Is Mochi a girl?

AmandaT

AmandaT

Well-known member
Member
Messages
59
Reaction score
131
Points
68
Despite Mochi’s new wheel, new house, playpen and treats, he’s been bar biting quite a lot (and chewed through endless cardboard) the last couple of days and I’ve been reading that female Syrians are notoriously hard to please, which made me wonder whether Mochi is a girl (which it does look like from this photo). Could anyone confirm?
IMG_3605.jpeg
 
Hmm - yes those do look like nipples. Do you have a photo from the top to see the shape of the back end?
 
Like this?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3410.jpeg
    IMG_3410.jpeg
    70.5 KB · Views: 18
Yes. Although it’s hard to tell. Can you see nipples on the underside? It looked like them to me.
 
Yes I think I can. We specifically asked for a boy so we have to blame Pets at Home for that one. Oh well, at least we gave her a unisex name. Now to spend every waking moment trying to think of ways of stopping her getting bored 🤪
 
AmandaT said:
Yes I think I can. We specifically asked for a boy so we have to blame Pets at Home for that one. Oh well, at least we gave her a unisex name. Now to spend every waking moment trying to think of ways of stopping her getting bored 🤪
Click to expand...
No clear signs of male parts either (at least from what I can see)... that would explain the heavier chewing, which I hear is more common with females.
 
Last edited:
Socks Mum said:
She might be nest building. Blossom the Syrian likes dried banana leaves (on Ebay) and egg boxes as things to shred.
Click to expand...
She has also shown a liking for apple sticks. PAH do an exploration basket for £5 with a variety of textures which has been a good buy, and allows her to try out different things, so I know what to get in the future.
 
Socks Mum said:
She might be nest building. Blossom the Syrian likes dried banana leaves (on Ebay) and egg boxes as things to shred.
Click to expand...
Blossom is a cute name 🥰 Banana leaves sound great, I’ll get them for Mochi. She chewed through a lot of cardboard last night, so egg boxes sound like a great alternative.
 
Lovelyness said:
She has also shown a liking for apple sticks. PAH do an exploration basket for £5 with a variety of textures which has been a good buy, and allows her to try out different things, so I know what to get in the future.
Click to expand...
That sounds perfect, thank you! I got her a mini forage box from Etsy a couple of weeks ago and she loved that.
 
clacombe said:
No clear signs of male parts either (at least from what I can see)... that would explain the heavier chewing, which I hear is more common with females.
Click to expand...
Yes I think that would explain it. Might have to upgrade to a bigger cage eventually without bars.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Maz
You could go for a tank or just a larger cage like the Savic Plaza 100 or 120cm, with enough space & things to do they usually stop the bar chewing.
 
What cage is she in now? I can't tell from the photos. It looks like it might be a Barney cage?
 
Ok. That isn't really big enough then. Once a cage is 100cm or bigger they don't usually bar chew. However female Syrians do need a lot of space and some will even bar chew in a 100cm cage. It might come down to what you can find, whether you're prepared to do diy, and cost. The Plaza 120 Elusive mentioned is a really good size and is 15% off at the moment so only costs £85. Or you might be able to find a used 4 foot fish tank on ebay or other second hand sites. They might need a bit of cleaning up but a new 4 foot tank costs about £250 and needs a lid making.

They are not easy choices and some comes down to what you prefer.

The barred cages can be changed to perspex if bar chewing still happens in a larger one. Personally I don't think the Savic Plaza 100 would be quite enough for a female Syrian. It might be - Jas (Hank's female syrian) is in one and the bar chewing did settle down. You can actually turn the Plaza 100 into a tank though, as there are full perspex panels for it. But that doubles the cost of the cage, making it about £160.

A tank could be a good option providing it's much bigger than the current cage - it wouldn't be fair to put a female syrian in a tank to stop bar chewing, unless the cage still had a lot of space, as the stress would come out in other ways perhaps. So it comes down to more space basically.

There aren't many options bigger than 100cm unless you make a diy cage, or spend £230 upwards. Have a look at our cages list :-)

I think the only commercial cages, without diy, that are 120cm/4 foot are the Rodipet Laola tank style cage (but rodipet say female syrians can chew their way out of that), the Savic Plaza 120 barred cage, or diversa 4 foot tank which is about £250.

I definitely wouldn't use a wood cage for a female syrian (like the pawhuts) because they are very easy to chew out of and need a lot of reinforcing to prevent that.
 
I added a LOT of enrichment to Blossom’s cage which has helped to calm her down enormously, although she is still a little crazy when in heat. I added a dig box, boredom breakers, deeper bedding throughout her cage and lots of different textures to chew. Time out in her play box helps at these times. Unfortunately I’m not currently in a position to upgrade her cage to a larger one, but the increased enrichment has definitely helped. I’m sure a combination of space and enrichment will do the trick with Mochi 👍
 
I forgot about the Bucatstate 100 :-) That might be a good option. It's 100cm perspex tank style cage and has front access.

Bucatstate 100

I have the Plaza 120 for one of my Syrians and it is a lovely big cage - I doubt a hamster would bar chew in it as there's much more space, providing they have plenty of bedding and more to do. The 15% off offer is still there, making it £85 and free postage.

Savic Plaza 120 Hamster Cage X Large | Pets At Home

<li>Suitable for rats gerbils and syrian hamsters</li><li>Collapsible spacious and robust small animal home</li><li>Large front and top door for easy access</li><li>Horizontal bars to encourage climbing</li> is available to buy online at Pets at Home, the UK's largest pet shop with fast delivery...
www.petsathome.com www.petsathome.com

The advantage of the Bucatstate is that it's much easier to have deeper bedding.
 
Bar chewing will often resolve & not necessarily become a habit.
Having enough space is the main consideration.
Plenty of enrichment is the second most important thing to think about.
Lots of out of cage time in a really good playpen or safe free roam area can make all the difference too.
Also how you respond to bar chewing can help prevent it becoming an attention seeking habit, it’s generally best (when possible) to ignore them when bar chewing & respond or interact when they stop.

Some hamster do make a habit of it but it’s less often the case.

I think modifying cages & some of the options can really over complicate things, a large enough cage with lots of enrichment should be enough.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top