Hamster Help Please!

[Jessica13]

I need some help before i kill Esmarelda

She has a really nice big cage with TWO wheels, a tube thing going outside the cage, nice bed and bedding, things to chew on, lots of food (hamster stuff and fruit/veg everyday) and she's still not happy. Every night after she's been out in her ball for half an hour, she goes back in her cage and immediately starts chewing the bars on the cage door. She is driving me nuts. She scrapes her teeth on the metal and it makes the most unpleasant noise. Im going to kill her!

Why is she doing it?! She used to do it in the cage i got with her and someone said it was cos the cage was too small so i spent a lot of money on a beautiful new cage for her and she's still not happy!!!

WHY?!

 

[mandy82]

My hamster used to do that too, even though I had wooden blocks for him to chew on. Everyone I know that has or had a hamster have/had issues with it chewing on things that they weren't suppose to. I think it's just in their nature.

Do you give her whole carrots?

 

[OohFeeshy]

Mine used to do it, cept in the cages without many bars I've used this before, it seemed to work OK. Its a very bitter liquid, which is why I urge you to wash your hands several times after if you use it

EDIT- I couldn't find the exact product but this seems near enough. http/www.seapets.co.uk/product-details/s...tegory/644.html

 

[zelandonia]

It sounds like you've provided her with all the right stuff. I think that she's still chewing the bars because it's a habit now. If she grew up in a smaller cage with not as many toys and she started chewing bars for entertainment then she probably finds it quite rewarding now and it might be very difficult to change this behaviour. When I got my hammie he was 17 months old and I expected him to chew on the bars but thankfully I've never seen him do it. He has toys but not as many as you've given Esmerelda. I just think some get into the habit and some don't. Maybe just try putting her cage elsewhere at night so you can get some sleep.

z.

 

[Jessica13]

Thanks for the replies.

Esmarelda gets all sorts of veg to chew, including carrots. She does chew and eat those but still insists on chewing the bars for hours on end

She was only in the small cage for about 2 weeks but had been in it in the shop (bought it as a set lol) but she was only about 6 weeks old when i bought her so she cant have been in it that long so wouldn't have thought it would become a habit I did look into an all plastic cage as that would stop the problem but i dont like the idea of having her completely enclosed like that, it seems cruel

Someone on another forum i asked about this on said that its cos she wants to come back out of the cage - I wouldn't have thought hamsters were that intelligent?! And i cant have her out all the time

I will have a look for some of that bitter stuff. I used some on my parrot with a plucking problem

 

[wwestar2000]

I heard about putting something unpleasent on the bars would work. Maybe a spray of lemon juice will do the trick?

 

[WILDER]

My children hamsters would do it as well, i had to let them out of the cage, but they were to distructive, but fun, there little devils.

 

[black angel]

Hamsters in the wild wander for around 5 miles each night so its bred into them to want to constantly want to be on the go. Your hamster knows it can wander around and explore outside the bars so is trying to get out again. Is there a wheel to play in? I think the only thing you can do is get a cage with no bars.

 

[liz2]

I sometimes wake up at night and I can hear my hamsters wheel going. I usually let her in her plastic rolling ball when I am getting ready for bed, I hold it near her door and she dives in it. I have had noisier hamsters but it is my rehomed budgie who is the worst. She sits and pings the bars early in the morning. I think it is a boredom habit and as such you cant really break it.

If you put stuff on the hamsters bars she might get it in her eyes. Cant you just put her somewhere where you cant hear her chewing the bars, I would imagine the noise she makes is a comfort to her now. I dont think I would try to stop her.

 

[betta_fish]

Hamsters chew bars when they are either bored, want to get your attention, or have to small of a cage.

What are the cage dimensions? Hamsters can break habits easy if they want to. she may just want to spend more time with you.

You can put lemon juice or bitter apple spray (for dogs) on the bars the don't like the taste

 

[Jessica13]

The cage is fairly big. Its probably about 3ft or so wide and 2ft high - she has more than enough room She has all the things to play with and chew that she could want - and she comes out for a couple of hours everyday!

I've moved her into the spare bedroom and am locking the door so the dogs cant get her! Im finally getting more than 4 hours sleep at night she's still chewing the bars though.

 

[Bloo]

Hamsters can break habits easy if they want to.

A hamster would never want to break a habit. They just don't think and function like that. Habits like that are extremely hard to break or remedy.

Jess, some hamsters I've had (like Esmarelda) just turn into loons when the bite the cage N-O-N stop - so much so the corners of their mouths bled

I actually found the more I took them out, the more they wanted out. So yes, the other forum was absolutely right. So it's a bit of a catch 22 I know

I was lucky enough to have a very large spare room in the basement of the house and for these hamsters I built large open pens approx 4ft x 3ft runs. They had plenty of space to run and had no bars to bite, so my problem was solved. In reality most people can't do this I know.
Do you have anyone handy at DIY ? You construct a 3 sided solid and one side (partial) fine mesh. Solid bottom and sliding top with latch to secure.
Glass tanks really aren't ideal as it allows so very little aeration.

How is she doing these days ?

Edit: I see we posted almost the same time and your problem is now solved in a roundabout way. Just make sure she doesn't damage her mouth

 

[Jessica13]

Esmarelda has made her mouth bleed She also has a little bald patch on her nose where the bars rub on it

Im fairly sure i couldn't make that thing (no good at DIY) and i dont really know anyone who could, maybe my dad... But im worried the dogs would get into it...

I really think the problem is that she wants to be out all the time - whenever any of us go near the cage she runs up to the edge of the cage and sits up on her back legs Even if she's asleep she seems to hear us and come running! I just cant have her out much more than she is already though as the birds need to be out and they would try to kill her Its annoying

Im deifnately looking into a completely plastic cage but lacking funds again now after buiying books for uni Nightmare!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

From my experience, some hamsters will chew on cage bars regardless of the amount of things they have in the cage to keep them occupied with or how large the cage is, as far as i know its "natural" behavior for domesticated hamsters...
But you also have to take into consideration they are very intelligent little rodents, i think they may do it just to keep themselves sane somtimes as when you consider that in wild they can have up to 2miles territory, been stuck stuck in a cage for the large part of their lives must be incredibly mind-numbing. I think it would be best if you just let the hamster chew !

 

[Bloo]

Esmarelda has made her mouth bleed She also has a little bald patch on her nose where the bars rub on it

That's a shame, but from her behaviour you described, I guessed she was heading that way.
If you can't DIY a suitable home, then your next best option would really be a plastic habitat trail thingy. Personally I don't like those things as they get incredibly dirty with all the moisture trapped and hair that gets caked into it, but it's still better than having a bleeding mouth.
Or what about looking into a type of reptile cage - they often have solid sides and a fine mesh panel ?

Some hamsters really are very intelligent and Esmarelda sounds like one of them !