Bin cage suggestions

[sailorjerry]

Good evening all!

I am looking into gathering supplies to make a bin cage within the next few weeks. I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for the base box to use. I know a lot of people have recommended the SAMLA box from Ikea - but I just don't like that it slopes inwards. I ideally want a flat box (if that makes sense?!)

Anyway, any help or suggestions would be hugely appreciated!

[BluerayDarkes]

What do you mean by slopes inwards? I've not noticed any sort of sloping with the Samla containers, and I have at least five of them

[Wanna Hamster]

I agree with BD, the SAMLA doesn't slope and is a great cage!

[Piebald]

From the images I get with a search it does appear to slope inwards a little but it doesn't seem to cause any problems and given the response above it probably isn't very noticeable!

[Fluffagrams]

If you're really not keen on the Samla then the Really Useful Boxes have more straight sides but can be a bit more pricey with the larger ones not being that much cheaper than some of the recommended cages.

What kind of hamster will the bin cage be for?

[sailorjerry]

If you're really not keen on the Samla then the Really Useful Boxes have more straight sides but can be a bit more pricey with the larger ones not being that much cheaper than some of the recommended cages.

What kind of hamster will the bin cage be for?

I looked into those, yes they're very pricey! :(
It'll be for a dwarf hamster :)

[sailorjerry]

What do you mean by slopes inwards? I've not noticed any sort of sloping with the Samla containers, and I have at least five of them


That's reassuring to know :) I've attatched an image from the website to try and show what I mean.

Do you have any pictures of your bin cage? I'd love to see! :)

[BluerayDarkes]

There isn't any actual sloping not that I can see.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c160/blueraydragon/20150424_123727_zpsvy0nftiy.jpg
This is one of the three cages what the hybrids live in, I had my syrian in two of them but since she kept escaping she was changed to a barred cage.

[sailorjerry]

There isn't any actual sloping not that I can see.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c160/blueraydragon/20150424_123727_zpsvy0nftiy.jpg
This is one of the three cages what the hybrids live in, I had my syrian in two of them but since she kept escaping she was changed to a barred cage.


Thanks for responding. I guess it must just be the angle I was looking at it. That cage looks great! Uh oh! How did the syrian escape?!

[BluerayDarkes]

No worries. She's a little escape artist that one, she has had six break outs. She pushed out her tunnel once, and her most recent escapes were her escaping out of an old hole we fixed up and tugging her tunnel apart. Yummy is a smart cookie.

[Robodwarfs18]

I think the SAMLA bin is good one by the looks of it. My bins are from Wilko. It's just big enough for a hamster cage, they are about the minimum cage size I believe. The dimensions are 79x49cm I think and are £10 each. Quite a good sized bin but not so good if your going to have an open top bin as the height of bin is quite low and if there are quite large toys in the cage, your hammy would be on the loose :D If you want to give your hamster(s) some more space, I would stack two of the bins on top of each other and if your up for the extra work, cut some holes and runs some tubing through the bins so you have a two storey bin.

Once your bin(s) are done, be sure to post some pics :)

[Pingu]

I use the 84ltr Really Useful Boxes for my gerbils, they are great. Straight sides with nothing to get hold of a chew on. Yes, they are a little more pricey than others but they are strong, durable and have a proper locking lid too.

[toubihax]

That's reassuring to know :) I've attatched an image from the website to try and show what I mean.

Do you have any pictures of your bin cage? I'd love to see! :)

Most (all?) injection molded items will have a slope. It's called a draft angle and it's there so that the mold cavity doesn't drag or stick to the plastic when it's releasing.

[sailorjerry]

I think the SAMLA bin is good one by the looks of it. My bins are from Wilko. It's just big enough for a hamster cage, they are about the minimum cage size I believe. The dimensions are 79x49cm I think and are £10 each. Quite a good sized bin but not so good if your going to have an open top bin as the height of bin is quite low and if there are quite large toys in the cage, your hammy would be on the loose :D If you want to give your hamster(s) some more space, I would stack two of the bins on top of each other and if your up for the extra work, cut some holes and runs some tubing through the bins so you have a two storey bin.

Once your bin(s) are done, be sure to post some pics :)

Thanks for your help! After two days of hard slogging (and a lot more help from my boyfriend than I care to admit!) my bin cage is done! I was sceptical at first, but now I'm really proud of how it's turned out! I'll post pics in a sec :)

[sailorjerry]

Here's the first set of pictures.

This set I'd like to call "panic mode/what the hell am I even doing?" hahaha.
As you can see, we had a bit of a mishap and my boyfriend actually snapped the top of the bin - he was gutted!

We persevered though - and I feel it has really paid off, as I will show in the next set of pictures!

[sailorjerry]

Here are the more finishing touches.

I bought some carefresh bedding because I saw a lot of youtubers using it - however I did not like the six pound price tag! So, I decided to use half of this, and half wood shavings.. I like to call the current layout the accidental beach haha.

We bought lots of new toys for her to keep her entertained. After barely any time in the new cage, Pepper came to life! She has been exploring and stuffing her cheeks with the new substrate to make her new little house more of a home.

[sailorjerry]

And here my little baby is!

That final picture is possibly my favourite picture I've ever taken of her. I'm jsut in the process of decorating some wooden bunting to go on the outside of the cage :)

Please let me know what you guys think. For a first attempt, I'm quite impressed.

[sailorjerry]

Just added the finishing touches - really quite proud of this! And clearly the lady herself approves

[Scarlett Empress]

You've made it look so pretty! :) I like how you used the bars on it. She's such a little sweetie and I'm glad to hear she is enjoying her lovely new home!

[cypher]

That looks really good, well done!
I'm sure she must love it :)

[Robodwarfs18]

Look super!! The bunting on the bars is so cute aww! :)

[sailorjerry]

Thank you so much for all of your kind words! x

[sailorjerry]

You've made it look so pretty! :) I like how you used the bars on it. She's such a little sweetie and I'm glad to hear she is enjoying her lovely new home!

We really wanted to have the mesh, but unfortunately it was a pain in the backside to get a single sheet of mesh, rather than a roll! If we got the roll, that plus the price of the bin from IKEA would've cost more than a house rabbit cage! (my initial plan for Pepper, before the bin!) but, as a whole it's turned out really well! The bars are from a playpen set from Pets At Home :)