Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: End attention-seeking gnawing
• Method 2 of 3: Limit tooth growth
• Method 3 of 3: Stop gnawing pleasure
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Hamsters (and many other pets) chew their cages for a variety of reasons. The most common reasons for chewing the cage are attention-seeking behavior, limiting tooth growth, and the simple pleasure of gnawing. In addition to being quite disruptive when a hamster gnaws its bars in your room, gnawing bars can also lead to broken teeth and other painful injuries to the mouth. Understanding why your hamster is chewing its bars is the first step to reversing the unwanted behavior.

To step

Method 1 of 3: End attention-seeking gnawing

1. Let your hamster play more. Let him roam around you, on your bed, or in an area that is safe from hamsters. Exercise can help take away the boredom your hamster may be feeling.
   • A hamster ball is an excellent way to exercise your hamster every day, while also protecting it from potential household hazards. To be on the safe side, keep an eye on your hamster when he's in his ball. To avoid overheating, never let your hamster roam its ball in direct sunlight, and limit time in the ball to 15 minute periods.
   • Make sure the place where your hamster will play is safe for him. Remove any electrical wiring so that he cannot chew on it. Use an enclosed area, either a small room that you can close the door or by placing “walls” around your hamster's play area.
   • If you are concerned about your hamster doing something he shouldn't, consider using a hamster ball. This allows your pet to roam freely, while still being safely protected against potential dangers in your home.
   • Consider giving your hamster a hamster wheel. Hamster wheels are a great way to get hamsters to exercise and burn energy. Do not choose a hamster wheel with bars, they can injure your hamster.
2. Spend some time together. Hamsters are very social animals and need time with their humans on a regular basis. Giving your hamster personal attention, such as holding it outside of its cage or on your lap, is important to its social well-being and can be a factor in avoiding attention-grabbing behavior.
   • Use a shovel or small box that you hold in front of your hamster to take it out of its enclosure. Reaching into the cage with your hand can give your hamster the feeling that its space is being invaded.
   • Let your hamster crawl over you while you lie on the floor. Hamsters love to explore, and once your hamster has learned to trust you, it will want to climb on and over you.
3. Let your hamster sleep during the day. Hamsters are nocturnal, which means they will sleep during the day and be active at night. Waking your hamster during the day, be it to play with him or to clean his cage, can make him irritated. Disrupting its natural sleep rhythm can also lead to other unwanted behaviors.
4. Give your hamster a larger cage. Your hamster may be bored in its environment and long for more space to play in its cage. If so, your pet will be happy with a larger cage.
   • As a general rule, a dwarf hamster needs at least 0.03 m3 of space. For every extra hamster in the cage you need at least 0.01 m3 extra space.

Method 2 of 3: Limit tooth growth

1. Give your hamster wood to gnaw on. Hamster teeth continue to grow throughout their lives. If your hamster doesn't have a chew toy, his constant chewing may not be an attention-grabbing behavior.
   • Hamsters need to gnaw every day to keep their teeth from growing too long, which can cause a lot of pain and possible damage to your pet.
   • Untreated, unpainted and oil-free wood is the best choice for chew toys. Do not use wood found outside, as this wood has not been fully researched and may contain harmful parasites or has been treated with pesticides.
   • Wood from an apple tree or pear tree is ideal because these woods do not contain harmful oils and therefore pose less of a risk to respiratory or intestinal health.
   • Never give your hamster pine or cedar wood to gnaw on. The oils in these woods can be toxic to your hamster.
2. Try giving your hamster dog treats. A hard biscuit can make an excellent alternative chewing toy for hamsters.
   • Give hamsters a hard treat such as a dog biscuit about once a week.
   • Make sure the dog treats you give your hamster don't contain garlic. Garlic is known to cause intestinal problems in hamsters.
3. Give your hamster cardboard. The cardboard tube from a toilet paper or kitchen paper roll is an excellent chew for hamsters, and has the added advantage of providing your hamster with a pleasant hiding place.
   • Cut a small hole in the tube before giving it to your hamster. That helps him see the possibilities in the tube, and can inspire him to gnaw more holes.
4. Take your hamster to the vet. A vet can trim your hamster's teeth to a manageable length, which may be necessary if your hamster is not responding to chew toys.
   • Getting a vet to trim your hamster's teeth is quick and won't hurt your hamster.
   • Do not attempt to trim your hamster's teeth yourself unless your vet has approved and instructed you appropriately.

Method 3 of 3: Stop gnawing pleasure

1. Try a different cage. If your hamster continues to chew on the bars of its cage and you have ruled out its teeth being the cause, consider keeping it in a glass container instead of a traditional cage.
   • Some hamster owners find a glass enclosure easier to clean than a metal or plastic cage, and it is also less likely to need to be repaired or replaced.
2. Give him alternatives. If your hamster isn't interested in using his wooden toys, try rubbing a carrot or apple on the wood. If he still doesn't respond well to his wooden toys, give him hard nuts to gnaw on.
3. Consider a gnawing repellent. If all else has failed and you can't move your hamster to a glass container, consider using a repellent spray on the bars of your hamster's cage. Repellent sprays use a bitter-tasting liquid, such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, to make the surface of the bars unappealing to your hamster. These products are often used successfully with other pet gnawing bars, such as ferrets, and can also work with your stubborn hamster as a last resort.
   • Never spray it on the bars while your hamster is still in its cage as you will inadvertently spray your hamster, which is not nice.
   • Always remove your hamster from its cage before spraying the bars, and make sure the spray has dried before putting it back.

Tips

• The most common reason hamsters chew on bars is boredom. To keep your hamster busy, make sure he has plenty of toys, a large cage and playtime every day.
• If you're not sure if your hamster is gnawing on its bars, look for spots on the bars where the paint has gone. If there is no paint on the bars, look for deformed or scratched metal bars.
• Do not wake your hamster when it is sleeping. It increases the risk that he will become aggressive or bite.
• Spend time alone with your hamster every day and be calm and calm with him. When he is sleeping, put a towel or sheet over his cage so he can rest.
• Do not squeeze, throw, swing, or twist your hamster into its ball. This makes him dizzy and can seriously injure him, including brain damage.
• Be careful of dangerous things in the house when your hamster is roaming around. He can try to eat those things, which can cause injury, illness, or even death.
• Do not let small children hold the hamster. An adult should always hold the hamster and let the children pet the hamster under strict supervision.

Warnings

• Always watch out for hamsters when you let them out to play.
• Keep hamsters away from electrical wiring.
• Remove sharp objects and small pieces of plastic that hamsters can eat.
• It can be dangerous for your hamster to gnaw on the bars. Check the bars every day.

Necessities

• Carton boxes
• Empty kitchen paper rolls
• Hamster treats
• Lots of paper to wade through and tear up
• Gnawing toys / branches of the apple tree