I've had my dwarf hamster gnawing on the cage bars for a month now, especially at night. His teeth are fine, he eats normally. Maybe he's missing something in the cage or is it just a habit?
Gnawing on the bars can be caused by several reasons, and not all of them are safe :) First, check the cage size - dwarf hamsters need at least 40-50 liters, but bigger is better. If the cage is too small, the hamster gets bored and tries to "escape". Also look at the material - if it's painted or galvanized bars, he can ingest harmful substances when chewing. Make sure there's enough entertainment in the cage: a wheel (at least 20 cm in diameter), tunnels, burrows for digging. Dwarf hamsters are active little guys and need stimulation.
Second, constant gnawing can be a sign of stress or boredom. Try to change up the environment, regularly swap out toys, add more bedding for digging. If your hamster has access to wooden sticks, branches (birch, aspen, apple tree), he can chew them instead of metal bars - that's good for his teeth.
If the gnawing is intense, going on around the clock, and the hamster looks anxious, you should take him to a vet. Sometimes it can be a sign of a teeth problem (misaligned bite, for example) or even parasites. But in most cases, when you improve the cage conditions, the behavior normalizes. How are your cage conditions doing? :)
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