# Bar biting and monkey barring



## Knighterist (Feb 10, 2020)

Hi all, I have a Syrian in a 80x50 Alaska cage. Lately he's been biting the bars and climbing them at night when I go to bed. It is really troubling because I let him out and he has fun gathering food and exploring and then he climbs into the jar that I transport him in and he goes back home. He has many chew toys, hides and tunnels, a large wheel, sand bath, his deep end burrow...And yet he's still not content about something! He goes at the water bottle spout then drinks normally, he has seen the water dish and ignores it and still goes after the water spout like his archnemesis.
I am at wits end and cannot afford a glass tank or detolf at the moment. Is there anything that can be done to alleviate his boredom, or at least I think it's boredom? I bought him a few new toys and still he's not entertained!
I have tried to vary and let him free roam in the area around and under his cage and still it's not enough :s


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2021)

Hi, it does sound like your hamster is bored or stressed. It is great you have tried to help him and it sounds like you are a great owner. I know you have said you can’t afford a detolf or glass tank but that is the best solution. It can be frustrating but sometimes hamsters are very hard to please. Based on what I know getting him a larger cage is the best option. It is also fine if he doesn’t drink from a water dish. As long as he is drinking from his bottle, however if you notice he is drinking an unusual amount you might want to take him to the vet, it is fine. If I was in your situation I would just save up and buy a new cage.


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## pinklizzy (Dec 19, 2009)

My syrian did this is his alaska, in the end I had to use the matting similar to what you've already got on the bars so that I could get in a lot more bedding which did seem to help.


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2021)

I have another point actually. You can’t really tell from the photo but it looks like you don’t have much bedding in their. Hamsters need at least 8 inches of bedding as they are burrowing animals. That is why it is best to get tanks or cages without bars.


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## Knighterist (Feb 10, 2020)

Gerbil356 said:


> I have another point actually. You can't really tell from the photo but it looks like you don't have much bedding in their. Hamsters need at least 8 inches of bedding as they are burrowing animals. That is why it is best to get tanks or cages without bars.


That would be great if I have the space or money to do that  it also isn't easy getting hold of one without paying an extra arm and leg for Ikea delivery amidst the lockdown x(. He seemed happy again after I mixed up the layout again...Guess he didn't like the previous layout that much. I've tried to reintroduce the platform so he can pile up bedding under it. He did that last week when he basically raked everything into a corner making a right old mess outside the cage.


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2021)

Knighterist said:


> That would be great if I have the space or money to do that  it also isn't easy getting hold of one without paying an extra arm and leg for Ikea delivery amidst the lockdown x(. He seemed happy again after I mixed up the layout again...Guess he didn't like the previous layout that much. I've tried to reintroduce the platform so he can pile up bedding under it. He did that last week when he basically raked everything into a corner making a right old mess outside the cage.


I totally undertand. I was going to get a detolf for my gerbil because she has been depressed ever since he sister sadly passed. But the delivery cost was nearly as much as the detolf. In the end I got a plastic storage bin and converted it to a cage. This is a great low budget cage upgrade however it can be hard to find one of the right size. It seems like you are doing everything you can which is great and mixing the layout is a good way to give the hammie something to do.


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## Knighterist (Feb 10, 2020)

Gerbil356 said:


> I totally undertand. I was going to get a detolf for my gerbil because she has been depressed ever since he sister sadly passed. But the delivery cost was nearly as much as the detolf. In the end I got a plastic storage bin and converted it to a cage. This is a great low budget cage upgrade however it can be hard to find one of the right size. It seems like you are doing everything you can which is great and mixing the layout is a good way to give the hammie something to do.


Thank you 
Yes precisely why I hate Ikea is that delivery can cost as much as the item itself, which is simply a rip off! I think I'll try to lure hammy out to play pen then add a load more bedding in.
He hasn't been using his 28cm wheel recently. I swapped out the wooden one for the plastic one because he started chewing the base and storing food on it and then peeing on it so I had to clean it and let it dry properly. I mean the wheels are the same size, maybe he got class so plastic just doesn't cut it...I don't know :s


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## hamsterlover123 (Mar 20, 2021)

Hello!
I recommend you do bin cages! 
They have well-priced ones at most hardware/department stores.
It should run you at most 40 euros/40 dollars altogether on average. (for 20 gallons with mesh wire normally.
(but hamsters need more than 20 gallons but it does not cost that much extra! )


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2021)

Hi hamsterlover123 welcome to the Pet Forums Community. Bin cages are good but I have never found a large enough one for hamsters. I recommend them for gerbils but unless you have a large enough one they can be quite small for hamsters. I have seen people get 2 large bin cages and somehow attach them and cut of the side of one bin so the hamster has a massive cage.


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2021)

I recently found this, it is a very large play pen that can be used for a hamster cage-I will leave the link. You would have to put something the sides so you can fill it with bedding because it is one of those ones you build yourself out if separate pieces and there are gaps between each panel. It is really cheap as well because it is not designed to be a cage. I am not 100% sure but if I added the measurements correctly it is actually larger than the ikea detolf.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SONGMICS-Exercise-Enclosure-Adjustable-LPC002G01/dp/B086W4F7XH/ref=sr_1_5?adgrpid=56055947274&dchild=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4oD1mtKe7wIVjZntCh2FXQYWEAAYASAAEgKJO_D_BwE&hvadid=259099511198&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9046066&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17630545678313207428&hvtargid=kwd-185244949&hydadcr=18512_1754528&keywords=guinea+pig+cage&qid=1615135945&sr=8-5&th=1


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## hamsterlover123 (Mar 20, 2021)

Gerbil356 said:


> Hi hamsterlover123 welcome to the Pet Forums Community. Bin cages are good but I have never found a large enough one for hamsters. I recommend them for gerbils but unless you have a large enough one they can be quite small for hamsters. I have seen people get 2 large bin cages and somehow attach them and cut of the side of one bin so the hamster has a massive cage.


You might be able to find some at Home Depot


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2021)

hamsterlover123 said:


> You might be able to find some at Home Depot


Oh are you in the US? Yes, there might be larger ones in America but the largest one I have found in the UK is 160 litres which doesn't have enough floorspace.


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## Knighterist (Feb 10, 2020)

Hey me again, problem starting to pop up again with my ham. He is displeased about something he wasn't even interested in the food so definitely very displeased this time. I am thinking if I get sheets of acrylic and make a box held together with silicone glue would that be ok? I couldn't find a storage box that I would accept as a good size for my hamster so if I can customise the size that would be a good option.

Edit: nvm diy option with acrylic panes! (£30 per pane of acrylic!!!!) Found a hutch style one that is much bigger than my current one at a good price so that will be my intermediate solution...More expensive than Detolf but I am happy to make that plunge for this medium long term investment where Ikea is inaccessible! The time has come!


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## Knighterist (Feb 10, 2020)

Update: I got a pawhut off another hamster owner in my town. Now just waiting for some plastickote!
Alaska sitting beneath for size comparison...This should make him happy for a little while 

Any suggestions on layouts? The wheel defo need to sit in the front due to the size of it. I already chucked in a burrow box too!

Update: did paint some plastickote and now he's all moved in and ready to burrow away


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