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Shadow Cat · 10-07-2020, 03:24 PM

This is a great thread and shows how lovely this forum is.

I have owned only two hamster's as an adult. Both Syrian. Fitz lived in a bin cage that was smaller than recommend but he was really tiny for a Syrian and seemed happy. My current ham Peggy is a big girl and she lives in a Barney cage. Fitz was perfectly tame and so easy to handle when I got him as a rescued adult, I really lucked out. He was happy to be picked up so having him in a bin cage with only a top lid was no problem. But Peggy is different. She knows what she wants! Sometimes she friendly and curious, and sometimes she just wants to be left alone (a bit like me really!) So having her in a cage with front opening doors is perfect. If I open the door and she wants to come out she will come out on her own. If she'd rather not, she ignores me. I know that of she does come out to play it's fully her choice. I don't think I'll ever go back to a bin cage although it served me well for the 16 months Fitz was with me. An aquarium tank really isn't for me. I would worry about ventilation too given the hot summers we tend to get in the UK now.

I've always used 12" wheels for my hams. Even tiny little Fitz ran on a Trixie no problem. Peggy has a silent runner as the Trixie wheel started banging against the stand and keeping me up at night and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. I still have it though and would use it again if I could keep my hamster anywhere other than my bedroom!

I splurged this week and spent about £50 on new interesting shelves and hides and things to add to Peggy's cage but it was my choice, I would never dream of telling anyone they had to do this. I don't spend much on toys for example, Peggy's favourite chew toy is a toilet roll.

I know anthropomophising your pets can be problematic but I also believe that if you watch your pet and get to know them it's easy to tell whether they're happy or stressed. If you think your hamster is happy they probably are. Whenever I feel a bit of guilt about something to do with the cage I have, I think about how she spent 4 months of her life in a tiny tank at the pet shop (adoption section) before I brought her home and what I have now is a million times better.

10-07-2020, 03:24 PM
Shadow Cat Hamster Pup Join Date: Jun 2018 Posts: 156	Re: Cage/Peer pressure on social media This is a great thread and shows how lovely this forum is. I have owned only two hamster's as an adult. Both Syrian. Fitz lived in a bin cage that was smaller than recommend but he was really tiny for a Syrian and seemed happy. My current ham Peggy is a big girl and she lives in a Barney cage. Fitz was perfectly tame and so easy to handle when I got him as a rescued adult, I really lucked out. He was happy to be picked up so having him in a bin cage with only a top lid was no problem. But Peggy is different. She knows what she wants! Sometimes she friendly and curious, and sometimes she just wants to be left alone (a bit like me really!) So having her in a cage with front opening doors is perfect. If I open the door and she wants to come out she will come out on her own. If she'd rather not, she ignores me. I know that of she does come out to play it's fully her choice. I don't think I'll ever go back to a bin cage although it served me well for the 16 months Fitz was with me. An aquarium tank really isn't for me. I would worry about ventilation too given the hot summers we tend to get in the UK now. I've always used 12" wheels for my hams. Even tiny little Fitz ran on a Trixie no problem. Peggy has a silent runner as the Trixie wheel started banging against the stand and keeping me up at night and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. I still have it though and would use it again if I could keep my hamster anywhere other than my bedroom! I splurged this week and spent about £50 on new interesting shelves and hides and things to add to Peggy's cage but it was my choice, I would never dream of telling anyone they had to do this. I don't spend much on toys for example, Peggy's favourite chew toy is a toilet roll. I know anthropomophising your pets can be problematic but I also believe that if you watch your pet and get to know them it's easy to tell whether they're happy or stressed. If you think your hamster is happy they probably are. Whenever I feel a bit of guilt about something to do with the cage I have, I think about how she spent 4 months of her life in a tiny tank at the pet shop (adoption section) before I brought her home and what I have now is a million times better.