Niteangel Hamster Birch chamber hideout (which she usually sleeps in), plus the other necessities like a wheel, water bottle, food dishes, and sand potties. She's also an avid climber, and unfortunately her favorite activity thus far seems to be to climb up to the top of the cage and chew on the bars. She's doing it so much that it's beginning to worry me. I can't tell if she's trying to escape, or she just likes to chew bars. (She does chew the other toys, but my impression that she still spends a lot of time bar chewing.) I know this bar chewing isn't good for her, but I don't know if I should wait to see if she grows out of it. I've had her for three weeks now. She's nowhere near being tame; she runs and hides when I come into the room. I've tried just spending some time in the room each evening and talking gently so she'll hear my voice, but so far she remains very skittish and nervous. I'm aware the taming might take a long time, but what I don't know is how long to wait and see if she gets over the bar chewing. I realize that if this doesn't end, I will probably have to switch to an aquarium-style dwelling for her (I'm thinking a 40-gallon size). I'm hoping to avoid that if I can, but of course I'm willing to do it if that's what is necessary. I'd be grateful for any thoughts on this, especially on how long to see if she grows out of it, and also if you think there's a problem with the cage size. Thanks!