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Hamster Biting Cage?

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  • 29-11-2004 1:02am
    #1
    Oriel
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,154 ✭✭✭


    Hiya folks,
    I've had a (female) hamster for exactly a month now.
    In the past 2 weeks, she's been biting at her cage a lot.
    Is this like a form of human "teething" or is it really trying to get out?
    (She was about 6 weeks old when I got her I think)

    Ta,
    S.


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    #2
    Sir Digby Chicken Caesar
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,556 ✭✭✭✭Sir Digby Chicken Caesar


    well, when I had gerbils.. they did this all the time, day and night.. week after week.


    good luck with the hamster :)


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    #3
    Bass.exe
    Closed Accounts Posts: 270 ✭✭Bass.exe


    It's to wear down the teeth. Rodent teeth continue to grow throughout their life. They chew hard things (like a nice cage wall) to wear away the excess tooth.


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    #4
    Oriel
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,154 ✭✭✭Oriel


    Phew,
    Thank god for that. I just thought she hated me or something!
    I posted on here a while ago about getting a hamster, so had one a month.
    Will post the picuteres soon...

    S.


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    #5
    Blub2k4
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,733 ✭✭✭Blub2k4


    Buy some wooden chews in the pet shop.


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    #6
    Nala
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,959 ✭✭✭Nala


    My hamster did that too. I gave him a couple of branches from my apple tree (fruit trees are generally non-toxic) and he didn't chew the cage quite so much.


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    #7
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,295 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Buy a lock for the cage. Those latches don't always work. My hamster had a habit of undoing the latch, and running amock. Often my dad would come downstarirs @ 6am (for work), only to find the hamster running around! The crafty little thing pushed his "house" beneath the door, and pushed it open. Funny animals they are :)


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    #8
    FranknFurter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,215 ✭✭✭FranknFurter


    While it is true that rodents teeth continually grow and they chew to wear them down, after years of seeing this I am convinced there is more to it when it comes to hamsters and gerbils.

    Even when you provide them preferred gnawing substances, even if they use them, they usually still chew the cage bars.

    I think its an instinctive obsession, they know they dont wanna be locked up and instinct tells them they can chew their way out.
    Hamsters particularly can become extremely obsessive compulsive.

    What I did was, I changed from wire cages to aquariums, old aquariums are ideal as long as they are ventilated, but that is easy as most are too high for a hamster to climb as long as u dont put any huge climbing toys in (hamsters should not climb, including cage bars, they have a habit of hanging upside-down and dropping on their backs, I have seen lots of broken spines from this behaviour.

    You can often pick up old or leaky aquariums from pet shops or buy and sell for little or nothing, I often found them for 10-20 quid.


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    #9
    dudara
    Registered Users Posts: 33,519 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    Mine do it continuously as well, despite having lots of other things to chew. Toothy little things, so they are!


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    #10
    Tiriel
    Registered Users Posts: 6,182 ✭✭✭Tiriel


    my mouse used to spend most of his time nibbling his cage, had no interst in wood blocks or anything else! had a gerbil before that ate his way through his plastic stairs, and bed area which was up a storey.. (know what I mean?) he ate anything that went into his cage! except his wheel for some odd reason.. guess he knew he'd need the exercise :D


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    #11
    Our man in Havana
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,476 ✭✭✭✭Our man in Havana


    All rodents will chew especially hamster/mice/gerbils - even all fancy wooden toys fresh braches wheels they will chew the bars to a certain degree - Hamsters in bedrooms can be noisey! not good for kids rooms. They are very adept at escaping! I have some hams that will climb up their cage door & shake it till it pops open! Smart little tykes so they are!


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