# I can’t seem to entertain my hamster!



## Laurenbobana (Nov 29, 2020)

This is my first post so apologies if I’m not doing it right!
I’ve had my hamster Carol for a year now, she’s got a huge cage, a wheel, a sand bath, loads of toys and places to hide/ climb, she also comes out of her cage everyday to cuddle/ run around in her ball.
BUT for some reason she still chews the bars, and has problems with her teeth that because she won’t use any of the chews I’ve bought her so I’m really stuck. I’ve spent loads trying to make her happy and she still seems bored - any advice?


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## Tiggers (May 27, 2014)

Please do not use the ball you mention. They are not ethical and no animal should be subjected to one. They are collectively known as Death Balls, and should be banned from sale.


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

I agree with tiggers there. Free roaming is much safer and kinder towards an animal. Just so you understand why here's some of the reasons:
-They have little control over where they are going, and often bash into things
-There is not much space so they get very stressed 
-They cannot find a way out because there is none unless you let them out, so they feel trapped, adding on the stress
-Toes can get stuck in ventilation holes
-Even though there are ventilation holes, there is rarely enough air in the hamster ball 
-Hamsters have poor eyesight, and a hamster ball (even a 'clear' one) makes it much harder for them to see through, so they don't know where they're going and often bash into things.
-No hamster ball is really the correct measurements and can cause back problems because of the arched back they need to have to run. Even dwarfs can have back problems from balls.

So I strongly advise that first of all you switch to free roaming in a safe room where Carol cannot escape and all wires are taken away/anything yo don't want her to chew on/ anything she could get stuck in/ anything that could fall on her are taken out. If there's no suitable rooms, she can free roam in a bathtub. Please supervise all free roaming. But it's a much better option, and could help on the boredom side!

What do you mean by teeth problems? If Carol has teeth problems, they need to be sorted, and I have experiences with teeth problems in a gerbil so I should be able to help if she isn't chewing enough!

Here is a link to my pinterest board for my lone gerbil. You can have a look, there are some fun DIYs that you could do for Carol to stop her getting bored. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/thea_Lanna27/pets/rolo/

You can also give her fresh veggies or fruits to keep her happy! I love making tiny salads for Rolo.

Biting the bars can be a sign of stress (although as you say, it equally could be boredom), so have you got somewhere that Carol can hide away if she feels stressed? I have this coconut hide from Pets at Home for Rolo and she adores it, if you need any ideashttps://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/small-animal-coconut-hideaway-ladder?go_faster_notification=1&istCompanyId=7255ccad-a1fc-4729-af31-478f79e5071c&istFeedId=643142ca-4bc2-459f-88c5-ba9630b42bbb&istItemId=itxmxlxlw&istBid=t#xd_co_f=YTJlMzY4ZDItMjAwYy00YjMyLTg1NDctNjc1MTI3ZDI4ZDE3~ ! It's also a good idea to give a minimum of 6" of bedding because hamsters love to dig. I give Rolo closer to 10-12", because hamsters and gerbils can spend hours digging when they have enough! Just give however much your cage allows if not 6".

I hope this helped you a bit to know what to do. I could talk forever about boredom and how to deal with it, so if you need more tips let me know and I'll help you!

Thea


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Haha, just realised you said in the first post that she has places to hide, which is great. Ignore that little bit that I put there then!

Thea


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## Laurenbobana (Nov 29, 2020)

Hi, I really appreciate your reply and will be making changes to her cage!

I had no idea about the ball, I’ll stop using it thank you!

Her cage is in my room, she comes down stairs to play, she’s in my student house with me and we live on a quiet street. I don’t play music out loud and my housemates don’t make loud noise. The house is really big so she’s away from the sounds of the bathroom and kitchen. She’s in the corner so 2/4 of her surroundings are constant so she doesn’t experience sudden changes in environment. She lives in a super low stress environment and she’s usually out watching me when I’m doing uni work (she responds when I talk to her too)

her teeth - they can overgrow and she gets infections quite often, I’ve changed her bedding to make sure it’s soft (I don’t use wood shavings) and she has wooden things to chew on that don’t splinter. She just won’t chew on them though to make sure her teeth aren’t overgrown and I can’t seem to do anything to make her teethe.

she’s got deep bedding, I modified her cage so she could burrow which she does, she always makes a habit of modifying her bedding to until she’s happy with it, she burrows her food too and most days I’ll hide some around her cage so she can find it. (As I’m typing this she’s messing around either her coconut shell!)

Il start giving her more veg to see if she likes it, I’ve tried getting advice from the vets but they keep telling me things I’m already doing. I’m just stuck as what to do


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Thank you about the ball, most people don't know. I myself actually didn't know when I had my first gerbils, but stopped when I found out!
It sounds like you're doing absolutely the best you can, and she has a great life! Funny with the bar chewing, but it definitely doesn't sound like it's your fault. She may just have gotten into the habit when she was young and carried on? :/ I hope there's a way to fix it though, it's annoying for you. I will be sure to tell you if I think of anything that may help, the cage, area and everything sounds great!


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## Knighterist (Feb 10, 2020)

I have a hamster who has zero interest in chew toys. The only thing that he cares about chewing are whimzees. I recently bought him a whimzee rice bone, much tougher and harder to chew through than a standard whimzee. It may help with the teeth overgrowing problem if she doesn't want to chew anything.
I have also soaked my hammy's wood chews in blueberry water but turns out he isn't so keen on blueberries.
I also put seagrass mats around the areas he used to chew, and he has calmed down and stopped that.


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## Engel98 (Oct 7, 2018)

Out of curiosity, what cage is she in? Can we have a photo of the current set up?


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## Knighterist (Feb 10, 2020)

So somehow my hamster also caught wind of this forum post and started bar chewing and monkey barring last night! Now I am trying to find out what's causing him out to do this out of the blue.
He's also due a cage clean, reckon he's doing this due to he wants housekeeping services or avoiding it? :S
He's been let out lots lately too so maybe he's not "bored" but wants more attention, as he seemed very "hyper" and more active last night in his cage, which was a bit unusual as he generally doesn't come out to do much before I go off to bed. He's always been calm and docile, suddenly he's turned into some ferral monster of some sorts :s


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

hmm. 
what's your cage setup like, knighterist?


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## Knighterist (Feb 10, 2020)

Thea_SRA27 said:


> hmm.
> what's your cage setup like, knighterist?












I ended up cleaning yesterday and he seems to be less hyper now that he's got to re explore the cage. Though I think I need to get him more toys, cage feels like it can do with more toys (he's got chews and tunnels and hides, and a sand bath which he pees in).


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2021)

To anyone who struggles with getting their hamster to gnaw on here is a little hack that can make them gnaw. If you have peanut butter spread some on a chew. Then scrape the peanut butter of with a knife. The smell will still be their and can make your hamster gnaw on the chew because it smells like food!


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Good tip Gerbil356 

knighterist - sorry I completely forgot to reply! That's an awesome cage setup. How's your hamster doing now?


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2021)

I also suggest adding some more bedding. It’s hard to tell how much you have provided but I recommend at least 8 inches. The problem with cages with bars is that they often have very shallow bases and you can’t provide enough bedding. If your hammie is still bored I do recommend getting a larger cage like the Ikea Detolf. It does seem like you are a great owner though and are doing your best to help Carol.


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## Knighterist (Feb 10, 2020)

Thea_SRA27 said:


> Good tip Gerbil356
> 
> knighterist - sorry I completely forgot to reply! That's an awesome cage setup. How's your hamster doing now?


Thank you, he is fine I have come to realise he's just a ghost hamster as I found out from Victoria Raechel recently so turns out he is interested in things but not when human is around.



Gerbil356 said:


> I also suggest adding some more bedding. It's hard to tell how much you have provided but I recommend at least 8 inches. The problem with cages with bars is that they often have very shallow bases and you can't provide enough bedding. If your hammie is still bored I do recommend getting a larger cage like the Ikea Detolf. It does seem like you are a great owner though and are doing your best to help Carol.


That is indeed the problem. I did try to give him a whole was of bedding to build on when I cleaned earlier but he was more complaining that I didn't premade his burrow!


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