Hamster insists on gnawing water bottle

[LoachLover]

From my experience hamsters do that when they're bored.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

u will never stop hamsters biting on the bars of a cage unless u get a glass tank which in my case was great.i have 2 10 gal tanks for my hamsters and a 5 gal for my babys which will be on there way to the pet shop and new homes which ive found for them in 1 week.about the water bottle problem i would get a bowl for it not to deep not to shallow just the right size u think is good for ur hammy.as for the wheel i dont have a wheel for my hamsters and they seem fine with it.i take them out for walks in my garden and put them in there balls for half an hour each day.i would think about getting a small tank for your hamster with plenty of things in it to ammuse him / her. well it worked great for me. ps the hamster lead is great and very cheap.

You should realy, realy get a wheel and a 10gal tank is very small for a hamster- think about it this way, in the wild they can have a 2mile teritorys. Also it is only advised you put a hamster in their exercise balls for a max of 40mins a day as it can hurt their backs.

Hamsters are very intelligent active little creatures and an exercise wheel of suitable size and water bottle is the basics to a hamster cage, they can often get bored so varying their diet, feeding them veg and fruit(not all types though as some as poisonus to them) and buying them toys are important to keeping healthy and happy hamsters. Handling them every day for at least 30mins is also an important factor to keeping them, trust me i know alot about hamsters and have 6 myself(syrian).
Hamsters will always chew on stuff as their teeth are constantly growing unlike ours, which only grow to a certain size and shape before they stop, so providing somthing for them to chew is a must i.e a log/peice of wood.
Also when a hamster exceeds 8months in age you should start feeding them mineral supliments in their water to keep them healthy as old hamsters often get mal-nourished.

 

[mm_simb]

u will never stop hamsters biting on the bars of a cage unless u get a glass tank which in my case was great.i have 2 10 gal tanks for my hamsters and a 5 gal for my babys which will be on there way to the pet shop and new homes which ive found for them in 1 week.about the water bottle problem i would get a bowl for it not to deep not to shallow just the right size u think is good for ur hammy.as for the wheel i dont have a wheel for my hamsters and they seem fine with it.i take them out for walks in my garden and put them in there balls for half an hour each day.i would think about getting a small tank for your hamster with plenty of things in it to ammuse him / her. well it worked great for me. ps the hamster lead is great and very cheap.

Glass tanks are actually not recommended for hamsters because they can easily get a respiratory illness and die from that. It's better for them to have a large cage with lots of tunnels, a wheel, a water bottle, different chew toys, and other things so that it would be able to entertain itself. After keeping hamsters myself, I learned not to have them by my parents room at night. I would just leave them in my room and shut my door. You're just going to have to get use to it. It's just a way for them to entertain themselves.

Sorry, I didn't know TP had already commented on this.

 

[b.c.f.c]

actually u can get hamster cages made by clear seal with wire mashed tops which i and 3 levals, which is wat i have.and as for the wood for them to chew on most woods r poisones for them so its best to get the pet shops advice first.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Pet shop should sell wood for hamsters to chew on or wooden toys, i get mine from my lps- you can also get flavored wood to help incourage them to chew on it

 

[Mr Miagi]

Coulnt u just change the bottle to a ceramic bowl? That should work.

 

[OrkyBetta]

the ceramic bowl idea is a good one, but I tried it, all it did was tip, soak my hamster, the cage, and left one disgruntled, thirsty, wet hammy in its place.

I had an idea thatr branched off of stuff said on this thread, I have a huge sterilite storage box, (maybe the equivalent of a 30 or 40 gallon tank) and it has really high sides so I shouldn't need a lid,

if i filled up the bottom of this with some bedding, a wheel, tunnels, a food dish, and a water bottle, would this work for a cage? I think the one she is in is too small, and boring for a hamster.

 

[Skylar]

Believe me, you will need a lid. Your hamster will somehow find a way to climb out. Also, if you have a dog or a cat or even younger family members, they will try to get to the hamster.

It is alot safer with a lid than without, even if the hamster will only be accessible to you. I highly recommend you get one.

 

[OrkyBetta]

I fixed up my "hamster fortress" last night. I took your advice, and found an old screen in the basement to use as a lid. I'm broke right now, I'll try to accomodate her better later. I took an exact-o-knife and cut some holes in the sides of the box for the water bottle nozzle, (just big enough for the bottle so she can't rattle it anymore) and one to push the back of the wheel through. (it was one of those wheels that you push through the bars.) It works great, all chewing and rattling has stopped, I gave her tons of tunnels and wood to chew on instead, and a lot of nesting materials. She tried gnawing on the bottle, but this proved useless. Thanks all for the help, it is working out great!