Abstract
Hamsters are lively and cute and take up less space and time for their owners, so they are loved by all pet lovers. However, hamsters also have a painful habit of chewing on hamster cages. This is especially true of the daytime and nighttime. So why hamsters chewing on cages and how to stop hamsters from chewing on cages, I would like to share with you what I know!
Hazards of Hamster Biting Cage
- The iron hamster cage painted on the top of the paint is toxic.
- Iron wire is very hard, long-term bite will lead to crooked teeth affecting eating.
- Although rare, some hamsters may break the wire and chew it off. The pieces are more harmful to the hamster when eaten.
- Long-term chewing on the hamster cage will also wear the hair above the hamster’s nose bald. Not serious can grow back, serious cases may not grow back for life.
- Harmful to people – noisy, annoying to hear, you will want to lose your temper with the hamster after a long time. You will also think how the hamster is not well behaved at all. But really don’t blame it, and don’t scare it by blowing on its head. You need to know that hamsters are not as intelligent as dogs and cats, they just live by instinct. Find the reason after using some gentle methods to improve it.
Why is My Hamster Chewing on His Cage
Some of the reasons why hamsters chew on their cages are the need to grind their teeth, nervousness about their new environment, too much stress, bad hamster habits, etc. Knowing why does my hamster chew on his cage is the first point in curbing this bad habit.
Condition 1: Need to Grind Teeth
Hamsters are rodents with a pair of upper and lower incisors. And the hamster’s incisors have no roots and are constantly growing, so they must wear out. Hamster grinding is purely a physiological need. So hamster chewing on cage. In this case, you have to check yourself carefully, whether you have prepared enough teeth grinding equipment for the hamster.
Condition 2: Not Adapting to The New Environment
Hamsters are strong but timid and vulnerable. So when a hamster arrives in a new environment, it will have an adjustment time and may have a stress reaction. And hamsters chewing on their cage is a sign of their nervousness. They may release it by crawling and chewing in various ways. As an owner, you should first find out if you have made any mistakes, such as whether the hamster cage is placed in a place that is too bright, too noisy, and so on, which is not conducive to the hamster’s rest.
Condition 3: Feel Bored
Hamsters live in cramped spaces, which leads to increased stress. Biting a small hamster cage is a way of releasing stress.
Condition 4: Hamsters are Deficient in Certain Trace Elements
If you don’t give your hamster enough micronutrients in its rat food, then the hamster may be deficient in them. Thus going on to chew the hamster cage.
Condition 4: Bad Habits of Hamsters
This is a relatively rare occurrence but may exist. It is also possible that hamster chewing on cages is the result of bad habits brought on by previous breeding conditions. If the paint on the hamster cage is swallowed it will be bad for your health. It can also cause the facial hair to fall out.
Condition 5: Seeking Your Attention
It may be that the mouse wants you to play with it. Occasional biting of the cage is less cause for concern, but if repeatedly biting for a long time, then still need to pay attention.
How to Stop Hamster From Chewing on Cage
You can keep your hamster cage from getting too chewy by using these simple tricks.
Solution 1: Provide Teething Food or Teething Stick
In the first case, there is a relatively simple solution for hamsters that chew their cage due to the need to grind their teeth. This is less likely to happen if you have special teething food or teething stick, or if you feed a branded hamster staple food. You can keep some of these on hand for their teething needs.
Hamsters can use carrots, apples, cucumbers, a small amount of peanut butter, and other scented items on their teething supplies to guide the teething process if they don’t use teething supplies. Alternatively, you can use dog teething biscuits, but they should not contain ingredients such as garlic or onions.
Solution 2: Change of Environment
The big hamster cage should not be placed in a place that is too bright or noisy when the hamster arrives in a new environment. This is not conducive to their rest. Owners can have more contact with their hamsters to help them get through this adjustment period quickly. If you don’t have much free time, you can find a shirt to cover the cage to ease the mood.
Solution 3: Prepare Some Toys
Hamsters can get very bored in a small space. If conditions allow you can give an upgrade to the living environment. For example, change a large hamster cage or add some toys to distract them from the physical stress. Putting a running wheel or lookout is good. Hamsters will shift the object of venting to play with a running wheel. Of course, it is recommended that you put on a quiet running wheel, otherwise the noise level is not worse than chewing the cage.
Solution 4: Correcting Bad Habits
Bite the hamster cage this bad habit can not be spoiled, have to be educated, otherwise, the cage image damage is small. If knocked down paint chips swallowed in the stomach that would be a big deal. General education hamster to correct bad behavior is to catch the current. Then gently hit the head of the mouse, so that he understands that such behavior is not good. After a few more times, the hamster will be able to understand.
Solution 5: Apply Lemon Juice to The Hamster Cage
If you have tried everything, and you really can’t do anything, try applying some lemon juice to the area where the rat is biting. Because the hamster does not like the taste, so will gradually stop biting the hamster cage. But this method treats the symptoms but not the root cause, so it is recommended that we first find the cause, there is no other way to use this method.
Solution 6: Replace Hamster Cage
There is another way is to directly change the hamster cage. Acrylic and other rodent hamster cages without wire mesh structures are also considered a cure for the symptoms.
Final Thought
90% of hamsters bite the cage because the cage is too small. The hamster cage should be as spacious as possible. The size of the cage is based on the bottom area, and the multi-layer structure is not included. But the question of cage size is still a matter of opinion. On the premise that the minimum standards are met, I personally feel that the requirements for the cage size of each mouse are also very different.
The principle is, of course, that the larger the cage is, the better it is, but it is indeed impossible to provide an infinite activity area for the mice due to objective conditions. If you can’t change to a large hamster cage, you can consider replacing the cage with a space where mice are less able to bite, such as a sorting box, a glass tank, or a pet climbing box.
The above is why is my hamster chewing on his cage and how to stop hamster from chewing on cage. Hope that solves the troubles you are facing right now.