cage dwarf happy ?

[carefresh]

well i have made up my mind that i will be buying a dwarf. i saw a cage on ebay that was rather nice and it was adorable. it is a crittertrail cage (i'm pretty sure it is) and it's quite nice. it has a short vertical tube up to a nesting area. i was wondering if this cage is suitable for a dwarf hamster ? if u would like to see the picture of this cage check out ~



http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... otohosting (http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1286&item=4362920232&rd=1#ebayphotohosting)



Oh ya ! it comes with a metal runged wheel (as u can see it's in the photo ) and i'm just going to throw it out !



thank you for your help ! in advance...tee hee ! :D

[SnuggleHam]

I think most cages are generally too small. Dwarfs are also capable of squeezing through most wire cages. The auction doesn’t seem to say what kind of hamster it is for. There are plastic cages like this made for mice and dwarfs. This is what you want.



But you may want to look into buying an aquarium as they have more room. Id get something larger then a 10 gallon. Also if you are getting dwarf you might want to get two since they are social animals. Unless you plan on spending a ton of time with it. But understand that dwarf hamsters aren’t as cuddly and harder to handle.



If you do get two you still need to be ready to separate the two incase they end up getting aggressive towards each other. But they are communal; generally I think they get along. Just makes rue you get two of the same sex and from the same litter.

[carefresh]

oh ya, i forgot to mention. i will only be getting one dwarf hamster and i will spend a lot of time with him or her. also i forgot to mention that the exact same cage is in my petstore and it says that it is for dwarfs and mice, the cage was about 30 $ canadian (which i can afford) but if i can get it even cheaper than it's so much better. also if it seems to be getting a bit small then i'll expand !

[Emma]

It really is best to get a pair of dwarf hamsters, even if you do plan on spending a lot of time with it - you're not another hamster. Dwarves that live on their own actually have a reduced lifespan compared to those who have company.



That cage is a Crittertrail 1, right? I think it depends on the size of your hamster - some smaller hams find the tubes difficult. That cage really is a minimum, and does have the advantage like you say of being expandable. Cages are a bit of a personal preference, everyone has their own ideas on size, types etc. I personally don't like the Crittertrail range but other people do. Size-wise I think it is on the small size even for a single dwarf.

[carefresh]

i wont be getting the cage off of ebay because of it may be cheap...before shipping ! i'd have to pay 25 dollars in shipping ! so i may as well buy the cage afrom the store. i am reconsidering buying a crittertrail one becasue of the size issue, but i'm quite sure this is the cage i'll get. i'll defanately be adding some sort of expansion to it for more space. Oh ya i was wondering. i heard (not sure where) that dwarfs aren't very good at going up verticals...would the vertical up to the nesting area still be ok for a dwarf ?

[hammydude]

Have you thought about building a bin cage?You can see how to build one by going to hamstercentral and clicking on articals.It's the only artical there right now so it shouldn't be too hard to find :D I know that Candacebell and Afishcalledwanda have each built one. I will attempt to build one as soon as I gather all of the supplies.

[carefresh]

yes i have thought of building a bin cage, but i saw this cage and fell in love with it ! also all the accesories looked like so much fun for the hammie !

[afishcalledwanda]

Carefresh, you may want this cage because YOU fell in love with it but, did you consider that it is your HAMSTER that has to LOVE it?



Pretty is as pretty does I always say.



I have had plenty of bad experiences with the CRitterTrail line of products. One of them being that the lid on the petting zone comes crashing down on hamster heads, often. I almost lost a baby hamster this way. I wrote the company about this and got nothing less than a 'We know more than you so shut up' kind of reply. With that kind of attitude, they can shove their products you know where!



That cage is way too small for any dwarf hamster and the dwarves have a hard time climbing the tubes because they have hairy feet. The water bottles with the cage stink as well. The cage is made of cheap plastic that breaks easily, so don't drop it when cleaning it! It's also difficult to clean. It only looks like the base just pops off, but all the wire and sides, and top all fall apart and you have to assemble the whole thing again from scratch. Others have had problems with the latch on the door. The hamsters can escape if the latch isn't tight enough. The wheel and shelves are another bad design. The hamsters always want to run across the top of the wheel to the other side. You cannot train them not to. What happens is the wheel goes in the opposite direction of the way hammie is going,then he gets trapped between the wheel and shelf, often dieing if no one is home to rescue him on time.



You should also reconsider the one or two hamster deal. Having only one hamster for selfish reasons is cruel to the quality of life for the particular animal you want to get.



I'd rather have an ugly roomy cage that can accomodate alot of bedding for the hamster to tunnel in, and a sand box to potty and bathe in, a big wheel to run on and tons of space to run than a crummy cramped plastic cage that breaks or kills.

[carefresh]

well i am reconsidering the cage because of all the reasons everybody put down. If i do end up buying this cage i am going to buy 2 and attach them (would that be enough space and would my futur hammie like it better id i added even more space ?)



Afishcalledwanda you said this : Having only one hamster for selfish reasons is cruel to the quality of life for the particular animal you want to get.



I didn't know that i said any selfish reasons, or did i ?



Also i was going to definately put a lock of somesort on the door. Aldo there aren't any legges in the cage that i can see. I read alot of reveiws of the cage on the internet, some were good and some were bad. The majoritie of the reveiws were good. As i said i am reconsidering this cage but if i do buy this cage a will buy alot of add ons and a whole second cage.

[carefresh]

oh ya. as fort the vertical tube...is it true that i can put a ladder inside the tube so that my little futur hammie can climb up it easily ?

[babyboos]

Hi there, I am sorry but I must agree with the majority of posters here - this company is really not designing these cages with the interests of the hamsters at heart - the new Revolution is a major case in point, and these water bottles are rubbish - they leak constantly so you need to throw it in the bin and then try to block the hole it leaves so your little oneS don't escape. Dwarf hamsters are not good at climbing vertical tubes and you would be better getting a nice solid sided enclosure that will allow you to give your little oneS a nice deep litter layer - as they much prefer to dig - they love it in fact :P And if you can PLEASE get two same sex siblings - you will have happier hamsters, with a much greater qulaity of life and as Emma pointed out it really has been proven that they live longer when given the company of their own kind. Of course some decide they want to live alone but I sincerely think this should be their decision, not ours. I hope you can find it in your heart to get two little ones - watching them interact is one of the great pleasures of dwarf hamster ownership.

[carefresh]

I have decided that since I cannot have 2 dwarves in my house I will get a Syrian to give one hamster a better life !

[babyboos]

I think it would be best - you are very mature and sensible :P



Plus you can cuddle a Syrian a lot easier than a Dwarf :lol:

[carefresh]

I have also taken evrerybodies advice and I will be constructing a bin cage ! I have already made plans to make a very extravagant cage with as much space as possible !

[babyboos]

That is excellent news - good luck - I hope the articles available here on Hamster Central give you some inspiration. The bigger is definitely the better. If you have any suggestions for home-made furniture we would love to hear them :?: :oops:

[SnuggleHam]

Oh Yay Bin cage!! *dances*



I just love them!! I posted an article on how I made my bin cage on Hamster Central, Its not nearly as In depth as Afishcalledwandas, But it just shows what I basically did and how. :)



I think its best to get one Syrian instead of one dwarf, although people say its ok if you handle a dwarf allot by itself, I still think they are more suited to being with a cage mate and watched more then handled.



I love my two Roborovskis, but I don’t really bother handling them expect when its time to take them out for cage cleaning. But I could watch those little guys all night long because they are just so adorable! But if you want something that you can interact with I think a Syrian is best,



So good decision.. And you bin cage probably wont cost you more then 20 bucks at the most :P If you want something that awake during the day get a gerbil :P

[babyboos]

Although again these are social creatures and two is best - Syrians are quite unique really - guinea pigs, rabbits, rats, mice, etc (I am sure there are masses more), all have a better quality of life when kept in pairs or small groups.

[catalat]

I must agree bin cages are very nice. I made one myself and love it!

[babyboos]

Oh Cathryn you will please have to show us Pumkin's enclosure if you get the chance :?: :P