Bar Chewing Robo

[StarlightSerenity]

A couple of days ago I cleaned Hobbes' cage - I did a full clean which is the first one I've done since he's been in his big cage which he's been in for four months or so. I had to wait for him to go into his small cage then block the tunnel off so he couldn't get into the big cage. He seemed to get a bit stressed out but it was all done within 15 minutes and he seemed happy enough once he had his big cage back. He was eating, taking food from me, drinking, digging etc. All normal Hobbes stuff.

The first night after the clean I could hear him chewing something but wasn't sure what - turned the light on and I caught him clinging to the bars, sideways, in one corner, chewing a little plastic bit of the base. Each corner has these little plastic bits and I know he's chewed both the back ones. He didn't do it for long so I just hoped it would be a one off.

Last night I could hear the characteristic 'pinging' of the bars as he chewed them. Turned the light on again to make sure I was hearing right and there he was, at the back of his cage, clinging on for dear like with his mouth was wrapped around a bar. He did it for a few seconds then moved to the bar underneath the cap that covers the back tube hole, then he chewed the plastic of the actual cap for a few seconds. He then went back to digging and exploring, heard him on his wheel too. Only heard him chewing once again before I fell asleep.

I've never heard of a robo being a bar chewer :shock: I'm worried that he will hurt his teeth or manage to chew through either the base of the cage in the corner or the plastic cap. There are teeny tiny bite marks along the top of the plastic bits and some on the clip type part that holds the cap on. He only did it for a few seconds, wasn't anything like a Syrian who has found a love for bar chewing.

I don't understand why he's doing it - he doesn't seem stressed, it's the only odd behaviour (well, he's generally a bit odd but you know what I mean!) I've noticed and I'd never seen or heard him do it before his cage was cleaned out. He's only doing it at the back of his cage. There's nothing new behind his cage, there are books and a Tarot deck behind his cage but they were there before the cage clean. I only swept off woodshavings that were around the cage so there's no added cleaner smell of anything behind there.

I'm really confused :confused: He has lots to do, two wheels, deep substrate, toys, chews etc. I scatter food a lot too. Any advice/words of wisdom would be apprecaited. Hobbes is my first robo and a rescue, want to give him the best life I can :(

[NotsoLittleOlive]

I was under the illusion dwarfies didn't bar chew.
I now have a bar chewing WW and Chinese!
Nothing I've tried so far has made them stop and I can't think of any reason why they are.

I'd kinda love to hear if anyone else has any advice too >.<

[StarlightSerenity]

I thought it was just Syrians that bar chewed as well! Do yours do it like a Syrian does? For ages at a time etc?

[Call me Alison]

my hybrid poppy is the only dwarf ive had that chews the bars and i mean chew!

she's does it on and off all night long, i meshed a zoozone 1 thinking way to high she wont get up there, she now hangs on the mesh chewing it while swinging!

xxx

[Jasmine Smith]

My syrian hamster chews on the bars, they may or may not react in the same way. My hamster does it for attention. Try taking your hamster out of its cage for 20 to 30 minutes and play with him. But if that is not the case, I would try and put some bar stuff on it to make it taste funny. Try looking at pets at home or ask someone there or ask a vet.

[StarlightSerenity]

My syrian hamster chews on the bars, they may or may not react in the same way. My hamster does it for attention. Try taking your hamster out of its cage for 20 to 30 minutes and play with him. But if that is not the case, I would try and put some bar stuff on it to make it taste funny. Try looking at pets at home or ask someone there or ask a vet.

Can't handle him sadly. My Syrian was a bar chewer even though she spent a couple of hours out of her cage each night (I have a 170cm x 70xm ish sized playpen for Syrians). She was definately an attention seeker!

With Hobbes it doesn't seem like attention seeking - he carried on doing it even though he knew I was by the front of his cage. All interaction that I have with him is at the front of his cage, he's chewing at the back. He looked like he was looking for something when he was moving about too. Possibly just a better chewing position though lol

If he keeps on doing it I'll look into the bar stuff, just don't know why he has suddenly started doing it.

[Call me Alison]

Can't handle him sadly. My Syrian was a bar chewer even though she spent a couple of hours out of her cage each night (I have a 170cm x 70xm ish sized playpen for Syrians). She was definately an attention seeker!

With Hobbes it doesn't seem like attention seeking - he carried on doing it even though he knew I was by the front of his cage. All interaction that I have with him is at the front of his cage, he's chewing at the back. He looked like he was looking for something when he was moving about too. Possibly just a better chewing position though lol

If he keeps on doing it I'll look into the bar stuff, just don't know why he has suddenly started doing it.

quite a few people rec lemon juice although i haven't personally tried it.

[NotsoLittleOlive]

I thought it was just Syrians that bar chewed as well! Do yours do it like a Syrian does? For ages at a time etc?

They're worse than my Syrian was. If ignored or distracted with toys etc, she stopped. The Chinese will go on and on and on and blowing on her nose in desperation at 3am turned it into a game - I swear she thinks the bars might fight back now. I took away the duna fun extension to take away the bars, but she just hangs off the roof instead.
The WW chews for fairly long bursts, then hops on his wheel. But the amount of time he spends chewing in the DAY is ridiculous. He's got a poorly eye at the moment too and I doubt rubbing against the bars will help but nothing seems to stop him. And monkey-barring - he's nuts for that.

[NotsoLittleOlive]

They seem to set each other off too. When one starts chewing the other joins in =\

[kyrilliondaemon]

All you can try is the usual list of distractions. Syrians seem to bar chew more often than dwarf hams, but unfortunately they can all be right little pests :(

[StarlightSerenity]

Well I don't think he did it last night. I put a couple of new things in his cage (a tube and an extra sandbath) so. I'm kinda hoping that it was something behind there that caught his interest rather than it being the bars he was interested in. Fingers crossed!

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'll keep my fingers crossed it means he's going to behave then :)

[racinghamster]

He may just have found that corner interesting Starlight but if he does keep going back to bar chewing, I would be tempted to go for a non-barred cage personally, just to be on the safe side. I used to be a big fan of barred cages, but since keeping hamsters again, I`ve used my Gabber Rex for both my Chinese (RIP) and now my wee robo because I hate the thought of him doing this and causing damage or injury to himself, even by accident. My syrian is currently in a narrow barred cage (Savic Mickey 2XL), but thankfully, he`s never been a bar chewer so I landed lucky with him. I did think about buying a Kios a while back, but decided against it because I`m happy with my Gabber Rex.

Hope he stops his bar biting antics!

[StarlightSerenity]

I will have to think about changing his cage if it turns into a habit. Really don't want to as he loves all the interaction the bars allow. But I guess with something like a ZZ there's the massive door/lid. His health and wellbeing is all that matters though. Got to do the best thing for him :)

[NotsoLittleOlive]

Just bear in mind they'll go for the roof bars too if they so wish :P

Turns out my bar chewing, monkey barring little winter white has gone blind :(
Removing all his climbing stuff and shelves resulted in a much calmer night, so hopefully things will stay that way. And my chinesey didn't chew all night - i think it was the noise of my WW chewing that was stressing her out.

[racinghamster]

Just to let you know Stalight, my Gabber Rex never has it`s lid on, day or night, as my robo can`t reach the roof and even though he has an internal shelving/housing section where he can run up his wooden log ladder to sit on the top, he can`t escape because I don`t put accessories in that would allow him access to the area at the top. I would use a lid for a Russian dwarf or a Chinese, but with robos, they don`t require one. :) It`s a bonus too as it means easy access without lifting up the barred lid! My Gabber Rex lid was badly rusted so I binned it and made a heavy wooden and mesh lid, but don`t require it for Rocky.

[olga]

I would use a lid for a Russian dwarf or a Chinese, but with robos, they don`t require one. :)

I know everyone's circumstances are different but from what I've experienced every single cage should have a lid.
A forum member was very honest here to say that she has a cage with no lid and the cat got in and there were pups in the cage but thankfully all were okay.
There can be other hamsters escape that can climb/drop in to an unlidded cage (or other pets if you have them.)
Or wild animals can enter houses, foxes or squirrels for example.
I do not think you can be safe enough without a lid on all cages.

[Cupcake]

My syrian was absolutely crazy for bars, half the bars had no more paint on them when I switched her to the ZZ2 and she does have access to the bars as I've put a hammock in for her, but she isn't interested in chewing. Only time she tried to chew the ZZ2 bars was after an escape and my guess was she wanted to be "free" again :lol: But I found that once the bars are only on top she completely lost interest, she's not a fan of hanging upside down, she liked being upright while chewing :rolleyes:

[StarlightSerenity]

lol Cupcake!

I haven't heard him do it since I posted. Think it was a one off thankfully!