Bar chewing

[sdawhitaker]

Hi all,

So we have had Smudge a week now and no matter how much wooden toys or structures we put in she seems to want to chew the bars of the cage. We have tried to deter her from this by moving the wooden things around, gentely trying to move her away from the spot etc but she seems to go back. She has started chewing the wooden toys more and more, so wondering if there is a toy she would prefer.

Is bar chewing dangerous? She is only 8-10 weeks old so I do not want to cause her health problems am hoping as she gets into a routine with playing she might stop.

Any help would be appreciated....thanks

[GhostsInSnow]

What cage does she have and what size wheel does she have? Some Hammies will chew if their cage or wheel isn't big enough for them (I'm not saying yours are too small but it's always easier to ask)
Does she get time out of the cage at all?
Some hamsters do it for attention, some because they're unhappy and some because they become obsessed.
Bar Chewing can sometimes cause tooth problems such as breaking them and can cause something called bar rub which is where the fur wears away on top of the nose and this can turn into a sore if it continues.

One of my hammies chews despite haveing a rat cage, massive wheel and freeroam time, he does it out of habit and obsession now.
Things you can do are offer more time, thread cardboard in between the bars so she chews on that instead, attach wooden chews/pegs to where she chews.
It's better to get her out of it now than further down the line

[HollyHamster]

Your best bet is to get a large tank and house her in that. No bars too chew, no problems!

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'd check cage size and wheel size. If they bar chew they can damage their teeth quite badly so you do ideally want to stop them. If the chewing continues with a big cage and a big wheel then I'd second HollyHamster with the tank idea really

[sdawhitaker]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far....

The cage is a ferplast duna with two plastic levels, I have bought numerous different types of wooden toys to try to prompt chewing else where. We have changed her wheel to a saucer and last night we had her out in an excerise ball on a stand, we are going to try and get her in the ball on a regular basis.

Will keep an eye on it and see how it goes, if she still chews bars will look at alternative cage options as mentioned thanks!

[GhostsInSnow]

If your hammie is a Syrian then the Ferplast Duna really isn't anywhere near big enough unfortunately plus the right sized wheel for a Syrian won't fit in the cage. A Syrian usually ends up needing a 11-12 inch wheel so they can run without developing spinal problems, they have to be able to run with a straight back at all times.

[Popcornandme]

You can stop bar chewing by wiping a tiny bit of lemon juice on the spot that they always chew.....hamsters hate the taste and if you do it a few more times your hamster won't be chewing the bars anymore.works for me!

[kimlck]

Lemon juice might not work, both my bar chewers didnt mind it.
Perhaps weave some cardboard thru the wires.
I had some luck with peanut butter on wood chews,

[Lorrained]

Interested in this because our latest Lola is a bar chewer and developed a bald patch on her nose from chewing. She is actually in a rat cage with lots of stuff in to chew and cling and play and swing but she just chews!!

[pixiehollow]

My little guy is in an Alexander with a 12" silent spinner and he chews if he's awake, knows I'm in the room and the light is on. Once the light is turned off he stops and goes in his wheel. Might just be an attention seeking behaviour but I do think the cage is too small x