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06-15-2017, 01:17 PM
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#1
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Hamster Pup
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Devon, UK
Posts: 195
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Difficult begaviour
I have a female Syrian called tinkerbell I am slowly working on taming but I'm having some issues I've never had before.
She's very destructive and wants to chew everything, the carpet, furniture, cage and lid (detolf). I move her toys around frequently to try and keep her entertained but it doesn't seem to help. I take her out into bath/playpen and she just tries to chew her way out. The only thing she likes is the ball which I know isn't ideal and isnt helping taming but at least it gives her some time out. She just seems to constantly want to escape, I have found her hanging from the bars on the detolf chewing the lid.
Any advice would be much appreciated
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06-15-2017, 01:32 PM
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#2
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The Hamtologist
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Southern United States
Posts: 2,855
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Re: Difficult begaviour
I must say- the little troublemaker has such a sweet little face
How old is she? Young females can be quite a handful in my experience. They tend to have a phase of trying to escape any cage you provide for them, no matter how large. If she's older, chances are it's something unsuitable either in cage size, or the setup. However, if you can share a picture of your setup, we could offer some suggestions on how to manage your wild little one
You mention her chewing the bars on the lid of the detolf. Can you attach anything to them? If so, try zip-tying a few thick pieces of cardboard where she enjoys chewing frequently (don't cover too much of the lid or you may have ventilation issues) so she cannot get at it anymore. Are you able to get a playpen? They really are so much better than balls, as balls really don't offer anything more than a wheel in all honesty. A playpen (or even trying the bathtub again) may be more suitable filled with copious toys. I add several boxes, digging pots, wheels, and hidden treats to my playpens and my hams love it.
I know it isn't ideal having such a mouthy ham (my hamster Duncan is just like yours and doing these things have made a world of difference for me) but it's important they're kept stimulated. Giving them lots of exercise time nightly is crucial- aim for an hour or even more if you can! Try scatter feeding if you don't already. This keeps them super busy and allows them to forage as they would naturally. Another thing is to add lots of bedding, and several brain toys throughout the cage. A brain you could be something like a toilet tube with treats in the center and then stuffed with tissue. I have always found female Syrians to be a bit hyperactive and difficult to manage, but they mellow out with age. Good luck, and if you ever have any other questions, please ask
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06-15-2017, 03:55 PM
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#3
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PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Hertfordshire - UK
Posts: 3,190
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Re: Difficult begaviour
Try to distract her.
Scatter her food rather than putting it in a bowl.
Hide food in cardboard tube with the ends folded to make a box.
Offer different types of chew like whimzee (dog chew), sisal carrot, loafer, wicker etc
Add cardboard tubes/boxes for running through.
A deep area of substrate for digging.
Try to prevent her from being able to reach the bars of the lid of the cage.
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06-16-2017, 01:49 AM
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#4
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Hamster Pup
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Devon, UK
Posts: 195
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Re: Difficult begaviour
This is my current set up, I have created a bit of a dig corner but don't want to make it to high as she wants to chew the top.
I will keep trying to let her out but I feel like she completely hates it, I've had multiple female Syrians in the past but never had this. Also she's about 6momths old
(Please ignore the book ontop turns out she can move the lids so I have to weigh them down, little madam!!)
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06-16-2017, 12:33 PM
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#5
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PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Hertfordshire - UK
Posts: 3,190
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Re: Difficult begaviour
Do you have an enclosed hall where she could run around without getting lost under/behind furniture?
My Syrians had a habit of climbing the stairs. Whilst playing in the hall. Closely supervised in case of falls (hands ready to catch them).
You do have a lot of space in there for adding toys, chews etc. The tubes you have could be separated and spread out a bit.
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06-18-2017, 05:41 AM
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#6
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Banned
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: South Wales
Posts: 61
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Re: Difficult begaviour
Can I point out something.. have you checked to see if she has teeth issues?
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06-18-2017, 08:57 AM
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#7
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The Hamtologist
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Southern United States
Posts: 2,855
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Re: Difficult begaviour
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bellatrix
Can I point out something.. have you checked to see if she has teeth issues?
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I may be missing something so do forgive me if so, but what makes you think she may have teeth issues?
As CMB suggested, a closed off hallway or hamster proof room would both be excellent choices for exercise time. They key is to have lots of it! Keeping her distracted with scatter feeding, food toys, and new items is crucial as well. You could always add a bit more bedding in each section and see if she creates burrows. I had a ham who loved chewing at his bin, and adding lots of bedding really helped to curve this behavior. As you do have concerns with raising the bedding due to her chewing, could you possibly attach thick cardboard using zip ties to the top? If you could, she'll no longer be able to chew it which obviously would help to fix a few of your problems. Many females are like this, crazy and all over the place! 6 months is just maturity so give her some more time. You may need to upgrade in the future if the problems continue, but until then, try to make her setup as stimulating as possible. Good luck
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06-18-2017, 10:46 PM
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#8
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Banned
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: South Wales
Posts: 61
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Re: Difficult begaviour
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drago
I may be missing something so do forgive me if so, but what makes you think she may have teeth issues?
As CMB suggested, a closed off hallway or hamster proof room would both be excellent choices for exercise time. They key is to have lots of it! Keeping her distracted with scatter feeding, food toys, and new items is crucial as well. You could always add a bit more bedding in each section and see if she creates burrows. I had a ham who loved chewing at his bin, and adding lots of bedding really helped to curve this behavior. As you do have concerns with raising the bedding due to her chewing, could you possibly attach thick cardboard using zip ties to the top? If you could, she'll no longer be able to chew it which obviously would help to fix a few of your problems. Many females are like this, crazy and all over the place! 6 months is just maturity so give her some more time. You may need to upgrade in the future if the problems continue, but until then, try to make her setup as stimulating as possible. Good luck
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Chewing so madly. I breed Springer Spaniels and I know a ham isn't a dog but I had a pup with exactly the same issues, thought it was just the puppy chewing stage, turned out he had an abscess on his gum.
I know hams chew but not like that. I personally think a vet vist to check out his teeth won't be a bad thing. At least you'll be eliminating health issues. Maybe he's got pain in his teeth, when animals (ALL animals) have tooth pain, they chew.
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06-18-2017, 10:53 PM
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#9
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Banned
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: South Wales
Posts: 61
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Re: Difficult begaviour
Plus don't hams chew when they're in pain? At least that's what I've read on Hamster Hideout.
I'd definitely do a vet vist just to be sure there's nothing going on with her.
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06-19-2017, 12:13 AM
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#10
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Dwarf whisperer
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
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Re: Difficult begaviour
I haven't come across hamsters chewing due to pain, quite the opposite normally if anything, chewing is just natural behaviour that can become a bit obsessive.
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Tags
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lid, detolf, chew, taming, bath/playpen, thing, likes, ideal, ball, chewing, bars, advice, appreciated, hanging, time, constantly, found, escape, helping, issues, working, slowly, female, begaviour, syrian |
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