Naughty Duck!

[pinkneon]

Duck keeps chewing the bars on his cage. He can no way be bored because he has plenty of toys in his cage. He also has a 12" Silent Spinner, and so wheel size is not an issue. And he's in an Alexander cage, so the cage size is no issue. I currently have no shelves in the Alexander and am wondering if this might help? He has a dog biscuit to chew on, and almost all of his toys are wooden. He's pretty good and usually chews on his toys too. He also has a large wooden mushroom ... Other than being naughty I can not think of a reason why he'd chew the bars ... Anyway I can stop it? I've tried putting lemon juice on the bars but he carries on anyway!

[The Hamster's family]

Do you sometimes wake him up during the day ?

[pinkneon]

No, though he is often awake in the daytime!
Although I get him out for playtime when he is awake, he still doesn't like being handled

[The Hamster's family]

I did put the chalk figurines to chew/destroy where Bubble, Lily and Blue were bar chewing... Worked with 2 of them ! For Blue, it's about 80% less bar chewing...

Maybe try it...

[pinkneon]

Chalk figurines?

[The Hamster's family]

Yes... Kinda like the ice cream cones but those are attachable to wires...

[GhostsInSnow]

I think they're called mineral blocks over here (correct me if you mean something completely different lol)

[The Hamster's family]

I think they're called mineral blocks over here (correct me if you mean something completely different lol)

Here they are some with flavors... Gonna try to find a link...

Edit : No link but I have a picture. On the right side of the cage, onto the bars...

[lucyeleanor]

Poppy will chew her mesh if there is someone in the room, nomatter what time of day. I've found that hanging a scarf in front of her cage so she can't see me helps her settle. I don't do this all the time, just when she's been awake for hours and is clearly sleepy but won't settle because someone is there. She always wants to be out. I get her out several times a day, and shes got several toys, I think it's purely an attention thing as if you turn all the lights off she stops.

[GhostsInSnow]

Yeah they're like our flavoured mineral blocks :) We can get berry flavoured ones I think. I've never seen yellow ones.
Umm, the only other stuff I've heard people try is weaving cardboard through the bars or attaching wooden toys to the places where they chew the bars

[Knotty]

weaving cardboard through the bars or attaching wooden toys to the places where they chew the bars

This is what we've done with Pepsi's, she chews the bars underneath the shelf in her cage and now she chews the cardboard and pulls it all out. By the time she's pulled it all out she'll want to go on her wheel so it works great.

[pinkneon]

He's still chewing on the bars ... I've tried the cardboard but he ignores it and goes and chews somewhere else! So then I put cardboard there, and the same thing happens. I can't put cardboard all around his cage ... Am thinking of maybe adding a shelf to his cage so I can add a couple more toys, though not sure if this will stop the problem or not?

[Vectis Hamstery]

I had one Syrian that trained me very well to get her out when she chewed! I hadn't realised she was doing it until we'd got into the habit of her chewing her bars whenever she wanted something. Subsequent Syrians *I* have trained rather than the other way round! They get a 'no' when bar chewing and get to come out when they're not chewing.

[pinkneon]

Duck is still not liking being held, so even trying ot get him out is a mission ... I just don't know what to do anymore. I don't want him to be unhappy, and feel like I am letting him down because I don't know what he wants!

[GhostsInSnow]

Fudge has stopped chewing so much since having both her flying saucer and wodent wheel in at the same time. It cuts her running space a lot until I can get this new cage sorted but she seems happy. Perhaps a choice of both when you get a saucer might stop him from doing it?

[pinkneon]

I hope so! Right now I'll give anything a go! It's not only annoying, but I am worried about him hurting himself - either his nose and teeth, or because he likes to climb to the top of the cage, then hang upside down whilst holding on with just his front paws and then chewing ... He's such a cheeky boy!

[GhostsInSnow]

If he doesn't stop after you've tried everything, you might need to put him in a tank or zoo zone :/ which would be a real shame because the alexander is such an amazing cage

[pinkneon]

Yeah :( I'm going to try and get him out again today for a little longer and see if that helps ...

[Ilovehamsters]

In the certain place where he is chewing,try putting like a nice treat stick there to lure him away from biting the bars, it won't stop him fully but it will stop him a little bit! :D

[pinkneon]

But then he'll go chew somewhere else! I already tried that :(

[The Hamster's family]

Yeah they're like our flavoured mineral blocks :) We can get berry flavoured ones I think. I've never seen yellow ones.
Umm, the only other stuff I've heard people try is weaving cardboard through the bars or attaching wooden toys to the places where they chew the bars

With Blue, I had to put like 5 of them at one point...! I did take out the Penthouse of his HHeaven: he chewed 5 minutes in another spot. Placed a yellow one = NO MORE CHEWING!!

For Lily, I took her out, placed a Flying Saucer (12 inches one) and it did it ! For some weird reasons, so doesn't really use the Saucer and nor thew wheel, but that stopped her from bar chewing... :rolleyes:

Bubble wants me !!! So when he can't have me, he'll chew on bars. I take him out and tell him how much I love him and it cured him of his obsession ! (I'm being serious here ! He would only chew when I would leave him/turn my back to leave the room... So I go pick him up when he ain't chewing + he now gets more time out of the cage/in the bathroom running freely)

That's my experience for bar chewing ! Loulou and Mignon don't chew and never did...

Good luck !

[Ilovehamsters]

If none of these things are working you are going to have to put him in a non-bar cage

[Char]

OMG... Duck is just the same as Daisy. Chews her bars, she has so many toys and chew sticks etc, oh and a bigger wheel. But she just prefers chewing on the bars. I also can't pick her up. I have her in the bath most nights, for 30mins to an hour. (She bit me twice tonight)
She was out for an hour tonight, now back in her cage, and you guessed it chewing on her bars.

[Char]

Did you get duck to stop biting his cage? If so how.
I read put vinegar on the bars. I might try it on sat when I clean Daisy's cage