Completely Custom Cage and toys

[JesserBee]

So I built the following cage out of chicken wire, craft wire, and foam. With the exception of the water bottle and wheel of course. :)
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm143/BDJesse/Other%20Personal%20Pictures/camerajesse010.jpg
Here is a closeup of the top and bottom of the cage.
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm143/BDJesse/Other%20Personal%20Pictures/camerajesse011.jpg
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm143/BDJesse/Other%20Personal%20Pictures/camerajesse012.jpg
I also have another two chicken wire cages that I built but am not really using. I haven't taken a picture of them though. So tell me what you guys think of my creations. lol

[purple_x]

That's really small. The base size is really not big enough for any hamster.
I'd also be a little worried as chicken wire can be quite sharp.
Do you have a second level in there? Made of the chicken wire? If so this is bad because walking on it can cause bumblefoot in small animals.

I think it's great that you've tried to build something but a bin cage would be so much better and safer.

[wiggle'smommy]

How big is the base?
Also doesn't he chew the foam? I would be worried...
Is there any way you could make a bin cage? They are very easy to make and cheap too. Plus there's a lot more space to put in toys. :) They are also quite flexible as you can cut holes in the side to attach tubes to other bins or commercial cages if you want to. I was able to make one quite easily, and there are full details in the wiki section of HC.
I think it is wonderful that you tried, as purple said, however bins are a lot more practical. :)

[cheekycheeks]

I am sure this cage took some time, and we are not trying to put you down for doing something so creative. Its just from the size for instance it may be a bit small. And I would worry about the wire cutting him. Hamsters are actually not usually climbers, I mean they can climb but its not their "forte" I would say, many don't even ever do it. I think this would be a cool idea for a animal that did climb all the time, if it was safe, no sharp edges. I have a feeling with how high the hammock is, the heirght of it, and material you used, you might have thought they were big climbers so I just thought I'd let you know. I do think he would like a bin cage better, there are tons of DIY threads on here, and it is extremely cheap and easy to make a good simple one:)

[mangoandmimi]

looks nice... apart from the floor space and height :L if your hamster fell from the top that would be painful without soft bedding to fall from, i'd also be worried that the hamster would chew the foam :I and comparing the cage to the size of the wheel the floor space also looks small, my personal minimum size for a syrian is 80x50cm.
maybe a bin cage as already mentioned, would be a good idea? i love the idea of this cage, but to me it just looks a bit .. unsafe for the hamster :L

[CoolcatNatNat44]

I just agree with what everyone has said lol :D

[Gillzy]

I also agree with everyone else. I'd also like to suggest that maybe, you cold use this wire cage on a bin cage bottom (making an awesome cage) then you can have a substrate in the base for the hamster to dig in (as many hamsters are very keen on digging, and they are natural burrowers). I'd also suggest putting some cardboard through the wheel, as it has gaps in it that the hamster can get his foot caught in and hurt himself. :(

It's very creative though, and since it's home made it means you can adjust it slightly easier than those with store bought cages! :)

[Fidgetthefirst]

I too agree with everyone..
We're not trying to put your work down, as i mean i couldnt do anything like this, wouldn't have paitence! LOL, but i just echo what everybody else has said :)

[Ministottie]

Wow, pretty impressive work there, must have taken so much time and effort :o

[gellerbing]

impressive work but i have to agree that its too small

[Gillzy]

In fact, I was just thinking, since it looks like it's taller than it is long, then maybe you could turn it on it's side? Then it'd be more suitable for running animals like hamsters :D

[JesserBee]

The cage is a little over a foot tall and i'm going to guess a little more then half a foot wide. The cage has a nice cushy foam bottom that is glued onto another piece of foam on the outside of the cage. It is perfectly cut to the exact shape of the bottom so that being glued down it is hard for him to chew on. It has three levels. (After having watched Goober for half a year, he prefers to climb. (He's a very weird hamster.) He actually sleeps in the hammock which is pretty much counted as the third floor that has a ramp leading to it from the second floor. It looks smaller then it is because I put the wheel more towards the middle then to the side. Recently I added a wooden chew house to the bottom of it along with a food dish. But don't worry about his feet getting cut because this wire has been sitting out in the weather for awhile. I cleaned it before using it but its still been pretty sanded down by the outdoors. Ummmm what else... oh the foam on the inside of the cage is double layered to be extra comfy. Other then that I can't really think of any other concerns I read lol.

[Teddybearhamster420]

I agree with evreyone else...sorry.

[Gillzy]

It is a little hard to tell from the pic, but can he fall the full height of the cage? If so you might wanna put more hammocks in, in case he accidently falls and breaks his back. I really suggest that if you do nothing else you at least enclose the wheel. Any little holes where hammy walks should be covered as their feet can slip through tiny holes and get stuck (perhaps then breaking a leg or something).

[DwarfNome]

Other then just getting his feet caught on the wheel, he might get bumblefoot.

[juliedn]

I really like how you have really taken your own hamster's likes into the plan of the cage. However, I do think that a 6 by 6 cage is really small... That's 36 square inches. In my opinion, a minimal and healthy cage size is 360 square inches, ten times what you have provided. I'm sure you really care about your hamster, and I hope that our advice would encourage you rather than put you down. Trust me, I used to think small cages were fine too. And seeing the wonderful members' cages on this forum made me have a change of heart. I hope you continue to browse through the forum to seek inspiration for giving more enrichment to your hamster. :)

Here are some more tips:
- If putting ramps, levels, or other objects at high heights, I suggest a solid floor that prevents your hamster from falling. I have heard of hamsters being pralyzed by a few inch falls.:(
- Hamsters burrow in the wild and bedding that allow them to burrow would really make them more occupied and happy.
-Wheel should have solid running material, not metal mesh, in order to improve their feet condition.
-The base of hamster cages should be solid plastic or wood that is nearly impossible to chew through, or a safe material that is completely unable to be penetrated. It's suggested they are non porous, unlike foam, so they dont absorb bacteria from urine etc. that can give sicknesses.
-A large space, width and depth wise, is recommended to provide the natural way of running and more space for stimulating activities and toys.
-Materials that are not safely coated are not recommended for hamster cages.

If you are planning to make another cage, I suggest just getting a really big plastic bin and using your chicken wire to mesh the cap in order to prevent escapes. Even better, you can buy new coated mesh. If you dont like bins, try making a wood base that is about 4 inches high or more to prevent bedding overflow and then somehow attaching coated wire mesh to allow you hamster climb.

Good luck and I hope you take our suggestions into consideration to give your hamster a great life with a great owner. :)

[Kristin]

Sorry but I agree with everyone else x

[redd1800]

I agree with the majority of views here.

Your cage needs some major adjustments and expansion to make it suitable and safe for a dwarf hamster. The cage shown in your picture is not safe, it is not escape proof as the foam is highly chewable, and it is not large enough to provide sufficient stimulation for a dwarf hamster.

Why not recycle the mesh into a large bin cage? Cheap and cheerful, and potentially solves a lot of the above issues.

[JesserBee]

It is escape proof. As I said before the whole thing is chicken wire but to add as bedding i put foam on top of the wire. As for not being large enough, I'm not sure I agree. We are talking about an animal that is an inch or less in length, in a three story cage. I mean i get the whole bin cage idea but i think the cage i made has more stimulation for him specifically then a bin cage would. Because not only does he have his wheel and toys but just the climbing and adventuring is a thrill for him.

[juliedn]

Dwarf hamsters are not an inch or less in length. The smallest hamster is at least 2 inches. Foam is not bedding. It is chewable and possibly fatal if ingested. It also can support micro-organism growth which will kill your hamsters. Cages not cleaned well WILL lead to illnesses in hamsters. Bin cages will have more sitmulation because it allows what hamsters naturally do, run. You can make a bin cage high enough for them to climb, as long as they have a level high enough that prevents them from getting hurt. It is not three stories either. If it was 3 stories, it would be 18 by 6 inches, which is still very small for a hamster. What stimulates a hamster is lots of toys, burrowing, large space, and foraging.

Imagine if you were only about 2 feet wide, and you were shoved into a room that is 6 feet by 6 feet. Your only option is to sleep in a little hut that takes up 1/4 of your floor space and a wheel that takes up 1/3. Your only other option to move around is climb. Don't you think it would be better if you had more space to run free AND climb? Also, every time your defecated it would stay right on the surface and your urine would never be cleaned off the floor. I am sure you have offered him stimulation by climbing, but other than that and running on is wheel, there is nothing else. Giving him a bigger cage would give him that and MUCH MORE.

I understand everyone has different ideas of what are the necessities for a healthy hamster. Heck, germans even dislike when your put less than six inches of bedding and your cage is 2 feet long, but people in the UK and America see things differently. My ideals may be more demanding than yours, but I would at least provide a cleanable cage with 2 inches of bedding and SOME room for a hamster to run around and burrow. The cage you have given your hamsters can possibly kill him within weeks.

Please research more about the natural habitats of hamsters and their basic necessities in captivity.

Please take a look at the english summary of this blog:
Naturnahe Hamstergehege: Wissenschaftliche Fakten wie ein Hamsterheim beschaffen sein sollte (http://hamstergehege.blogspot.com/2010/03/wissenschaftliche-fakten-wie-ein.html#more)

I'm sorry I am so forceful, but I want to emphasize the importance of giving the proper care to your hamster. They are no different from other animals and require just as well of an environment as other pets do.

[Jaybee]

I really like how you have really taken your own hamster's likes into the plan of the cage. However, I do think that a 6 by 6 cage is really small... That's 36 square inches. In my opinion, a minimal and healthy cage size is 360 square inches, ten times what you have provided. I'm sure you really care about your hamster, and I hope that our advice would encourage you rather than put you down. Trust me, I used to think small cages were fine too. And seeing the wonderful members' cages on this forum made me have a change of heart. I hope you continue to browse through the forum to seek inspiration for giving more enrichment to your hamster. :)

Here are some more tips:
- If putting ramps, levels, or other objects at high heights, I suggest a solid floor that prevents your hamster from falling. I have heard of hamsters being pralyzed by a few inch falls.:(
- Hamsters burrow in the wild and bedding that allow them to burrow would really make them more occupied and happy.
-Wheel should have solid running material, not metal mesh, in order to improve their feet condition.
-The base of hamster cages should be solid plastic or wood that is nearly impossible to chew through, or a safe material that is completely unable to be penetrated. It's suggested they are non porous, unlike foam, so they dont absorb bacteria from urine etc. that can give sicknesses.
-A large space, width and depth wise, is recommended to provide the natural way of running and more space for stimulating activities and toys.
-Materials that are not safely coated are not recommended for hamster cages.

If you are planning to make another cage, I suggest just getting a really big plastic bin and using your chicken wire to mesh the cap in order to prevent escapes. Even better, you can buy new coated mesh. If you dont like bins, try making a wood base that is about 4 inches high or more to prevent bedding overflow and then somehow attaching coated wire mesh to allow you hamster climb.

Good luck and I hope you take our suggestions into consideration to give your hamster a great life with a great owner. :)

Quoted for truth.

[Jaybee]

It is escape proof. As I said before the whole thing is chicken wire but to add as bedding i put foam on top of the wire. As for not being large enough, I'm not sure I agree. We are talking about an animal that is an inch or less in length, in a three story cage. I mean i get the whole bin cage idea but i think the cage i made has more stimulation for him specifically then a bin cage would. Because not only does he have his wheel and toys but just the climbing and adventuring is a thrill for him.

What kind of cage did he have before this? Perhaps he likes to climb the sides because he thinks its too small and he wants to get out. I like to say that they should have ATLEAST a 20gallon long (360 square inches) but you could get away with using a 10gallon tank (i dont LIKE it but if you must..).
perhaps you could provide us with better pictures or something?
You are posting on a hamster fanciers webforum, we cherish our hamsters. They aren't just some cheap toss away pet from a store. We want to give them everything we can and then some.

[AlexWyattMommy]

As you can see, the members here care about the over all welfare of their pets, not catering to just one aspect of the pet's likes.

Your current cage only takes one aspect of what your pet likes - the climbing. It does not take the health, safety, nor well being of the pet fully into consideration.

I know you think the foam is safe because the edges are not exposed. Have you ever tried to eat a sandwich from the middle out? It CAN be done because the sandwich is soft. Same with the foam. If you hamster decides to chew a hole in the middle, it can.

There is no way you can clean all the urine off the foam. Foam is porous. It will soak some of it in and therefore there will always be something for mold, milder and other organisms to grow from and make your hamster ill or even die.

Giving you hamster some climbing walls inside a bin cage would provide what you think he wants along with giving him what he needs.

I am afraid that nobody here is going to approve of your current habitat for your hamster. We may admire your determination and ingenuity, but we are not going to say your current cage is a good enough home for your hamster.

I am sorry.

[emma and button]

It doesnt look at all safe. I'd be worried about the ham falling from the top, as we all know they might like climbing but they aint no mountain goat and do fall... a lot.
And the foam? why foam? of all the things you could have used? it wouldnt take a lot to chew out of as others have said.
Hammies need a lot of space because even though they are small they like to explore vast areas in the wild, even their burrows go on for aggges. Now for our pet hamsters to be happy we try to recreate this as closely as possible in our homes, and your cage just isnt doing that. Sorry to be kinda blunt but you know, hammies come first.

[wiggle'smommy]

I think that everyone has given a lot of points to consider. I know you say that the foam can't be chewed but you put strips of foam lying on the floor and hanging from the wire which can easily be chewed. Climbing walls can be added to a bin cage and climbing should not the only reason you won't make him a bin cage. You can put metal grills in which he can climb up if you want. Also you said that it's a little over half a foot wide... that's only 20cm, which is really really small for any hamster. You also said that it looks smaller than it is because you moved the wheel but I can see from the size of the hamster compared to the base size of the cage that it is much too small for him.
Your hamster can't forage in foam. Bins are really very cheap and easy to work with, your hamster will be happier and healthier. Also please invest in a new wheel or find a way to cover the surface (such as weaving cardboard) as his foot can fall through and he can get bumblefoot.
I'm really sorry that a lot of people are being blunt with you (myself included) but you can't post a picture of a cage which is too small on a forum dedicated to hamsters and expect praise - you will only get hamster-obsessed people who want the best for hamsters everywhere, yours included.

Please consider what we are all saying.

[Fidgetthefirst]

I 10000% agree with what everybody else has said.

Hamsters naturally, don't climb, it's just something they learn to do in cages, so its not nessecary*, whereas correct bedding is, safety and space.

You are saying just because a hamster is small it does not need much space? Sorry this is ridiculously, ugh, stupid. Hamsters can travel around 8 miles every single night searching for food, they need space, plenty of it!. You saying the cage size is fine for a ham, is the same as you living in a small box bedroom for the rest of your life and only coming out for about 30mins a day (or however, often and long hes out the cage for) in my opinion. Which is obviously not healthy at all.

This is a forum for hamster crazed people. We all have learnt so much on here and gained so much correct knowledge, we are sharing it with you so you can give your hams a better life!
My ham was in a 56cm by 40cm cage when i first joined, soon realised = far too small, hes now in an 80cm (although i'd prefer bigger but no space atm) and his behaviour has improved so much because he can have deeper bedding, more running space etc.

We're only trying to help, not put your work down - wether we sound harsh or not.

[juliedn]

Please just try to listen to what we say. We're not trying to fight you, we just want the best in the interest of your hamster. Please be a more responsible owner than the 210947290471290712 owners I know out there that don't give a flip about caring for them. I'm sure you think what you have provided him is enough, but you can do such much more for him that would keep him healthy and happy. Like I said, every animal needs just as much loving care as the next. If you can't even provide the bare necessities for it, I don't think you will agree with any of the ideals in this forum.

[Kristin]

I 100% agree with everyone! Please listen to what were providing you with as we are all hamster crazy and all want the best for all fellow hamsters in the world.
I don't agree with the cage he's currently living in yet I admire your will to make a cage for him. You can easily put that into a large bin cage and provide him with a lot more, including a larger wheel, burrowing, foraging and playtime!!

[Queen Of The High Teas]

Sorry but that isn't a "home" for a hamster or any animal for that matter - it's a deathtrap. I 100% agree with everyone's comments about it - it look incredibly unsafe. A hamster's cage is it's home, the one place it can really feel safe, and it should be as comfortable as possible, because they can't help themselves to get out of whatever condition they're kept in, they are completely dependant on and at the mercy of those who own them. You wanted him and bought him, the least you can do is provide him with a home which is suitable, and your cage most deffinately isn't. The wire alone looks like it could damage your own hands when you touch it to say nothing of the damage it could do your pet. Even the ridiculously tiny cages you can buy are actually safe! Sorry to be blunt, and whilst like everyone else I admire your attempt, I wouldn't keep a Zhu-Zhu hamster in that never mind a real one!

[mangoandmimi]

i wouldnt go quite as far as saying its a deathtrap :mad:
it would be a lovely cage if -
1. you used bedding - deep bedding if you still have a lot of height
2. more floorspace, less height
3. break up the height with levels and/or hammocks

yes, hamsters are small animals, and yes, a lot of people associate small animals with small cages but for hamsters (and probably most other animals) that is most certainly untrue. they love exploring (there are some lazy hamster exceptions lol) and need a lot of space to roam around annd explore :)

so yeah basically, i definately agree with everyonexx

[cheekycheeks]

i wouldnt go quite as far as saying its a deathtrap :mad:
it would be a lovely cage if -
1. you used bedding - deep bedding if you still have a lot of height
2. more floorspace, less height
3. break up the height with levels and/or hammocks

yes, hamsters are small animals, and yes, a lot of people associate small animals with small cages but for hamsters (and probably most other animals) that is most certainly untrue. they love exploring (there are some lazy hamster exceptions lol) and need a lot of space to roam around annd explore :)

so yeah basically, i definately agree with everyonexx

I think Mango, you worded it excellently! and think this is a perfect answer:) But I have a feeling she's not coming back to read it, unfortuently, as she hasn't responded in a long time, :S

[Katarina]

Well, you never know. She might be reading this and hopefully realizing that we might be right? Lets hope that she will post soon and ads a picture of the hamster in a new bigger cage WITHOUT the foam?

there is always hope.

I do understand she might be feeling a bit sour after we have put her cage down after she spent ages doing it - and let me tell you, loads of us worked with chicken wire and, well, it is a hard work with loads of sharp edges and ... well, I am impressed with the effort she has put in, I just wish she made it at least 4 times longer :( - the sponge. Oh well.