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Chicleteer · 08-30-2021, 02:12 PM

My new female Syrian (Daisy) climbs up near the top of her cage and chews bars quite a bit. She is in a 32" x 18" Pet Prevue cage (576 sq inches), has an 11-inch Silent Runner, a multi-chambered Niteangel hidey house, and as many toys and hanging wooden chewy things as I can fit in while giving her some maneuvering room. I do try to change things up, although I haven't done so every day. However, each day she gets 15-30 minutes in a "playpen" bin outside her usual cage, which also has a wheel, hidey, and chew toys.

She's about 3 1/2 months old, and I've had her for two months. She is far from tame (I can tell it's going to take a long time); she's very skittish. Last week I took her to the vet for her first visit, and especially asked the vet to check her teeth, because of all the chewing, and so far the teeth are fine. However, she screeched non-stop when the vet was holding her, and has never yet permitted me to hold her at all. She seems afraid of me, and I'm trying to ease her fears by talking to her quietly and laying my hand in her playpen, with a piece of nut on it, keeping very still, just to get her used to my hand. (She usually will take the nut and has even put her front paws on my hand to reach the nut, but if I make any move at all, she bolts off like a shot.)

I am prepared to move her to an aquarium-style glass cage if necessary, although I'm trying to avoid making such a major change if she will settle down and stop the chewing, and I'd prefer keeping the barred cage if possible. As far as her current cage size, it seems to fit within recommended parameters, and I've put in about 6 inches of substrate (which is how deep the cage base is), which she does burrow in. I'm hoping she's not reacting to the cage being inadequate.

Questions: Any suggestions on whether hamsters tend to grow out of this? Any thoughts about whether her fearful skittishness is related to the chewing, and whether that might ease up with time? And of course I'm unsure how much time to give this process, weighed against the prospect of her eventually damaging her teeth.

Any and all suggestions are welcomed and appreciated! Thanks.

08-30-2021, 02:12 PM
Chicleteer Hamster Pup Join Date: May 2018 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 207	Re: Managing Bar Chewers My new female Syrian (Daisy) climbs up near the top of her cage and chews bars quite a bit. She is in a 32" x 18" Pet Prevue cage (576 sq inches), has an 11-inch Silent Runner, a multi-chambered Niteangel hidey house, and as many toys and hanging wooden chewy things as I can fit in while giving her some maneuvering room. I do try to change things up, although I haven't done so every day. However, each day she gets 15-30 minutes in a "playpen" bin outside her usual cage, which also has a wheel, hidey, and chew toys. She's about 3 1/2 months old, and I've had her for two months. She is far from tame (I can tell it's going to take a long time); she's very skittish. Last week I took her to the vet for her first visit, and especially asked the vet to check her teeth, because of all the chewing, and so far the teeth are fine. However, she screeched non-stop when the vet was holding her, and has never yet permitted me to hold her at all. She seems afraid of me, and I'm trying to ease her fears by talking to her quietly and laying my hand in her playpen, with a piece of nut on it, keeping very still, just to get her used to my hand. (She usually will take the nut and has even put her front paws on my hand to reach the nut, but if I make any move at all, she bolts off like a shot.) I am prepared to move her to an aquarium-style glass cage if necessary, although I'm trying to avoid making such a major change if she will settle down and stop the chewing, and I'd prefer keeping the barred cage if possible. As far as her current cage size, it seems to fit within recommended parameters, and I've put in about 6 inches of substrate (which is how deep the cage base is), which she does burrow in. I'm hoping she's not reacting to the cage being inadequate. Questions: Any suggestions on whether hamsters tend to grow out of this? Any thoughts about whether her fearful skittishness is related to the chewing, and whether that might ease up with time? And of course I'm unsure how much time to give this process, weighed against the prospect of her eventually damaging her teeth. Any and all suggestions are welcomed and appreciated! Thanks.