Gnawing leading to sore

Question
We have a Syrian hamster - a very lively little thing. She loves gnawing on the bars of the cage, almost making a show of it - jumping up while clinging onto the bars with her teeth. The biting is so energetic that she has worn a patch of fur off her head and developed a small sore where the head makes contact with the bars. We have provided a stick to chew on but this doesn't seem to interest her. We're worried that this sore might get worse (become infected etc). Do you think she will stop once the biting starts becoming uncomfortable? Could you advise? Thanks.

Answer
Hi,

Bar chewing can be good if the hamster doesn't do it too much but in your case if the nose starts to become sore then you'll need to stop your hamster from doing this. Many hamsters don't like the pet store chews. Try giving your hamster some hard dog biscuits containing no garlic. If that doesn't work then I'd suggest moving your hamster to a tank/tub so they can't chew the bars.

Deborah
http://www.hamster-heaven.co.uk