Xena female syrian

[Tnoz]

Good afternoon hope your all keeping well. New to site. I was wondering if anyone else has issues with their fur babies chewing top of cage late at night keeping you awake? I have her in a glass bottom enclosure with wooden wheel, wooden chews, hides, tunnels etc. She is in my bedroom at present. Thanks in advance

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome So is it a wood and mesh roof on top of her glass enclosure she's chewing at? Is this a female syrian hamster by any chance? They are notorious for being very active and needing a lot of space! Or is it a female dwarf hamster?

A few things can help generally and that is a) lots of deep bedding b) lots of enrichment in the cage (which it sounds like you already have), and c) enough space. But for some hamsters, no amount of space is big enough!

It sounds like she is trying to get out. Does she get much out of cage time usually?

 

[Tnoz]

Hello, thank you for your reply. The cage top is bars no wood. She has two levels. She does come out and I handle her regular every night. She seems to store any food I'm a corner , prefers to be hand fed which I like. She is very tame. Sweet girl. I've shredded tissue, shavings, wooden hides two sizes, large wheel, she loves fruit as a treat. She is a syrian. I've a large floor area which I sit in with her.

 

[Maz]

Aw she sounds lovely Do you have a photo of her? So she is bar chewing the roof basically. Do you have a photo of her set up - we might be able to offer some tips?

 

[Tnoz]

I don't have any pics on this phone but I will get some. She's due to be cleaned out this evening.

 

[Tnoz]

The roof yes hanging off it lol

 

[Maz]

I have an image I had one quite maverick male syrian who used to only chew at the bars when he saw me, when it was his time to come out. He liked to be out every night. He didn't do it at night or when no one was around.

 

[Maz]

I don't have any pics on this phone but I will get some. She's due to be cleaned out this evening.

You can upload photos direct from a phone by clicking on "attach files" at the bottom of your post - no need to resize them or anything. If they're on something else, eg computer, it's the same thing. Just use the upload files button and select the one you want

 

[Tnoz]

Pictures of cage and Xena

 

[Maz]

She's lovely And definitely seems keen on getting out! Were you on here before the forum closed and re-opened? I thought I recognised the cage If so I can reconnect your old posts with your account. If not - then just a coincidence!

Ok so it's a very nice cage but I think it could be that it's a bit small for her as it has more height than floor space. It has a lovely glass base but maybe just not enough for her at floor level, as they like to dig and burrow and roam at floor level.

It's really annoying if a pet shop sells us a cage and it turns out a different one would have been better. Or we just get one and then find a different one might have been better. That happened to me with my first cage and I'm sure it's happened to others too.

Are you in the Uk? There are other cages available with more width and depth and less height. They tend not to climb or hang from the bars if there's enough floorspace. You could possibly sell the current cage to help fund a different one? It looks like a cage that might be good for mice.

She has lots of nice things in there - but she maybe feels a bit cooped up. Also I wondered if her wheel might be a bit small? It's hard to tell what size it is from the photo. If the wheel is a bit small they find it uncomfortable to run or don't use it and that can also give them a lot of pent up energy which doesn't get burned off.

 

[Tnoz]

Thank you very much for all your fab advise that has really helped. Didn't realise that height is not really important but length is of cage. I'm in the uk yes. I've seen a 120 cage somewhere that's lower. Would that be more suitable for her. I love her to bits and just wanna make sure she's happy and comfortable. She has been out this evening. I only put her in holding whilst I was busy. The wheel is bigger than some I've seen. She uses it alot when she comes awake.

 

[Maz]

I think a 120 cage would be brilliant for her Or even bigger if you have space! Some people make diy cages out of Ikea Platsa wardbrobe frames - you tip it on its back. But then you need to make a lid for it out of wood and mesh, so it depends if you're into diy or not! It can work out quite cheap. A platsa wardrobe frame is only £40 and then you just need wood and mesh to make the lid.

Was it the Savic Plaza 120 you were looking at? There's also the Aura 120 which has perspex for deeper bedding. They're not cheap, but less expensive than some of the tank style cages like the Bucatstate ones. I've used both of those. I actually preferred using the Plaza 120 and found it a bit easier to manage due to the front door not being as high up. But - that limits it to about 8" of bedding and still fitting a wheel in - which is ok actually - but then you'd need bedding panels to keep the 8" of bedding in! You could use cardboard or grass mats tied to the bars, but she might chew cardboard off Or you can buy perspex panels to fit the cage, but that basically doubles the price of the cage. Whereas the Aura 120 already holds 10"of bedding.

However with the Aura you really do need to use 10" of bedding, or the cage is too tall to be safe with less bedding.

Too much height can be an issue as hamsters climb but they're not very good at getting down again and tend to just drop and can hurt themselves. So the top of the cage wants to be no higher than 35cm above the top of the bedding really.

 

[Socks' Mum]

There is the Savic Plaza 100 (100cm x 50cm) for about £80 new or less for a second hand one which can be fitted out with perspex panels by a company called Viking Lazer. The panels stop climbing and also allow for really deep bedding. You can buy one or two panels or a whole set, depending on your budget and whether most of the climbing is concentrated on for instance the front of the cage. Or you could use cardboard at the back and perspex on the front. The panels are easily fitted using wing nuts. Wheels need to be 12 inches or 30cm for adult Syrians to run on safely. If you have had budget, Night Angel wheels are good and quiet. Yes, risk of falling is a hazard for bar climbing hamsters. Rats and mice are quite good climbers, but hamsters are designed for burrowing and ground level is safer for them. Welcome to the Forum! You have a beautiful hammy who is lucky to have such a good owner

 

[Rescued One]

Here in the US I have used 40 gallon reptile enclosures and fish tanks for my hammies because my first hammie Zelda was a pet store surrender who came with a (too-small) 20 gallon long tank. When I tried to upgrade her to a bigger wire cage she went nuts and wouldn't stop chewing the bars. I was afraid she would break a tooth, and that's when the reptile enclosure made it's appearance. It has several advantages, including a pull-out bottom drawer for thorough cleaning, enough height for a 12" wheel and can take special stick-on heating pads for cold New England winters. More expensive, but for me and mine, definitely worth it.

 

[Maz]

You have some great tank options in the US Glass enclosures are massively expensive in the Uk unfortunately. So most of the affordable ones are either barred cages or perspex or wood enclosures, or diy. However IME they don't bar chew and bar climb as long as it's big enough. Although a cage change to anything else can be stressful for them as well, but there are ways of doing it so it's less stressful and they settle quicker.

Junglepets do glass enclosures though.

 

[Doodleham]

There is the Savic Plaza 100 (100cm x 50cm) for about £80 new or less for a second hand one which can be fitted out with perspex panels by a company called Viking Lazer. The panels stop climbing and also allow for really deep bedding. You can buy one or two panels or a whole set, depending on your budget and whether most of the climbing is concentrated on for instance the front of the cage. Or you could use cardboard at the back and perspex on the front. The panels are easily fitted using wing nuts. Wheels need to be 12 inches or 30cm for adult Syrians to run on safely. If you have had budget, Night Angel wheels are good and quiet. Yes, risk of falling is a hazard for bar climbing hamsters. Rats and mice are quite good climbers, but hamsters are designed for burrowing and ground level is safer for them. Welcome to the Forum! You have a beautiful hammy who is lucky to have such a good owner

My sister's friends hamster (female syrian) ate her way out of a plaza 100 with the Viking laser screens. She managed to get to the edge of the tray by burrowing and chewed and chewed. Mind you she is notoriously hard to please. (The hamster, not my sister's friend! ). She's now in a bucatstate cage and happy.

 

[Maz]

Is that the 100cm or 120cm Bucatstate? Yes 100cm cage is maybe cutting it fine for a female Syrian! But how on earth did she manage to eat her way out?!!

 

[Doodleham]

Is that the 100cm or 120cm Bucatstate? Yes 100cm cage is maybe cutting it fine for a female Syrian! But how on earth did she manage to eat her way out?!!

It was the 100 She got to the edge of the base somehow and chewed till she made a hole and kept chewing. She never escaped but made a hole and was working on it daily to make it bigger. Luckily the new cage came before she got out. But there was a hole.

 

[Maz]

So she chewed a hole in the base then? I've not heard of that with a plaza before - the base is really tough thick plastic! She must have been very determined.

 

[Doodleham]

So she chewed a hole in the base then? I've not heard of that with a plaza before - the base is really tough thick plastic! She must have been very determined.

Yes. She is a very very demanding hamster though. Her poor owner needs to keep making things for her to do. However I think she's calmed a bit because she's ageing now.