F.O.P. Gabia Tamburino (Linea Natura) Review

[Hamtastic]

F.O.P. Gabia Tamburino Linea Natura

I have waited for a very very long time to obtain this cage and had high expectations for it. It is a duna-style cage made by an Italian cage manufacturer F.O.P.:
FOP Prodotti per animali - GABBIA TAMBURINO LINEA NATURA (http://www.fop.it/site.asp?*p=100&fArticolo=20200067&fClasse=002)

Its dimensions are 75cm x 47cm x 33cm (29.5" x 18.5" x 13" tall), and at that it is slightly bigger than ZooZone1, Duna Multy, Gaber Rex, and some other cages of its class. I've owned 2 ZZ1s, and the size difference is noticeable. This cage is also less oblique, i.e. the tray and the top are more square like rather than rounded trapezoidal.

So far, I am very happy with this cage (and Isabel is too)! F.O.P. makes it in a standard white color "Gabia Tamburino", and this new olive/brown coloring is from a natural line "Linea Natura", but the two are otherwise the same. Linea Natura items also come with some wooden accessories.

Plastic quality: I would stay it's pretty sturdy, but not as maleable as ZooZone plastic. It's harder and sound resonates through it more. A small negative when assembling and disassembling the cage is the side brackets being a bit on the tight side to clip on and off. In general, the cage design is identical to Ferplast Mini Duna (which I also own, for the comparison). The same sort of clip holding on the sides, and the same kind of a flat top door, secured by two sliding clips.

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachments/cage-reviews/7347d1324681324-f-o-p-gabia-tamburino-linea-natura-f.o.p.-gabia-tamburino-empty.jpg

The distance between the grill bars on the top cover is just 6.5mm, so it's safe for any small animal, even small robos :D

The bottle opening hole is on the back side of the cage. I have personally taped over mine with strong transparent tape, as I like for my cage to sit tightly against the wall, and also Izzie drinking from a bottle was resonating loudly through the cage. I think I could fix it by putting some plasticky tape between the top cover and the tray to dampen vibrations and might to so in the future. Anyway, the cage is in my bedroom, so I'm extra picky with any extra sources of sound.

The cage is manufactured for Guinea Pigs ("Gabia"), so the accessories that come with it are piggy-sized. There is a very nice brown plastic natural looking food dish, that I'm actually using for Izzie's food, as she's a plump lady; there is a large wooden house-platform (could be used as a second floor platform for hamsters), and a bird-ladder-like wooden hay holder.

The wooden house platform has a ramp, top floor, front with an entrance hole, but no back or left wall, as it attaches with hooks to the cage side. This is actually an advantage, as it really is like a mini second floor platform, where a ham could climb up and also camp out underneath for a cozy large nest. I personally used a Mini Duna shelf for my cage, as my Mini Duna's currently not in use. For anyone interested, the shelf slides in between the top transparent plastic top and the bottom tray and holds very well, better than it did in my ZooZone1.

If you notice on the photos below, I've also spray-painted the grill a glossy brown color in place of the default cream, as I much prefer dark-colored bars for better visibility. You can gauge its size by noting the 8" Wodent Wheel.

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachments/cage-reviews/7348d1324681330-f-o-p-gabia-tamburino-linea-natura-f.o.p.-gabia-tamburino-front.jpg

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachments/cage-reviews/7349d1324681336-f-o-p-gabia-tamburino-linea-natura-f.o.p.-gabia-tamburino-top.jpg

This is what it looked like before I changed the color of the top grill (different Wodent Wheel too):

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachments/cage-reviews/7350d1324681792-f-o-p-gabia-tamburino-linea-natura-isabels-new-home.jpg

This cage can be obtained in Europe and in the United States. The F.O.P. distributor in the U.S. is AbbaSeed in New Jersey, and anyone interested should call them to inquire about their current selection of Rodent and Small Animal F.O.P. cages. For reference, here's a full list of F.O.P. Rodent / Small Animal cages with Item Numbers:
F.O.P. Rodent Cages (http://www.fop.it/site.asp?*p=92&fClasse=002)
F.O.P. Small Animal Cages (http://www.fop.it/site.asp?*p=92&fClasse=001)

I rate this cage 8/10! (negative points due to it being slightly noisier due to harder plastic and due to tight side clips).

[emilyweb]

wow :) I want one! I wonder if you can get them in the UK? :D

[Hamtastic]

I'm sure you can, but maybe not directly from the U.K. I've seen them in France (on sale for 30 Euro!) and I know F.O.P. sells at least in Poland and Italy. So either it can be imported or there's already a U.K. distributor.

[emilyweb]

:O ohh I shall look into it :D thankies!

[Hamtastic]

You could contact F.O.P. directly and ask if they could point you to a distributor. This is how I found AbbaSeed: I emailed F.O.P. and they responded :D

[Roxie]

wow :) I want one! I wonder if you can get them in the UK? :D

I'm hoping this too. I really like the look of it and it would be awesome for Shy. Plus, I wouldn't have to mesh anything which is a bonus!

Eta: Great set up, Ham!

[emilyweb]

EXACTLY!! no mesh! :D and I love it sooo much! I needs one!

[LawaRawr]

great set-up :)
i need one too xD

[Janali]

I love the cage and how you set it up, too.:) The darker color on the screen top is such a great improvement. The natural look to the base & accessories would look great in my living room (where my girls live), and much better than a zoozone (which I can't find anyway). I think I need this!

[Hamtastic]

More photos: the wooden house-platform (which has no back sides, as it's attached with hooks to the tray. Could be used as a platform instead of the Mini Duna shelf + piece of cardboard I'm using now:

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachments/cage-reviews/7366d1324938205-f-o-p-gabia-tamburino-linea-natura-f.o.p.-wooden-house-top.jpg

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachments/cage-reviews/7367d1324938212-f-o-p-gabia-tamburino-linea-natura-f.o.p.-wooden-house-inside.jpg

Front view with my chubby Isabel in the food dish:
http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachments/cage-reviews/7369d1324938403-f-o-p-gabia-tamburino-linea-natura-p1010034scaled.jpg

[Gizmodo ^_^]

This cage honestly looks perfect, i will definately use it in the future!

[kittycatcat5]

it's nice ilike it

[Janali]

Bummer - I just got off the phone with them and they don't have it in stock right now.

[NotsoLittleOlive]

I really like this cage.....now to find out how much it'd cost :P

[Hamtastic]

Bummer - I just got off the phone with them and they don't have it in stock right now.

Odd, I wonder if the current batch already sold out then... Did you ask when they'd have it back in stock? I was told it was to be a permanent item, so hopefully it will be back in stock soon?

[Janali]

I didn't ask when it would be back in stock. I first spoke with a girl and gave her the FOP item number. She put me on hold for a bit and a guy answered the phone he quickly said they didn't have it in stock. Maybe they do have it an just didn't want to look it up?

[newham]

tried to message you but....
"Hamtastic has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space."

[Hamtastic]

Sorry, fixed now!

The guy might be the owner, I spoke with him many times. He can be a bit brash, but he gets things done. I think the original test batch amount was maybe 10 cages, so it's possible they did sell out. I'd ask when they plan to have it in stock again, but I've just emailed them to ask.

[Hamtastic]

The cage is in stock - make sure you give the name and the number correctly.

[Janali]

Thank you!! The FOP name and number, right?

[Hamtastic]

Fop gabia tamburino and the number If they need it!

[Gibbs&JackBlack]

Great review! I really want one!

[Humphrey Furball]

missed this review first time, just saw the cage on "show us your cages" thread; it looks really nice! Did anyone find a UK supplier? I just found one contact on the FOP website for the UK:


PETS AT HOME LTD
Epsom Avenue, Stanley Green Trading Estate
SK9 3 Handforth, Cheshire ()
GB
Tel. 0044 01614863784 int.2446

Wierd if it is just one branch of this nationwide chain that sells them?? May try to find out; I don't need a cage right now, but this is a good alternative to the criceti 15 if you have a bar chewer :D - great review Hamtastic

[kyrilliondaemon]

If any branch can stock them the others should be able to order it... In theory... Ours is useless though so I'd no sooner ask them to order something than ask them for cage reccomendations lol
Would be worth asking if anyone ever does need it in the UK though since even our branch has clearly stated (multiple times) that if any P@H store sells it they can order it in, and it would be great if we could find a UK supplier :)

[KatiePillow]

p@h sell that really small one, slightly larger than the criceti 11 with a tube out of the top, rubbish cage and expensive, sadly not any of the better cages

[Hamtastic]

Finally done something I've been planning to do for a long time--added a handle to the cage grill, as it was a bit inconvenient to open and close otherwise. I used 2 rubber washers on each side of the handle attachment bolt (4 total washers) and some cork padding, because the bolts were too long, meant for a thicker door, and then 2 metal washers, as I needed more padding still.

Highly recommended for this cage or any similar cages:

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff446/stereotypical11/P1010388.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff446/stereotypical11/P1010392.jpg

[Mikayla]

The handle looks really nice! I have a feeling getting those bars up would be difficult :P

[Hamtastic]

The handle is from Ace Hardware--unfinished light wood. Thanks :D

[tibbi64]

I really like your cage. I'm going to look into getting that one.

[Raigne]

Hamtastic, did you order your cage from Abba Seed? How did you pay for it? I asked if paypal was accepted when I asked about pricing for the cage, and he never said yes or no.

[Hamtastic]

I ordered by phone, dictating my credit card info. Abbaseed is a physical store and doesn't do online sales, as far as I know, so calling would be the most direct.

[tibbi64]

Well I ordered this cage today, I was going to try and make a bin cage. But not very good at the mesh part. When I ordered it they gave me a free water bottle and did not charge the $5 fee when calling to place an order. Should get here by Tuesday, can't wait. :)

Also I am going to get another winter white, would it be wise to wait till I get the new cage to introduce them both. That's what I thought would be better.

[happysaz133]

That is a fab cage! I'm glad it is available in the US, as I know there are not many larger cages aimed at hamsters there.

[Raigne]

I asked again when he replied with pricing. He does take paypal, FYI. Now I just have to hope you all don't buy all his stock before I can order it next week. :P

[tibbi64]

How many hamsters could safely fit in this cage? What is the rule? I know if I get another one I might have to separate them, Winter Whites males.

Thanks.

There will be lots of places to hide, and food and water.

[racinghamster]

Great revue Hamtastic and I love what you have done with the grill on top spraying it a darker colour (I agree with you about being able to see through darker colours easier). I also make handles for my cage lids! Will have to find a couple like yours now for my home-made wooden framed/meshed lid that I recently made for my Gabber Rex tank! :)

This is exactly the cage that UK shops and online retailers should be stocking and it`s a shame they sell so many smaller alternatives. Pets At Home should have this cage in store and online for both syrians and dwarf hamsters aswell as other retailers. The Zoozones are good, but their grills need meshing. This cage and the Ferplast Multi don`t, yet the best cages always prove elusive to buy here which is so frustrating.

[kyrilliondaemon]

How many hamsters could safely fit in this cage? What is the rule? I know if I get another one I might have to separate them, Winter Whites males.

Thanks.

There will be lots of places to hide, and food and water.

It should be fine for at least two going by those dimensions :)
Just need to be careful about introducing/separating/reintroducing and making sure they're happy with the cage e.t.c.

[racinghamster]

A word of caution on introducing adult male russian dwarfs. It`s better to keep two males or females from a very young age (brothers or sisters) as introducing two unfamiliar hamsters could result in disaster and stress for your exsiting hamster. It`s definately not something that I would ever attempt or recommend. Here is an actual quote from am owner`s manual that I have on winter white (siberian hamsters):

"behaviour: The siberain hamster is good natured and sociable, althought group housing of adult males is not recommended. Siberian males can live together IF they have been raised together from a very young age since weaning and if they have enough space to hide from one another if tempers flare."

I just wanted to point this out before you got excited about buying another winter white. If you do, never put it with your existing male.

Back to Hamtastic`s revue now.

[tibbi64]

Anyone get a tracking number when they ordered this by phone? I was looking through email and don't see confirmation number. I thought I got one.

[Hamtastic]

I did not get one personally.

[tibbi64]

They said might would come today, I really hope it does. I'm off today and want to get it set up, but I'm still waiting on some toys that I ordered. :( But its only 12:04 pm so I still have time. :) Just can't wait, and will post pics of my setup.

Check it out, http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd463/tibbi64/New%20Hamster%20Cage/?albumview=slideshow

[Hamtastic]

Still love this cage! Max uses it now, as Isabel got upgraded to a 30 Gallon Breeder aquarium some time ago.

I swapped Max to [mostly] white bedding, as he was hard to see against Carefresh Natural in my dim room... I can spot him right away now! Anyway, here Maxie gives you a tour of his updated home in his F.O.P. Gabia Tamburino Linea Natura and shows how much stuff can fit into it:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/6896912598_7869b60d57_z.jpg
---
"Hi! Are you looking at me?! Ok, let me show you where I live. This is my favoritest wheel in the whole wide world!"

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5240/7042987055_2ef4acb538_z.jpg

"This is the way upstairs where I sometimes sleep, eat, and climb my tunnel tubes!"

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5235/7042981561_3a8079669d_z.jpg

"Ok, I'm bored now, I think I'll head to bed..."

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5332/7042974339_1abf61e350_z.jpg

And a video of Max looking a bit annoyed that I cleaned his cage...:

"Hey, none of this stuff smells quite right!"

4Xnot6KoYe0

[MommaHammie]

That cage is awesome! I love all the toys, tubes and everything :D Max is a one lucky hammy!

[gutterglitterxx]

Still love this cage! Max uses it now, as Isabel got upgraded to a 30 Gallon Breeder aquarium some time ago.

I swapped Max to [mostly] white bedding, as he was hard to see against Carefresh Natural in my dim room... I can spot him right away now! Anyway, here Maxie gives you a tour of his updated home in his F.O.P. Gabia Tamburino Linea Natura and shows how much stuff can fit into it:

What did you use to make your shelves? They look great, and more importantly very sturdy!

[Hamtastic]

I usually use plywood from Home Depot, but for the rounded shelves (of which I have 3 for various habitats), I used unfinished wood corner shelves from H.D. I made legs out of round dowels and made borders for bedding with fluted dowel pins (also from H.D.) I sprayed the platforms with Krylon transparent lacquers to make them pee-proof. So that's the large platform. The small one to the right is just plywood with dowel pins. I have various rectangular platforms in other habitats as well.

[gutterglitterxx]

I usually use plywood from Home Depot, but for the rounded shelves (of which I have 3 for various habitats), I used unfinished wood corner shelves from H.D. I made legs out of round dowels and made borders for bedding with fluted dowel pins (also from H.D.) I sprayed the platforms with Krylon transparent lacquers to make them pee-proof. So that's the large platform. The small one to the right is just plywood with dowel pins. I have various rectangular platforms in other habitats as well.

They look very nice! Thanks for the info. I'm thinking about adding one to the Zoo Zone for Roxy. :)

[hammy_luver]

Looking awesome as usual :). I started using Kaytee Clean & Cozy on top of the Carefresh bedding so I can see Sheldon easier too. He loves to make his bed with it. :P

[Puchiko]

I really wanted one of these after reading this thread but AbbaSeed wants $75 after shipping for it :(. That's a bit too much so looks like I will be sticking to bin cages if I wanna get another cage.

[Silver]

Hello Hamtastic,

Are these the same as the Fop Tamburino but without the wooden things which come in different colours?.

And how deep is the plastic tray bit at the bottom?

Thank You

Silver xxx

[Hamtastic]

Too bad about the shipping =/ That seems very excessive - not sure how far you live for something that high of an amount!!! The shop is located in New Jersey. I can't imagine more than $30-40 for shipping (and hopefully much less). I usually paid ~$20 +/- for ZooZone1 shipping via USPS. I think UPS would not be much more than that.

This cage is a F.O.P. Gabia Tamburino (guinea pig cage) in the "Linea Natura" version. Regular Gabia Tamburinos come in white, the Linea Natura versions are olive with brown and have wooden accessories.

The bottom tray is 6" or 15cm (excluding the very low stand at the bottom of the tray)

[Silver]

Thank You Hamtastic

Silver xxx

[pickytxmom]

Hi!!

Do you happen to know if AbbaSeed carries anymore of the FOP cages?? Also, where did you get your ZooZone1.

THANKS!!!

[Hamtastic]

I would recommend that you call them and ask them directly, as I am not in any way affiliated with them, so I really don't know.

ZZ1s pop up on Craigslist and eBay time to time.

[The Hamster's family]

Hi!!

Do you happen to know if AbbaSeed carries anymore of the FOP cages?? Also, where did you get your ZooZone1.

THANKS!!!

They still were not too long ago ! Like few weeks ago... =)

[pickytxmom]

I ended up purchasing 2 FOP cages from AbbaSeed about 2 months ago. I bought the Linea Natura and the Gabbia Criceto Charlie (the same exact cage except orange with a platform....it is on the FOP web site). I am very happy with both. In hind sight, I wish I would have bought 2 of the Charlie.....more "stuff" came with it (water bottle, house, platform, food dish, wheel).

On the Linea Natura I had to put velcro on the water bottle so it would stick to the cage :).

AbbaSeed was WONDERFUL!!!! Very, very helpful! I paid about $150 for both cages and this included the shipping!!!

I am so glad I found these cages......

[Hamtastic]

Thank you for the update, Pickytxmom - glad you like the cages.

Is this the other cage you got?
FOP Articoli per animali - GABBIA CRICETO CHARLIE PRESTIGE (http://www.fop.it/site.asp?*p=100&fArticolo=20040370)

I'll update my original post with a link to it and a note. Looks like a good one (though I'm partial to the olive brown, and I'd likely not use that wheel in favor of Wodent Wheels), and it wasn't yet available back when I ordered my Gabia Tamburino.

[pickytxmom]

Hi hamtastic!!! Yes, that is my cage :). I removed the wheel that comes with it and put another one in. One of the things I like about this cage is that it has smaller doors on the top so I don't have to open the whole lid to reach in!!

I love both cages!!!

[strawberrysmom]

They have a way to add it to paypal cart now. Click add next to the picture of it on Abbaseed and it reads as "Tamburino Hamster Cage" on paypal invoice. The description details BESIDE the image of the cage is wrong - it's about some sort of bird stand. But if you click add to cart you can see the item number is correct with the number on the image as well as the listing on the FOP site! I just ordered one! Yesterday though so it won't ship probably until Monday or Tuesday since I think they are closed on weekends. (And i checked their Facebook to make sure the hurricane didn't cause them shipping problems).

I am SO excited about this cage. I'm taking a risk with Gerbils in it. I hope they won't chew their way out of it.

[jesselle]

ooo lucky people getting this cage!

[Janali]

Strawberrysmom - I have the Gabia Tamburino (Linea Natura) for dwarfs and I have gerbils in a 15 gallon tank. My gerbies would gnaw their way out within 24 hours if I put them in it.

[strawberrysmom]

My hubby gave me the go ahead as an early Christmas present for this cage! I am so excited. I might call the company to be sure all is okay about the order. They were hurricane impacted. I am going to try with Gerbils but the moment I notice them gnawing I'll switch out and put one of my robos in it and put the gerbils in the 20 gallon the robo is in. I heard of people keeping their gerbils in ZZ2's and it seemed they had no problem with them chewing out but maybe because they have different types of plastic for their base.

[Hamtastic]

I think Gerbils might make quick work out of that cage, as its plastic is not that thick, and they could find places to chew around where the bottom tray joins with the top transparent cover. Would be safer to keep them in something they can't chew through, like your aquarium.

[strawberrysmom]

Hmm, sounds like I'll need to do a little shuffle of the critters when this comes in. They haven't shipped it yet as they are backed up big time with delayed shipments due to the hurricane.

Well, I'm just excited to get this! No matter who gets to make their home in it!!!

[strawberrysmom]

It's coming tomorrow. I called to be sure the online order thing worked and it did and they had it shipped out today and emailed me a tracking number. So, they are definitely modernizing their online services.

[strawberrysmom]

What a lovely cage! I jump on board to highly recommend it!

[jesselle]

i think i found the cage in the uk? buying from the irish site is cheaper :)

Buy Pet Supplies from Pet Shop Online, Irelands Largest Pet Shop NATURA GUINEA PIG CAGE 75CM (http://www.petshoponline.ie/index.php/natura-guinea-pig-cage-75cm)

use the discount code pet20 before 1st dec and the cage comes to 56 euros...

[Hambobs]

i think i found the cage in the uk? buying from the irish site is cheaper :)

Buy Pet Supplies from Pet Shop Online, Irelands Largest Pet Shop NATURA GUINEA PIG CAGE 75CM (http://www.petshoponline.ie/index.php/natura-guinea-pig-cage-75cm)

use the discount code pet20 before 1st dec and the cage comes to 56 euros...

Thanks for this - been looking for this cage for ages! I've just ordered it from the Irish site as the 20% discount doesn't seem to be available on the UK site, and it ships from Ireland anyway.

Got it for £39.93 - Cage is 59.99 euros, apply the pet20 discount code at checkout and it comes to 47.99 euros with free shipping.

Interestingly, I've just checked the site again & the cage no longer appears... wonder if it was the only one they had...

[jesselle]

awesome! i'm glad someone benefitted... even if it was the last one! enjoy :)

[Elissa]

Hi,

I know this is a forum about hamsters but it seems to be the only place to fint informations on the Gabbia Tamburina.
I've got 2 gerbils, and I have to leave my house for the next two month. I couldn't take my tank with me (too big). So they are now in a temporary, totally inadapted cage. :-?

Since I can't find a second-hand tank (and can't afford a new one), and I don't want to wait more for getting them a correct house, I was thinking of the Gabbia Tamburina or the Duna Multy.

Do you think the tamburina can resist a gerbil's teeth for a while? I'm mainly concerned about the joint between the two parts of the cage. Is there a way they could find an angle to attack it?
They are not big fans of plastic chewing, but if it's just in front of them they might try it, so I'd rather be sure that there are no big and obvious weakpoints.


(I'm not a native english speaker, so excuse me if some of my sentences sounds weird ;))

[Hamtastic]

I'd avoid plastic cages. There will definitely be plastic parts in this cage they can grab onto and chew, so potentially, yes, they could chew holes in it or a Mini Duna.

[Razzy]

Im looking into buying this cage for my future ham.
Does anyone know how to or if we even can get a replacement part for the mini duna shelf ? I really like that idea.

[kazistree]

Hello! I am just a tad late to this thread but wanted to let you know that I just ordered this cage from abba seed (they sell it on ebay - which turns out is a lot cheaper than ordering from their website.

Question: It doesn't seem to come with a water bottle. Does anyone have any recommendations for the water bottle that will work best with this cage?

Thanks :)

[CMB]

Strong Velcro on the tank and water bottle to hold it in place.

You can buy a water bottle with a loop on top and wire hook to that goes through the loop and then the other end hooks onto the wire.

Water bottle stands are available to buy or some hamster play blocks with holes to climb through can hold the water bottle.