Imac Fantasy cage review

[Jazza1970]

I thought I would post a review on the imac fantasy hamster palace cage. Overall this cage is good for Syrians. It is very spacious and is large enough to house my Syrian hamster. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51RXY2fk6vL.jpg
I started of with the original cage and eventually bought another three cage extension kits to build the cage up to a 5 storey cage!
My hamster loves It! It does come with a far to small wheel for a syrian hamster though, however I replaced it for an 8.5 inch silent spinner wheel. It also comes with a food bowl and built in nesting area.The cage is very easy to clean and is very well airiated.
HOWEVER it is most certainly NOT suitable for dwarf hamsters. My sister had the same cage but had to get rid of it and make a bin cage when her hamsters leg got stuck in the door of the cage! Her leg got caught in the metal clip which hold the door onto the cage ( its at the bottom of the door) Luckily the gap is only small enough for baby dwarfs to get stuck in and not syrians. She had severe nerve damage and as a result had to have her little leg amputated. Which racked up a £90 bill ( but luckily she was ok, thats the main thing). Not happy. A few months on now and she is coping perfectly well on three legs. My imac cage has since had the metal on the cage doors tightened so that there is no way of my hamster Bonnie's leg getting trapped.
Thank you for reading and please do not buy this cage for dwarfs!

[freyashamsters]

Sorry but the cage and wheel are both far below the minimums for both Syrian and dwarf hamsters. Modular cages with tubes and levels are most certainly not suitable as cages for dwarf or Syrian hamsters as condensation can build up in the tubes and compartments and is altogether a very unhygienic and unnatural accommodation for any species of hamster. It is also thought by most people that if you keep adding levels onto a cage that isn't large enough that it will make it large enough, however this isn't true as hamsters are naturally ground dwellers.

Also, there's no such thing as an 8.5" Silent Spinner - the only sizes are 4.5", 6.5", and 12" - the 12" is the only size suitable for a Syrian and there have been reports of them not spinning well. Exactly the reason why low cages like this are not suitable as they cannot accommodate the 11" wheel that Syrian hamsters need.

Not trying to offend you in any way - just stating that in my opinion it isn't suitable for full-time living :)

[Jazza1970]

I understand that there may not be enough ground level room but unfortunately I do not have the room to accommodate such a big cage. There is an 8.5 inch wheel actually, and I will try and post a link here. This cage is the best I can do and is far bigger and has a lot more ground space than most cages.
Thank you for your reply
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Superpet-Silent-Spinner-Regular/dp/B0013KA8DA

[freyashamsters]

I understand that there may not be enough ground level room but unfortunately I do not have the room to accommodate such a big cage. There is an 8.5 inch wheel actually, and I will try and post a link here. This cage is the best I can do and is far bigger and has a lot more ground space than most cages.
Thank you for your reply
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Superpet-Silent-Spinner-Regular/dp/B0013KA8DA

Oh okay, I haven't seen that version of the wheel before :) I agree it is far bigger than most cages and if your ham uses all 5 levels (which I'm assuming he/she is) then I guess they are getting as much space as possible. Sorry if I offended you :D

[Jazza1970]

Yes she definitely does use all 5 levels and the cage actually looks a lot bigger in real life. You didn't offend me at all! ��

[CMB]

If your Syrian is young/small. Keep an eye as it grows. Some Syrians get really big and other people have had a Syrian get stuck in tubes.

[Elliiy]

i would recommend getting a bin cage since their cheap and use the cage you have as an extension so it has an appropriate amount of room and you could even add a bigger wheel when your hammy gets bigger

[Crayolalaura]

I had this cage for both my Syrians as I don't have the length ways space so chose to get a cage that could extend upwards! Both hamsters had a ground floor first floor second floor and then top floor so lots of room and I reduced as my hamster got elderly
The wheel is rubbish though. Got rid of that straight away lol
The hamsters chewed the bottom ends of the tubes like no tomorrow and one ate up the botto,s of the green clips!

If you don't have the length ways space I recommend because you can extend upwards for more space but only for Syrians.
I just got a Russian dwarf and I really don't think it's suitable for her (I bought her another anyway as I didn't even wanna attempt it lol

For people considering this cage Please do not buy the cage only as is as it's too small. You will need at least one extra extension (unless hamster is elderly)

[Pebbles82]

I agree it's not a great cage for a Syrian. Lots of levels would help, as long as they had a big enough wheel, but the cages don't hold enough substrate really, and some Syrians grow quite large and need a 12" wheel which I doubt would fit. Lots of levels would help, but ideally they need more floor space on one level to be able to have normal hamstery behaviours and enough enrichment.

Sorry - I can tell you are enthusiastic about it, and it's certainly not one of the worst cages, but not popular on here due to it's limitations in size, depth of base and so on.

The Alaska is a popular basic cage for Syrians - from Zooplus - check it out :-) Also way cheaper! It may not look as fun but some people have made lovely set ups in them - you start with the basic cage, loads of substrate for digging and burrowing, a level or two, plenty of height for even a 12" wheel but not too high to be dangerous and lots of floor space for hidey places and toys without being an extremely large cage.

Alaska Hamster Cage | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus! (http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/hamster_cages/hamster_cages/284288)

It also has a big front opening door which helps with taming and good for accessing things in the cage and it folds flat if you ever need to transport it.

Unfortunately "spacious" is a matter of perspective! I started out with a way too small cage - that seemed quite spacious in lots of little units - but our hamster was having problems with the tubes (he got stuck in one) so I did a bit of research and at the time 80cm by 50cm minimum was the recommended cage size for syrians (continuous floor space, not including levels). So I bought an 80cm by 50cm cage - which seemed huge - but I immediately wished I had bought bigger than the minimum recommended as it filled up so quickly with a large wheel in - and ended up upgrading our Syrian to the 100cm Barney cage, which in my opinion is ideal. The Alaska is great - but I think some people regret not going a bit bigger for a Syrian.

[AmityvilleHams]

Even 80 x 50 cages can't please every hamster.I completely understand how it can seem like one size of cage is wonderful and is huge,but really even that size can be a pain due to the width more than anything.

I know my Syrian isn't happy even in an 80 x 50 bin,and I also know that such a size isn't perfect and if anything it just barely allows for enrichment if you set it up just right.An 8.5 inch Comfort Wheel already takes up 1/6th of the cage,then with two hideouts sized for medium to large Syrians half the cage is already filled and these aren't even houses with rooms or anything :( I don't think it would hurt to have an extra 20 cm or more of length,but it wouldn't change things drastically either.

[Pebbles82]

Just wanted to add - unfortunately most commercial cages sold in pet shops are quite small, as you rightly said. Zooplus is a popular site for many members for buying cages online with free shipping. They are reasonably priced and the Alaska, Barney, Alexander and Kerry Terrarium are all popular. There is quite a good range out there, but usually means buying online. I did a video of my top ten favourite hamster cages earlier this year, which includes some of the popular ones - it might give some ideas. The main thing is to look at the size/depth and how good the access is. They may look plain empty but you can have tubes and tunnels as in cage toys which makes a more natural type of habitat for a hamster. Syrians tend to need rat sized toys and tunnels to avoid problems with tubes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSKzn0g3sVk

The big word for happy healthy hamstercare these days is "enrichment". That means a variety of things

Depth of substrate (minimum 3 to 4" but ideally 6" to 12" or more. Most cages won't fit more than 6")

Plenty of places to go/things to do within a single area so the hamster can exercise and arrange their habitat (they like to arrange piles of substrate, dig tunnels and have hoards in various places).

A big enough wheel. 11" is a popular size for a Syrian and 6.5" to 8" for a dwarf hamster.

A good sized house that's dark inside - big enough to build a big nest so they can keep warm in winter. A tube or tunnel over the door helps keep it dark inside. They need somewhere dark to retreat to.

A sand bath.

Plenty of Toys - tunnels and hidey places (eg cardboard boxes, a plant pot on its side or other little hideouts).

A stone or terracotta plant pot base to help keep nails trim.

A shelf to sit on or under

Chews to help keep their teeth short

So enrichment is - the variety in the cage to prevent boredom, to allow the hamster to roam and forage and have normal behaviours.

You don't necessarily need a massive cage to have good enrichment, but with more space in the cage it can be easier to add more enrichment.