Cage Review: Crittertrail Discovery Deluxe

[MismatchedMongrel]

Amazon.com: Super Pet CritterTrail Discovery Deluxe Habitat: Pet Supplies (http://www.amazon.com/Super-Pet-CritterTrail-Discovery-Habitat/dp/B001SAD7Z6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330843435&sr=8-1)

I have this one for Mia and she's been in it over a year now and its my favorite of the SuperPet cages, its actually one of the biggest.

The Good: There is a HUGE window in the front and you can see your little friend from every angle.
There is a removable second level.. I dont use it. I have this cage hooked up to a Crittertrail Primary.
I really like this cage for a dwarf, it has a little carrying case that you can put your little buddy in when cleaning the cage (assuming you dont want to use a ball).
Its really secure.
Ive dropped this thing half a dozen times and it does NOT break, its really hardy.
It also has three places to connect other cages to, which is pretty cool ;D

The Bad: There are not a lot of bad things about it, but the waterbottle it comes with absolutely sucks and it is on the back of the cage and can be hard to get in. There is no place for another water bottle, I use a clip to keep mine in place.
I wouldn't put a syrian in it.. they do better in bin cages.. but if you do have to put a syrian in one and you can hook it up to other crittertrails, it works great :D.
The snaps that hold the cage close CAN break.. mine have not and I'm rough with it.. but it always depends on the cage.

Any other questions? Just ask!!!

[Lougarry]

Personally, I would say this is way too small for any hamster. Possibly you could keep mealworms in it.

[Mona's Humans]

Personally, I would say this is way too small for any hamster. Possibly you could keep mealworms in it.

searching for the 'like' button, but i just can't find it.....

[BaileyandBeth]

I have to agree with Lougarry on this, that cage is tiny, I wouldnt even look twice at it in a shop.

[PICKLES09]

No offense mean't but why do companies make such tiny homes for our hammies?? I agree I would not buy this.

[BaileyandBeth]

No offense mean't but why do companies make such tiny homes for our hammies?? I agree I would not buy this.

To make a profit on under educated pet owners, it isn't about welfare for them.

[PICKLES09]

Very true Beth :-( It's not fair...

[jess_jolie]

It's because they are starter homes apparently that you need to upgrade - they just never actually mention about upgrading them!

[kyrilliondaemon]

It's because they are starter homes apparently that you need to upgrade - they just never actually mention about upgrading them!

I think thats just P@H's excuse unless other stores give it too lol

And unfortunately I agree with Lougarry and the others. Its just not big enough for an active hamster unfortunately. Not by the standards most have learnt are the bare minimum for hamsters.

[MismatchedMongrel]

Well, considering I wrote this for AMERICAN hamster owners and we have very few options other than fish tanks and bins. AND I wrote this as one of the largest ADD-ON cages, its a fine cage. The fact that ya'll live in europe where the cages are larger on average means something entirely different and this isn't for you anyway.

[kyrilliondaemon]

Er... Actually if we really want we can get crittertrail too so its relevant. We just don't want to get the stuff.

And having less cage options doesn't give you an excuse to use cages you know are below the reccomended minimum cage size. There are aquariums, there are bins and neither is that hard to use as a cage.

Plus add-ons are fine, but you've made it sound like it works alone and given no suggestions of what to add it to when without adding it to something its not a good enough cage. You'd also need to add it to an aquarium or bin so may as well save yourself some money and skip getting the crittertrail.

Oh and on average stores don't sell much better stuff over here. We can buy tiny horrible things that're not even suitable carry cases as cages if we want. Yes we have access to websites and rabbit/rat cages, but large ham cages are still not widely avaliable, they're just more so than in America. Plus Americans can buy a decent sized ham cage, Hamtastic has proven it, so thats not much of an excuse anymore either.

Americans shouldn't give their hams worse homes just because giving them good ones is harder. We don't give ours below minimum reccomendations just because we can't buy a good sized cage easily and I don't believe its much of an excuse for anyone else either.


Oh and one minor note I missed the first time - No, multiple crittertrail cages do not make for a good cage. As I have explained in other threads, modular systems cannot replace one big open area. Our syrian has over 4000 square cm of modular stuff, but its not good enough. She also has big open spaces and those are what makes her cage suitable for her. Modular stuff (like crittertrail) is only ever suitable as an extra to the cage, and even I'll say that its a very expensive extra really.

[PinkPrincess]

I agree with Sam, just because it's harder to find a decent sized cage where you live it's no excuse to house your hamster in something that is, in my opinion far too small. Crittertrail cages are not fit for the purpose they are built.

[BaileyandBeth]

Again I agree with Sam, it isn't easy finding good cages here either, I spent five weeks chasing every route to get a decent cage. There isn't an excuse really other than ignorance which you haven't got because you know these cages aren't suitable.

[PICKLES09]

This has been said before!! But I agree with the last 3 posts... You cannot blame us for having our opinion/say we only have the Hamster's interest at heart...

[Mikayla]

It's too small, there are alternatives in America. You do have aquariums and bins but you can also mesh a guinea pig cage, or there is a Ware Natural cage that is okay for a dwarf.

[Lougarry]

Haven't you got a beautiful homemade cage too, Mikayla?

[Mikayla]

Haven't you got a beautiful homemade cage too, Mikayla?

Forgot that one. I do have a lovely homemade cage that my dad made for me, it was quite simple too. :)