Extreme bar chewing

[Bookish]

My hamster is just over a year old, for a long time she’s been a bad bar chewer, I’ve tried everything I can think of including:
X a tank (made her worse she just chewed the edges)
X deeper bedding
X more enrichments
X more chews
X chews attached to the bars
X scatter feeding
X bigger cage
X moving stuff around more
X moving stuff around less
X olive oil on the bars
X covering her cage at night so my light doesn’t disturb her

She will chew 90% of the time she’s awake, she doesn’t really run on her wheel.

I literally have no idea what to do, but it’s to the point you can hear her in other rooms of the house and she wakes me up at night!

[LunaTheHamster1]

I'm afraid your only answer is a cage that has absolutley nothing on the inside that she can chew. My female syrian Moonbeam was the worse cage bitter I have ever had. At the moment she is in the Marrakesh cage and she has been fine in that.

Is it where the sealant is in the tank that she is chewing? If so, is it possible to add some tiles or metal strip bars as long as she doesn't chew that and hurt her teeth.

[Bookish]

Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1

I'm afraid your only answer is a cage that has absolutley nothing on the inside that she can chew. My female syrian Moonbeam was the worse cage bitter I have ever had. At the moment she is in the Marrakesh cage and she has been fine in that.

Is it where the sealant is in the tank that she is chewing? If so, is it possible to add some tiles or metal strip bars as long as she doesn't chew that and hurt her teeth.

She was chewing the glass so I moved her back to a bared cage so that it didn’t damage her teeth as much, I’ll have a look at the Marrakesh cage

[Pebbles82]

Originally Posted by Bookish

She was chewing the glass so I moved her back to a bared cage so that it didn’t damage her teeth as much, I’ll have a look at the Marrakesh cage

The Marrakesch isn't that big really. Internally it's about 95cm by 45cm and quite low. I would think it may not be right for a highly active chewer of a female. Although not much to chew on.

[LunaTheHamster1]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

The Marrakesch isn't that big really. Internally it's about 95cm by 45cm and quite low. I would think it may not be right for a highly active chewer of a female. Although not much to chew on.

Yes I was surprised Moonbeam has been happy in hers, no signs of stress behaviour like in her barred cage. With Moonbeam I think bar chewing was a habit she picked up from her previous owners, because if I put her jn a small cage with bars she will go mental chewing the bars, but if I put her in a travel carrier that is even smaller but has no bars, she is fine.

I was using the Marrakesh as an example of a cage with nothing on the inside that she was able to chew. Personally, I don't think it is really high enough for a syrian hamster but plenty of people use it for Syrian hamsters. I am making her an Ikea Komplement cage but until it is built and she has used it I didn't want to recommend it for bar chewers as in theory it should be ok but in practice I don't know yet.

[Bookish]

Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1

Yes I was surprised Moonbeam has been happy in hers, no signs of stress behaviour like in her barred cage. With Moonbeam I think bar chewing was a habit she picked up from her previous owners, because if I put her jn a small cage with bars she will go mental chewing the bars, but if I put her in a travel carrier that is even smaller but has no bars, she is fine.

I was using the Marrakesh as an example of a cage with nothing on the inside that she was able to chew. Personally, I don't think it is really high enough for a syrian hamster but plenty of people use it for Syrian hamsters. I am making her an Ikea Komplement cage but until it is built and she has used it I didn't want to recommend it for bar chewers as in theory it should be ok but in practice I don't know yet.

Are there instructions for the komplement cage anywhere that you know of?
I’m happy making a DIY cage

[Pebbles82]

Originally Posted by Bookish

She was chewing the glass so I moved her back to a bared cage so that it didn’t damage her teeth as much, I’ll have a look at the Marrakesh cage

Which barred cage is she in now? I can't imagine a hamster chewing glass! Some chew the aquarium sealant away but surely they can't get their teeth into the glass.

It's very hard to find cages bigger than 100cm in the UK and Europe, but you can get bigger tanks (or diy cages). Space may be the key.

Do you have a photo of her set up? Because sometimes it's something to do with the set up that can make them want to chew to escape - a stress thing. On the other hand sometimes it's just a habit they're in.

[NanaBeaver]

My wee girl is just the same. She has cost me a fortune changing cages and playpens, not to mention all the toys, chews and new foods I've tried her with. At the moment she has a cage that offers 800 sq inches of ground space, good deep substrate and an 11 inch wheel, plus no end of toys tunnels and hides and still she bar chews.
I contemplating getting an Ikea Detolf.

[Pebbles82]

Originally Posted by NanaBeaver

My wee girl is just the same. She has cost me a fortune changing cages and playpens, not to mention all the toys, chews and new foods I've tried her with. At the moment she has a cage that offers 800 sq inches of ground space, good deep substrate and an 11 inch wheel, plus no end of toys tunnels and hides and still she bar chews.
I contemplating getting an Ikea Detolf.

Don't get a detolf. A chewer can gnaw at the inner bars in that. And the chipboard/wood ends! You'd be better off with a straight glass tank or the Marrakesch mentioned.

[Lilafernim]

Also, I know it won’t solve the issue but all my hamsters have loved whimzees dog chews. If you don’t already use them you could put some in and she might at least be distracted for a while.

And you say you put chews against the bars. I just want to advice if any of these chews against the bars are edible, perhaps the taste of them is rubbing against the bars. Again I’m not saying this is the reason because that would be extreme but maybe it’s not helping if it is edible chews on the bars.