Bar chewing?

pumpkin123 · 02-13-2016, 01:44 PM

Hey guys so I thought I could ask for some help! I have had peanut since October and I have her the hamster barney cage 100 x 54 x 45 cm (L x W x H). She has some loofa chews, strawberry wood chew, she has a big Trixie wheel, see saw, houses and sputnick. and she had hanging treat toy but she ate thos haha. So I just wondered ideas on what to do. As I keep waking up in the middle of night with her chewing and keep giving her peanuts to chew on! But seems not to work! I think even with chews she still will chew the bars. Thanx

CMB · 02-13-2016, 03:25 PM

Deeper substrate, tubes, scatter feed if you normally use a bowl, extend out of cage playtime, add different types of chew toys and hides. Rotate some of the toys and move toys around but not nest, toilet or water. Note how the change effects the hamsters bar chewing. Some hamsters don't like change others enjoy change.

I had hamsters who liked there toys/cage layout changed ever 5 - 7 days others were upset by any change. I had to get exactly the same toys etc in the same colour or they got upset/stressed and bar chewing would start.

M3gan · 02-13-2016, 03:36 PM

Hi pumpkin! I am currently struggling with an bar chewer! I feel you pain. I would recommend checking my thread 'Impossible Syrian' as there are several amazing suggestions and things that could of caused it! Good luck

Pebbles82 · 02-15-2016, 03:37 AM

Agree with what CMB said. Chews: these seem to be popular with all hamsters I've heard of. The mini sized ones. Even our hamster goes potty for them and drags them into his nest (except the white ones for some reason).

https://www.viovet.co.uk/Antos_Cerea...s+chew&sct_r=2

The Rosewood naturals dandelion chew sticks also keep him happy. He ignores a new chew stick for two or three days and then starts demolishing it.

https://www.viovet.co.uk/Boredom_Bre...delion&sct_r=1

Cleaning: Regular full cage cleans cause stress and make them want to escape - bar chewing is a way of trying to escape and a sign of stress. It can also become a habit, but sometimes the habit can be broken if the cause is sorted. Erin's Hamsters has a very good video on cage cleaning tips - it helped me a lot and has made a big difference to our hamster coping with cage cleans. I now do the toys and wheel at a different time to the substrate, and only do a full clean about every 2 or 3 months and then it's only a partial clean. Added the video at the end.

Enough substrate (minimum 4 to 6" but as much as you can fit really. I have the Barney cage too and find the narrow bars means the substrate doesn't fall out

)

If you spot clean and use the method in the video you will probably go through less substrate rather than more, despite putting more in the cage to start with.

Taming can make a bit of difference - if she is quite new and a bit anxious. Although you say you have had her since October. Has she always bar chewed? Or has it started recently. Has there been any change to her environment (change of cage or cage location)? Is it more some days than others (eg when she's on heat?). Do you have any other pets in the room? Sorry - loads of questions lol. But often there is a cause/solution. Sometimes a hamster ends up needing to be in a tank but with the space she has in the Barney and the triggers identified it might not be necessary. Also if it is some kind of stress causing it, triggered by something, it would be nice for her if it was sorted. Our hamster had a short period of starting to chew bars after an upheaval (and it wasn't nice when it happened) but it stopped within 2 weeks with various things tried.

This is Erin's cage cleaning video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jVnEjrXbww

pumpkin123 · 02-15-2016, 12:03 PM

Thanx for your help. I have a feeling she could need some more substrate. I use the carefresh natural bedding the one for 5 or 6 pounds but I just use that but I should get another bag. I use those antos dog chews but then she doesn't stop even with them

Tazius · 02-17-2016, 06:28 PM

Hi Pumpkin, we're having exactly the same problem as you at the moment and also trying to figure out what to do to get our ham to stop. He has an Alaska cage, lots of bits and bobs to do in the cage, his wheel (which he used to be OBSESSED by) but nothing seems as interesting to him as the bar chewing >.>

Hamster Paradise · 02-21-2016, 05:27 PM

I caught Valentino chewing on the bars last night...she had found where the clip for the opening on her cage is and was doing her best to chew that area of bars...tonight I was ready for her as I wove strips of cardboard (4 of them about an eigth of an inch wide and 6 inches long) through the bars at the spots she chewed on, with long strips of the card board dangling into her cage so she is enticed but still has to work really hard to get the card board in to her side of the cage...she has spent the last hour working on the cardboard and has forgotten about chewing the bars

So far so good...I dont know if this will work for any of your hammies who bar chew but its easy and only takes a couple of mins to set up and is worth a shot.