chewing on cage

Question
I have little over 1 year old black bear hamster. He started chewing on cage when I babysat for another baby hamster for a friend. After the other hamster left he is still chewing on cage all nite long not running on wheel.

Answer
Hi Carolyn

Some hamsters do tend to chew their bars more than others.  Sometimes it is out of habit, other times, out of boredom or lack of things to chew.  I have had hamsters who have made their noses very sore with all the chewing.  Their teeth grow continually and therefore it is important to give them plenty of things to chew.

What other things does your hamster have to chew?  Wooden chews/toys or coconut shells are good. Also, you can buy some items called 'snack shak' which are houses/toys that are edible.  There should be some hard biscuits included in his hamster mix - if not, you can always give dog biscuits, or the hamster treats that are stuck on sticks that they have to gnaw at to get the food off.

In terms of not wanting to run in his wheel - have you got an exercise ball for him?  If not, this might be a good investment.  I always advise that you tape over any joins/doors in the ball otherwise they do have a habit of opening if they are banged into furniture.  Most hamsters love these - they can explore the home in the safety of the ball.  I suggest putting him in it for about 10-20 minutes at a time, but keep a close watch as they can get stuck under furniture etc.  This might give him some more exercise if he has decided not to run in his wheel.

I think it is perhaps a case of experimenting to see if you can snap him out of this behavior.  I wouldn't worry too much about it, as this is pretty normal, but it would be much better if he didn't continually do this as he does run the risk of hurting his nose, or breaking a tooth.

I hope you get on OK with this.
regards