Is your hamster gnawing on its cage at all hours of the day and night? It is important to determine the cause of your hamster's behavior before you can correct it. Your hamster may be gnawing on its cage because of boredom, stress, hunger or because it needs exercise.
Cage gnawing can be a destructive behavior indicating his desire to escape, or it can be a positive behavior if he is trying to relieve stress or have fun. Let's see how to make the right diagnosis.
Possible causes
Boredom
Hamsters are naturally curious and playful animals: they love to explore their environment and scratch surfaces to dig up food. So if your hamster does not feel comfortable in its cage or if he doesn't have enough objects to play with and explore, if he gets bored or frustrated, he may reflexively bite his cage to make an escape attempt!
Stress
Your hamster can also gnaw on his cage to unload his fear or face anxiety. Its stress can be caused by many factors, such as lack of space, noise, changes in the environment or the presence of other animals nearby.
The hunger
What if your companion is simply hungry? Is he eating properly with a food What is the best way to get the right amount of food? So many questions to ask before considering any other factor.
The need for exercise
Hamsters are very active animals that need space to exercise. If your hamster is confined to a cage that is too small, if it feels cramped, then it may start to gnaw on the bars of its cage in an attempt to escape.
Possible consequences
Cage gnawing is a common behavior in hamsters, which consists of chewing on the bars of their cage or gnawing on other objects they find in the cage.
It can have many negative consequences for hamsters: by gnawing on the bars of their cage, they can injure their teeth or gums, or they can also swallow wood splinters that could cause intestinal problems.
It goes without saying that untimely gnawing can damage the objects in the cage, which can be expensive to replace in the long run.
How to prevent a hamster from gnawing its cage?
It all depends on the diagnosis you have made among the 4 possible causes explained above!
Your hamster is bored
The most obvious solution to the problem is to give him a larger cage and provide him with toys and objects to help him play and keep himself busy.
If you can't give your hamster a larger cage because of space limitations, for example, try giving him more time outside his cage to play and explore. You can also put toys in his cage to help him have fun, like wheels or balls.
Your hamster is hungry
Feed him properly! Give him a hamster food and in quantity. Hamsters need a balanced and nutritious diet to stay healthy. It is important to provide them with healthy food and clean water on a regular basis.
Your hamster is stressed
Hamsters need a safe and comfortable place to feel secure. They need to have a cosy nest where they can rest and hide. Identify the source of stress (heat? excessive light? noise from children? presence of an animal?) and modify this parameter.
Your hamster needs to run
Let him out from time to time, in a closed room, so that you can catch him and not expose him unnecessarily to external dangers such as other animals. If you don't have time for that, change him to a bigger or higher cage, which will allow you to offer him some new activities. games and toys that play on the height of your cage.
To summarize, you must first make the right diagnosis in order to solve the problem of gnawing of your hamster's cage. If none of the above reasons seem to be valid, the cage gnawing behavior may be caused by a disease, your little friend may be gnawing on the bars of his cage to try to relieve himself. In this case, don't hesitate to consult a veterinarian.