Rotastak Pink Palace ~ Cage Review

[Ghostofarose]

I was previously housing my 2 Robos in the Rotastak Pink Palace, but have since replaced it with the Ferplast Flipper. The main reason for this being that I found it time consuming to clean and poorly ventilated causing smells to linger.

It is not suitable for Syrians, as they would struggle to get through the tubes, and there is no room for a larger wheel.

The Pink Palace retails for around £54.99, and you get everything you see in the photo below, including a pink food bowl and pink water bottle. (The wheel is built in).
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i239/ktheartilly/untitled.jpg
It measures 53cm (21 inch) High, 48cm (19 inch) Wide and 58cm (23 inch) Deep.
Additionally, I purchased Rotastak mouse ladders from Pets At Home to enable my dwarfs to climb the vertical tubes, which you can just see in the photo below.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i239/ktheartilly/SP_A0115.jpg
Also I bought the Pink Starter set which is around £24.99.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i239/ktheartilly/untitledg.jpg
I connected this up to the rest of the Pink Palace, minus the travelling case, and this is what it looked like.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i239/ktheartilly/SP_A0118.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i239/ktheartilly/SP_A0117.jpg
The wheel is permanently attached to the cage, so I clipped off one of these to allow a bit more room in the round cage as I made this into their dining room.
The cage itself is easy to clean. The main 'kidney' shaped compartment has a ventilated plastic lid which comes off completely, allowing you to wash the cage out. Each of the round sections is taken apart by removing the two metal clips attached to the base. The pain is the tubes. You have to soak them in very hot water to soften up the plastic 'rings', allowing you to dismantle them and scrub them out.

However, the cage has endless opportunities. Aside from the Pink Starter kit, there are few matching add ons still available for the Pink Palace. All of the other Rotastak products on the market are fully compatible, but of course don't match the wonderful princess pink of the Palace. All the bits and bobs are readily available on the internet, particularly eBay.

I changed the tubes round frequently, giving my Robos more of a challenge.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i239/ktheartilly/SP_A0114.jpg

My Robos LOVED the tubes.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i239/ktheartilly/SP_A0120.jpg
The Pink Palace really does stimulate a hamster, as it does replicate their natural environment.

As I'm no longer using this cage, please contact me if you'd like it. (UK only).

~Katie

[souffle]

How did you find it was for access to the hamsters for taming them and handling?
It is quite expensive for all the bits and though fine for dwarf hamsters I can see the size of this cage would be a big no-bo for a syrian.
Thanks for the revue again. :lol:

[Holly]

Great revue, I agree with you on most points about this cage - especially that it's, sadly, too small for Syrians.

The main problem with ALL Rotastak cages that I think Syrian buyers should be aware of is that, no matter how many units you get and how big a set-up you have, there isn't a single Rotastak unit that is big enough to take a Syrian sized wheel (minimum 8" diameter). They'll look fine on the wheel when you first get them as babies but will soon start to arch their backs as they grow. This is very uncomfortable for them and will cause damage to their spine as well as pain.

The main problem with Rotastak for dwarfs is that modular cages are generally a bad idea with pairs or groups of hamsters (I think, maybe, with the exception of Robo's as they are generally more social?) as they tend to cause the dominant hamster to colonise part/parts of the cage leading to fighting and bullying.

I think Rotastak like this is only really suitable for a single dwarf (and maybe robos, not sure, as Katie didn't seem to have a problem with them) which is a real shame as, if they were bigger and there was a large main unit, they'd be a great home for a Syrian. You could, of course, do what we've done with our original Rotastaks and connect them to a large wire cage which does make a nice hammy home (but it a lot of cleaning :? ).

Great revue, Katie 8)

[Ghostofarose]

Holly- if the Pink Palace was a bigger cage it would be awesome for a Syrian! My Robos didn't really get that territorial over it. The only time there were squabbles was when they met up with each other in the tubes.

Souffle- Access was difficult. As soon as I opened the main lid to the 'kidney' unit, they would both run into the tubes. They did this EVERY time. So I had to pull the tube out carefully from each end and carry them into the bathroom in it!

~Katie

[Faye]

great review and all very good points...
I have my gerbils in 2X rotastak creepy castles
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/flsweeney/gerbils.jpg
I guess I'm a bit odd as I actually like cleaning it out (but then, I don't use many tubes...) :lol: I would go mad if I didn't though as it is a pain to take a part and put back together - a giant puzzle!
Although I'm happy with the set-up and it keeps the gerbils active and occupied, in retrospect, I can think of better set-ups to spend over £100 on!!! :shock: and I agree that it wouldn't be great for a syrian due to the wheel issue and the tube size if you happen to have a whopper!... :)

[Holly]

Oh wow! That is some set up, I'll bet you've got happy gerbils :shock:

I think it's a terrible shame Rotastak don't just make a larger main module in addition to and compatible with what they already have - then you could make a fab Syrian set-up with a proper wheel.

Here's my Rotastak/wire cage combo's for those who haven't already seen them:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o209/Holly_Day/IMG_4880.jpg

I'd use a different wire cage if I did it again, the two hamster who live in these, Treacle and Custard, are cracking on a bit and are settled in them so I don't want to change them now.

[Ghostofarose]

For Holly and Faye, I have only one word.

WOW!

Well, maybe a few more words...

Your set ups are amazing! I love them! I'd offer you both my Pink Palace but I suppose the colours would 'clash'. LOL

~Katie

[Faye]

For Holly and Faye, I have only one word.

WOW!

Well, maybe a few more words...

Your set ups are amazing! I love them! I'd offer you both my Pink Palace but I suppose the colours would 'clash'. LOL

~Katie

I think my boys might be a bit embarrassed by the pink! :lol:
I'm thinking of adding some more units, but I have to work out how I'd still see the clock! :shock:
I agree that it'd be great to see a large rotastak main unit, I'd certainly consider making a hybrid cage like those above though - they look great! :D

[PinkEmily]

Ive got the haunted castle version but found it really difficult to clean and felt it was too small for my dwarfs. Ive moved on to wired cages which they much prefer as they can climb the bars and enjoy swinging from them. :)

[happysaz133]

Oh wow! That is some set up, I'll bet you've got happy gerbils :shock:

I think it's a terrible shame Rotastak don't just make a larger main module in addition to and compatible with what they already have - then you could make a fab Syrian set-up with a proper wheel.

Here's my Rotastak/wire cage combo's for those who haven't already seen them:

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o209/Holly_Day/IMG_4880.jpg

I'd use a different wire cage if I did it again, the two hamster who live in these, Treacle and Custard, are cracking on a bit and are settled in them so I don't want to change them now.

That's AMAZING! :o

[crawleytown]

Those two Rotastak cages really are incredible! I feel so guilty keeping my Syrian in a relatively tiny Gabber rex :oops:

[robyn_pickles]

i have my syrian pickles in thepink palace :S, I'm really worried reading your above comments that she isn't happy in there now. I was a bit concerned at the size of the wheel, but even in her previous cage which was far too small she didn't ever go on the wheel and still she sn't interested. She comes out every day without fail to go in her ball and she also has a box i keep under my desk with toys in that she plays in as well. She's really healthy and seems to love whizzing about up and down her tubes, do you think she's okay?

[Syrian Samina]

my girlfriend had this cage. Hamster manage to escape on a daily basis from pushing on the tube at a way were it would be able to stick its teeth in and then push the plastic ribs off it was very impressive
now he lives in a rotastak / habitrail ovo / crittertrail linked monster of a cage and cant get out and if he could I don’t think he would wont to leave
a huge tip on anyone
ONLY GET THE ROTASTAK MAXI UNITS!
I had the Rotastak Cosmo Pod for about 2 months added on to a part of my cage and the amount of problems with the cosmo pod was ridicules it got to the point that when I cleaned it out I had to put masking take on the bottom going to the sides to keep them from falling apart

The only good rotastak cage iv had is the maxi unit it was invincible and iv tried ever rotastak cage out there

But still you put in a grate review and nice one on letting people know its just not a suitable size a Syrian :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
you have to buy that bit more for the cage if your going to get one

You put in all the pros and cons I would have put in there :mrgreen:

[haziebabie]

My 3 were happy in their Rotastak to be honest. The biggest problem with it for them was the wheel was so small that once they grew they never used it. My hamsters are particularly large for pet shop hamsters though...my girls are both over 180g each. Now they have got 8" wheels they use them all the time. Space wise, if you have enough extra units bolted on its okay. I don't think that one Maxi unit, an attic and one round extension is enough though (which is all you get with a pink palace). However the good thing about Rotastak is the ability to extend and there are always second hand units on ebay for reasonable prices.

The other reason aside from the wheel problem that I got rid of it was the cleaning time. When I bought the first set for my one hamster I was prepared for the time and okay with it. Then I ended up with 2 more hamsters and it was taking forever to do all their units.

I did have a pod with one of my sets though and I agree they are fiddly. I used to strip it down every time for a clean and then rebuild. It was nice for the hams to get the air through though I thought.