Bar biters!

[Sophie+Sylvia]

Hey,

I just wondered if anyone has the same situation as me... my female syrian constantly bites one particular bar in her cage and meticulously chews then runs her teeth along it. It looks like shes causing herself to have a bald stripe on one side of her mouth because this is where the bar digs in as she is doing it.
She is also litter trained, however she sometimes poos when biting the bars and its not in her litter tray!
Ive heard they do it because of boredom or to try and escape but i get her out most nights for an hour in her ball or for a cuddle and she seems happy enough and i can leave her cage open sometimes without her dashing out and running away from me.
Is this normal? Any suggestions of ways to stop her?

[Demecat]

Bar chewing can be done out of boredom or because it is a learned behaviour that causes her brain to release feel-good hormones - the latter makes bar chewing addictive! The only 100% way to stop her is to transfer her to a glass tank or a plastic hamster cage. If you look through the forum, you'll see the kind of homes I'm talking about.

That bald stripe is caused by friction and is medically known as Bar-rub. Keep an eye on it as sometimes it can develope into a sore.

Litter training only really teaches the hamster to wee in one place... rarely does it train the hamster to poo in one place too!

[Teddybearhamster420]

Joe used to do this, which caused a scab on the top of him nose.I switched to a bin cage!

[Stacey]

Millie chews her bars to get my attention. Usually means 'im ready to come out now mummy' I do ignore her sometimes and she does give up quite quickly, then once she has stopped i will let her out.
Millies potty trained but rarely ever does a poo in it. As Demecat said, its more peeing

[StarlightSerenity]

Originally Posted by Stacey

Millie chews her bars to get my attention. Usually means 'im ready to come out now mummy' I do ignore her sometimes and she does give up quite quickly, then once she has stopped i will let her out.
Millies potty trained but rarely ever does a poo in it. As Demecat said, its more peeing

Luna is an attention chewer as well. She'll only chew the bars and/or waterbottle in the evening if we're not quick enough to get her out once she's awake or she wants to come out again. Little madam!

This was her the other night, she looked ever so funny chewing the bars with her pouches full!



Luna uses her toilet for both pee and poo but seems to do most of her poos when she's sleeping - which she throws out of her nest into a little pile

[DwarfNome]

Jack used to be a bar chewer. I just weaved some cardboard through the area he was chewing. He was a bit upset in the beginning but he hasn't really tried again after that.

[LocoRocoPanda]

Claudio tried to bar chew the first night he was in the Alexander. It didn't go well for him. I tapped the bars every time he did and he just gave up. I think it was his way of saying "HOW DARE YOU PUT ME IN A NICE CAGE, YOU MONSTER!"

[Pompompoms]

George was a terrible bar biter when he arrived, I wasn't surprised though as he's been in a tiny cage with no toys at all and no wheel. What else was he going to do?!

He did used to bite occasionally in his ZZ, I would gently blow on his nose and say no, which depending on how determined he was feeling would either do the trick, of just stop him momentarily.

He can't actually reach the bars in his ZZ2, which for him was probably the best solution!

[purple_x]

When I first got Loki he was in a barred cage for a short while and he would bite the bars in one spot so I cable tied one of those bendy log bridges onto the bars.

[kat13/5/91]

Nala always chews the bars (shes learnt wear the door is and thats where she chews) is it bad for them? i was told they do it to shorten their teeth (yes she has chew toys aswell)

thanks
kat