Cage Chewing

LRedfloss1 · 05-03-2016, 03:49 AM

Hi, I have a chocolate Syrian hamster who I've had for about 7 months since he was about 8 weeks old. He's quite easy going and doesn't bite, he chewed his cage a bit then stopped when he was younger but recently he has started doing it all the time. It has gotten to the point now where it won't be long before he has chewed a hole big enough to get out of.

We got him the biggest hamster cage Pets At Home had then added an extension by adding a second cage attached by a tube which was great because it seemed to encourage him to get up earlier. But now he is chewing both cages. Not the wire but the plastic.

He has lots of toys, a wheel, a sand bath, a potty, things to chew. We take him out and make a fuss of him every night and put him in his ball which he doesn't always want to do.

Has anyone got any advice as to how we can stop this behaviour? I would let him have more freedom but he is too small to let wonder around a room.

We've tried vinegar to stop him but that didn't help, we also tried new treats and toys, putting things in the way of the corners which he just moves so we're stuck now!

AmityvilleHams · 05-03-2016, 04:15 AM

The only thing I can think of that would help is a bigger cage.Being a Syrian,he might actually still do the same things while in a cage like the Barney or Alexander which would be around the 80 cm by 50 cm recommended size in the UK but of course not all hamsters work with even that size.An easy option if you are willing to modify a cage just slightly is meshing a large rabbit cage,and you could get a 100 cm by 50 cm or larger rabbit cage for a fairly good price and all you'd have to do is just put mesh over the bars.This would offer a lot more floor space than a tiny hamster cage,or DIY cages are another good option if you're willing for that as well.

cypher · 05-03-2016, 04:31 AM

Some hams will chew whatever cage you put them in but I do think it might well be worth trying yours in a cage with one large floor space, the barney or alexander which Amity mentioned or something like the alaska (all available from zooplus) would be better suited to a hams needs than two small cages joined with tubes.
If he's not too keen on the ball try making a safe play area or play pen for him so he can have more out of cage time, give him as much to explore as you can!

pinkneon · 05-03-2016, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

The only thing I can think of that would help is a bigger cage.Being a Syrian,he might actually still do the same things while in a cage like the Barney or Alexander which would be around the 80 cm by 50 cm recommended size in the UK but of course not all hamsters work with even that size.An easy option if you are willing to modify a cage just slightly is meshing a large rabbit cage,and you could get a 100 cm by 50 cm or larger rabbit cage for a fairly good price and all you'd have to do is just put mesh over the bars.This would offer a lot more floor space than a tiny hamster cage,or DIY cages are another good option if you're willing for that as well.

The new Barney measures 100 x 54 x 45 cm (L x W x H) and the Alexander measures 101 x 52.5 x 51 cm (L x W x H), so not much difference really!
Both are great though the Barney is cheaper. It may be that a bigger cage helps, but he could chew any cage in which cage a tank style / bin cage would work well

Also, just out of interest, which wheel does your hamster have? It may be that it is too small or not working properly so he can't use it?

AmityvilleHams · 05-03-2016, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinkneon

The new Barney measures 100 x 54 x 45 cm (L x W x H) and the Alexander measures 101 x 52.5 x 51 cm (L x W x H), so not much difference really!
Both are great though the Barney is cheaper. It may be that a bigger cage helps, but he could chew any cage in which cage a tank style / bin cage would work well

Also, just out of interest, which wheel does your hamster have? It may be that it is too small or not working properly so he can't use it?

From what I could find out one has smaller internal dimensions than the listed dimensions

If anyone has an empty Barney and or Alexander and is willing to give the internal dimensions that would be great and also very helpful!

Pebbles82 · 05-03-2016, 09:38 AM

Pink Neon's dimensions are correct. They are external dimensions so it will be slightly less at the bottom where the cage base slopes in. I know the internal height of the Barney is about 43cm. I think the height of the Alexander includes the handles so it's more like 46 or 47cm - but the width and length are pretty spot on.

LRedFloss 1 - I'm not sure how big the biggest cage at Pets at home is, but I think they are really quite small - some are about 40cm wide I think. Unfortunately a lot of commercial cages are much too small.

It's fine having an add-on cage for extra space, as long as the main cage meets the minimum recommended size of continuous floor area - approx 80cm by 50cm. So two smaller cages doesn't work the same as one larger one where they can have normal behaviours and feel less trapped.

The Barney and Alexander cages have narrow 7mm bar spacing and are a great size for a Syrian hamster. Some people have been successful in getting a refund for the cage/s they bought to put towards another one.

Bar chewing is one of the stress behaviours that can be caused by a cage that isn't big enough and/or something else not right in their environment. But if you don't want to risk your hamster still being a bar chewer, then a tank style cage would be good. The maxi Duna Multy is a good one - it's about 99cm wide and has narrow bar spacing on a large opening top. It's not cheap though - about £86.

As you got it from Pets at home, if they let you take it back for a refund, maybe they'd let you exchange it for a Savic Hamster Heaven or Hamster Sky (they stock those online and in some stores) which meets the minimum size for a Syrian Hamster. But the Barney cage works out quite a bit cheaper than a hamster heaven (although you can only buy them online and they take 5 days to a week to arrive).

I would try and ask them for a refund - people have got this before, even when the cage has been used. Just tell them it isn't big enough for your hamster! Or you could keep one of them as a playcage for during cage-cleaning maybe.

The more space the better. With a larger cage you can have different areas for digging and different levels and a Syrian sized wheel fits in better. If you have the space, a detolf is a good option and not expensive (£40). It's an ikea hack - a glass cabinet you tip on its side, and leave the door off - but it does need two lids making from pieces of wood and some mesh. And they look amazing! I'd have one if we had the space for it.

Their cage is their habitat - space to roam and dig and have hidey places. Within that they need a good sized house or hide that is dark inside, to build a nest in (or you can make one out of a shoebox with a hole cut in for a door).

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ha...AwDJ8Q_AUIBigB

This is the Barney cage (7mm Bar Spacing) (I have one for our Syrian).

Barney Pet Cage | Great deals at zooplus!

This is the maxi Duna Multy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ferplast-Ma...axi+duna+multy

And some examples of setups in the maxi duna

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ma...3JAvoQ_AUIBygC

The Zoozone 2 is similar and about the same size, and a bit cheaper but it has 2cm bar spacing on top so the lid needs meshing

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoozone-620...ords=Zoozone+2

Another good option is a second hand 4 foot fish tank - sometimes they go on ebay quite cheap but I've never found any in my area unfortunately.

Or people make diy cages as well. My RSPCA book recommends that because most commercial cages are too small. But we're lucky to have the 100cm Zooplus cages

If you went for another cage I would go for one with narrow bar spacing like the Barney or Alexander - it's much harder to bar chew on narrow bar spacing, and usually with the extra space, they calm down and stop. Our hamster chewed the few available bars in his horrible little Rotostak thing we started out with, but didn't do it at all when he moved into a bigger cage.

M3gan · 05-03-2016, 12:09 PM

I agree with getting a bigger cage. It usually is a problem because of lack of space or entertainment, but not always. Good luck! I know what you are going through x

AmityvilleHams · 05-03-2016, 12:13 PM

Just remember,if you want something bigger in any dimension than a pet shop cage and are willing DIY is always an option

I think a lot of cages that are made for pets that get sold in pet shops are sometimes a decent length but are on the narrow side compared to what you could get with a DIY cage,so it is something to look into if you want to maximize floor space as I do know a lot of people get frustrated with how narrow the Detolf is as well as sometimes how it isn't the tallest possible cage and then wire cages have their own drawbacks too.

CMB · 05-03-2016, 12:23 PM

If you can get some sheets of flat metal you may be able to bend it or cut it to cover the plastic base. Even if it is just covering the places your hamster chews.

A larger cage might work as there will be more space for a big wheel, house, tunels etc?

A determined escaper may still chew the plastic base on any size cage. If this is the case then a glass tank/Detolf cabinet or something similar may be the best option.

Hammy992 · 05-03-2016, 02:37 PM

My hamster Custard was doing this not long ago, and he has two cages joined by plastic tubing. He had this spot behind his wheel that he would chew the plastic corner and the bars above it as well. The plastic corner is all jarred and has a tiny, tiny hole where the plastic has worn through.
When I did his big cage clean a few days ago I re-arranged some of his toys and put a deeper layer of Carefresh, and he has not done it since. However, because I think his chewing is due to boredom I have ordered the Alexander cage online (its currently on sale at Zooplus uk for around 70 pounds). Hopefully he will have so much to do and space to run in his new cage that he won't go back to the cage chewing.
If getting a new cage isn't an option maybe try swapping his toys around every now and then and give him a container of bathing sand or paper bedding to dig around and burrow in. Toys that contain treats that your ham can work out how to get to might keep him busy for a while too