Obsessive chewing

[Jessalina]

As you may already know, I've recently had to move Ness into a Zoozone because of her bar chewing, and she's since begun chewing on the water bottle spout in the absence of bars :roll:
She's just as obsessive about it, only it makes a hell of a lot more noise (she lives in my bedroom) and she's getting water all over herself and the cage. I wish I had put her in a tank to begin with so she wouldn't have gotten into the habit of chewing...but we live and learn!
I know water bowls are generally not advised because they can be tipped over or soiled, but I'm begining to think it might be the only way.
Any advice or suggestions appreciated :)

[Holly]

I've had several who obsessively chew their bottles and I know just what you mean, it's really not funny - they and the cage end up covered in water and the noise it makes in the middle of the night is phenominal :?

Is there any way you can raise up the water bottle? I've done this with several of mine (by sticking the bottle through the hole in the top of the Gabber and giving them a step to reach it) and it seems to have worked for two of them - I've now put the bottle back (after about 3 weeks) and, so far, they aren't chewing it! I'm still re-training one (Minnie) but she wasn't as bad so Im sure it will work.

Otherwise is there any way you can rig the bottle so that just the very tip is inside the cage (sorry not sure how Zoozone water bottles work)?

[Basia]

Putting her into a tank cage from the word go wouldn't necessarily have stopped her chewing, if that is any comfort to you.
I have a few obsessive chewers in my gabbers, they find a way to reach the bars on the top - and they are all girls.
Basil got very obsessive about his bottle spout but he seems to have stopped now, thank goodness.
I'm sorry I don't really have any helpful suggestions, other than maybe try a water pot for a while.
I do find though that mine go through phrases of bar chewing and so far they have all stopped after a while.
Can you put her in the bathroom at night?

[Spuds Mum]

things we have tried include -

changing to a bowl for a week or two

hanging the water bottle from the bars at the top of the cage so it hangs quite loosely (they seem to not get as much satisfaction if the bottle can swing a little)

making sure only the tip of the bottle peeps inside the cage so that she cant get her teeth round it.

They seem to go through stages with this. My BB who has never done it before has been crazy bottle chewing for the last week or so (Im hoping it is a pregnant hamster equivalent to a craving)

Hope it resolves itself.

[Jessalina]

hanging the water bottle from the bars at the top of the cage so it hangs quite loosely (they seem to not get as much satisfaction if the bottle can swing a little)


That did cross my mind (this morning, after being woken twice, once at 4am...), I think that's what I'll try first and hopefully it will work, otherwise I have plenty of other tips to fall back on, thanks everyone. Now worried she'll start to eat the hole where the spout fits through... :roll: What is it with female rodents? First my girl rats eat their cage and now this :lol:

I can't put her in the bathroom overnight as it's right next to mine and my sister's rooms and this house has really thin walls. My sister heard her when she was at it again about seven this morning and thought it was my open window banging :lol:

[souffle]

You could try giving her a bowl at night and putting the water bottle back during the day when she wont disurb you if she chews. You can block the spout hole with a cork plug or similar. Sometimes using a bowl for a few weeks does break the habit. Give he a nice hard dog biscuit to direct her chewing at :lol:

[Jessalina]

I changed the water bottle so it was hanging from the roof yesterday, didn't notice any problems (no more spout chewing anyway, joy!) until today when she was chewing the water bottle hole :roll: Seeing as my Gabber came this morning I thought I'd put her in there, again with the water bottle fixed to the roof and hope she doesn't notice the hole and start to eat it...I will see how that goes :shock: She is so destructive this ham :lol:

Have any of you found that some hams prefer certain types of cages over others? I wonder if she's going to settle in the Gabber now, tbh she seemed happier in her barred cage than the Zoozone (bar chewing aside), although I know she hasn't had much time to adjust... :?

Guess I'll just see how it goes. Argh, ramble.

[Spuds Mum]

I've definitely noticed that Jessalina :roll: there are some hamsters that much prefer barred cages to tank and vise versa. In my experience too it is often the girls that are very destructive rather than the boys.

It shows that Nessa has personality though! :shock: :D

[Holly]

I've noticed it too - and, in my experience, you are much more likely to have a destructive chewer who is a girl. That's not to say that boys don't chew as well, they do, just that all my girls are worse than all my boys.

Lets hope she doesn't take to destroying the Gabber - watch the big hole above the rear shelf, one of mine (Aero) has enlarged that to the point that I've had to remove her shelf before she escapes :?

[Spuds Mum]

A couple of mine have 'remodelled' the shelf and the ladders too :roll:

[Jessalina]

Oh dear. I think, after everything, I may end up having to move her back in to her old, barred, cage :shock: :roll: I don't want her bar chewing but I don't want her to be stressed and unhappy either.

I just don't think she likes tank cages, she was scrabbling at the walls of her Gabber last night, something I didn't see in the Zoozone at least because the base is much deeper and she couldn't really see out.
I will give her time though, I know it can't be good to be constantly switching cages.

*wanders off muttering about difficult hamster*

[Spuds Mum]

*wanders off muttering about difficult hamster*

No such thing as a difficult hamster Jessalina - but I may be fibbing there :wink:

You can maybe give her chance to settle down - has she got lots of interesting things to play with in the Gabber? But you may have to bow to the inevitable in the end and put her back in her barred cage! Tut - ungrateful little madam huh?

I'm sure you will make the right decision for Ness though, they are all different and I'm sure eventually Ness will be very happy (even if with a rubbed nose!) in whatever little palace she ends up in :D

[Theodore]

Dandy attacks his door after I've put him back in his cage. He really puts his back into it too :? OH thinks he will escape and that is what he wants to do. I'm not sure why he's doing it, but I worry about his teeth

[Jessalina]

Well, I tried, but she's made it abundantly clear that she DOES NOT LIKE her Gabber, and in the absence of bars to chew, she will try to eat plastic. I did explain that mummy hadn't gotten her this lovely, difficult to get hold of cage for her to destroy it but I was ignored.
Soo Nessa's moved back into her old cage for good now :lol: She seems much more content in it, despite the odd bit of bar chewing.
She's a pain in the posterior at times, yes, but I wouldn't be without her :roll: :lol:

Oh God. I now have an empty Gabber sitting around. I should pack it up and put in the garage before something bad happens... :o