Bulma isn't chewing?

Hamshak · 03-11-2016, 12:08 AM

Bulma has been in her bin cage for 3 nights now and I have yet to see her chew on anything. This is after the endless bar chewing her second night here in a bar cage. I have had two days off and spent a lot of time near her cage and she sleeps a lot of course but when she is awake she runs on her wheel or just hops around foraging for food. I've checked her chews and haven't found any marks on them. She has a flavored wood block, an Apple stick, some hemp string, an egg carton, and a little wooden hut. Does she just not like these options? I considered giving her a dog biscuit until i realized my dog only has soft treats. Should I get her some? It would be handy to have some on hand as I do have a dog and mice as well so the treats would get eaten.

cypher · 03-11-2016, 01:13 AM

They often don't chew things like that, her food will help keep her teeth trim if she has a good mix & in addition you can try whimzees/antos dog chews which they usually love & biscrok dog biscuits.

ETA do keep an eye on her to make sure she's eating ok as bar chewing can damage their teeth, hopefully you changed her over to the bin before she did herself any harm.

shawniyatwain · 03-11-2016, 01:28 AM

Dog treats are a huge hit with hammies especially the ones mentioned by cypher.
I have also used the woven balls (usually made of willow or seagrass) rub some treats on them or hide some inside the ball, works a charm

Or hiding little that's in side a toilet roll tube or egg carton will encourage them to chew it

AmityvilleHams · 03-11-2016, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hamshak

Bulma has been in her bin cage for 3 nights now and I have yet to see her chew on anything. This is after the endless bar chewing her second night here in a bar cage. I have had two days off and spent a lot of time near her cage and she sleeps a lot of course but when she is awake she runs on her wheel or just hops around foraging for food. I've checked her chews and haven't found any marks on them. She has a flavored wood block, an Apple stick, some hemp string, an egg carton, and a little wooden hut. Does she just not like these options? I considered giving her a dog biscuit until i realized my dog only has soft treats. Should I get her some? It would be handy to have some on hand as I do have a dog and mice as well so the treats would get eaten.

For chews,I would suggest dog treats but definitely no soft ones.I would suggest edible chews and in the US we have Whimzees which are edible vegetable based dog chews and they are very good for chewing.Dog biscuits are great also and can provide a small protein boost.I would just recommend being very mindful of the ingredients and staying away from the big brands like Purina and Milk Bone as they tend to be very low quality and the ingredients are not always safe.

Hamshak · 03-11-2016, 02:13 AM

I have never heard of any of these dog treats! Haha I live in the U.S., is there a specific type or ingredient I should be looking for to avoid, so I can find something here that is suitable? I have a bit of egg carton I can put in before I go to work for now.

She seems to be eating ok, I have seen her eat quite a bit, I give her a bowl as well as scatter a bit around to encourage foraging. She has a mix right now butbi learned it isn't the best quality so I am searching for a good kind. She will be slowly put onto a different food starting next week.

AmityvilleHams · 03-11-2016, 03:20 AM

I would say avoid pork,garlic,most seasonings,onions,leek,any vegetables or fruits that are unsafe,any type of liver,things like that.

hamsters

That link tends to be very good,but the reason I would avoid Pedigree and such is because of all the artificial flavors and colors.If you aren't sure what something is,Google is your best friend especially when it comes to chemicals and things.Avoid the obvious things such as BHT and ethoxyquin,but definitely consider looking into some Boredom Breaker products which can be found from various websites that deliver to the US and while they are in the UK they are extremely high quality and the whole brand tends to have lots of good forage.Just be sure to research the ingredients for each product beforehand,or it could be a bit confusing.

I'd recommend also going to the grocery store and checking the baby section and then promptly raiding it when you find anything that is 100 percent safe.

Hamshak · 03-11-2016, 03:26 AM

I work at Target, I can check out the pet and baby sections at work in a few hours. I have happy baby organic spinach and kale puffs that my mice LOVE but she turned her nose up to those. I will have to look into the boredom breaker products as well!

AmityvilleHams · 03-11-2016, 03:41 AM

I'm obsessed with Target especially their dollar section.You'll probably have most of your luck in the baby section and also the normal adult food section if you can find things like freeze dried fruit,different seeds and nuts,and things like that.I've heard that most hamsters love the strawberry banana Gerber puffs,but I know that there are tons of different brands to look into and all different products!Hopefully you have a lot of good luck finding things your hamster loves.

Hamshak · 03-11-2016, 04:02 AM

Oh, I'll have to take a peek at the simply balance freeze dried fruits, there is a few different kinds and team members get an extra discount on that brand.

AmityvilleHams · 03-11-2016, 04:20 AM

Freeze dried fruits are a great idea!I think I might have to take a look for myself in Target and see if I can find any really good treats right before I get my own hamster.