How to Stop a Hamster From Chewing His Plastic Cage

Hamsters are popular indoor pets because they are lively creatures who love to run inside of wheels and entertain their owners, plus they take up little space. Chewing is a common behavior in hamsters, as it is in most rodents, but this usually is not a harmful activity. Chewing on the plastic bars of a cage, however, is harmful to the hamster and can result in broken and/or misaligned teeth. This behavior must be stopped as soon as possible. Read on for some tips on how to stop your hamster from chewing his plastic cage.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic hamster ball
  • Hamster wheel
  • Plastic hamster tubes
  • Coconut shells
  • Fruit branches
  • Dog biscuits
  • Cardboard tubes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Play with your hamster several times a day. Your hamster may be chewing on his cage due to boredom. Playing with him as often as possible should provide enough stimulation to ease his boredom. Remove your hamster from his cage and hold him. For fun and exercise, place the hamster inside a plastic hamster ball for 15 minutes and allow him to roll around the floor.

    • 2

      Place a variety of new toys into your hamster's cage on a regular basis to entertain and stimulate him, which will discourage chewing on the cage. Buy toys such as a hamster wheel he can run on, plastic tubes he can run through and coconut shells he can hide in. Do not place all items in the cage at the same time. Instead, place a new toy into the cage every few days and remove the old toy. Rotate toys so your hamster doesn't get bored with them. Other items such as small fruit branches, cardboard tubes or dog biscuits can be placed in the cage for your hamster to chew on.

    • 3

      Distract your hamster each time you see him chewing on the bars by removing him from the cage. This must be done each time you notice the behavior. Since chewing often occurs during the nighttime hours, you'll have to be extra-vigilant at first. Consistently removing him from the cage should eventually stop the chewing.