Savic Hamster Plaza review

[AprilPearl]

http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv38/TTWNGCBC/IMG_1236_zpsvbyn3bb4.jpg (http://s667.photobucket.com/user/TTWNGCBC/media/IMG_1236_zpsvbyn3bb4.jpg.html)

Thought I'd do a review of the Savic Plaza, seeing as nobody else has yet.

The stated dimensions for it are: 100cm X 50cm X 50cm, with a bar spacing of 9.5mm. However, my measurements were a little different, though please be aware that they could be inaccurate. I made the internal measurements nearer 97cm long X 46.5cm wide X 48cm tall. This still makes it big enough to fit a good number of toys and a large 12 inch wheel.

The base is 16cm tall, so in theory that is the maximum depth of substrate you could get in. I measured the bar spacing at 1cm apart.

What made me buy the Plaza in particular, was its large front opening door. This makes it somewhat of a unicorn among cages, as most seem to have very small doors. The measurements for the door are 38cm X 22cm, so it provides easy access to most of the cage. The door does have a fault, however. It is very difficult to open and close. Every time you do so, the paint is worn off the bars at the top of the door. Be warned if you have a skittish hamster, opening and closing the door will make a loud noise. On the plus side, this also makes it nigh on impossible for a hamster to push the door open from the inside. No more padlocks or bulldog clips required!

The plastic platform and ramp which the Plaza comes with are not great. You will probably want to buy or make different platforms. This will, of course, add to the cost of an already expensive cage. You're not going to be able to find the Plaza for under 75 pounds (including shipping costs). For that amount of money, you can buy many other cages of the same size. You could even have the Alexander, which, of course, comes equipped with good platforms. But, what you are paying for with the Plaza, really is that big door which is its USP that those other cages just don't have.

If you are looking for platforms to fit the Plaza, I bought two of these, one for each size of the cage:
Access Denied (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290403123055?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=590000861138&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT)

The above platforms are 45.72cm wide and 25cm deep. They fit well in the cage and are a good depth to help minimise open space. However, the design of the corners of the Plaza makes adding shelving difficult. Holding the wire side panels of the cage together at each corner, is a black plastic pole which juts out into the cage slightly, preventing the cage from having 90 degree corners. So, you will have to cut the corners off the two edges of the platform which sit in the corners of the cage. You can see this in the picture below. Obviously, don't forget to sand after cutting off the corners! And, you'll probably want to plastikote the platforms too - or use hemp mats.

http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv38/TTWNGCBC/20170616_122725_zpsl2yxuiaf.jpg (http://s667.photobucket.com/user/TTWNGCBC/media/20170616_122725_zpsl2yxuiaf.jpg.html)

Finally, I should add that I found this cage was incredibly difficult to put together! Getting one wire panel to slide into a plastic corner piece, without another falling out, was so frustrating. That could just be me, though.

Overall, I think it's a great cage. Obviously, it's not perfect, but it's as near to my idea of a perfect cage as I could find. It is also aesthetically pleasing and very robust - you can pick up the whole top section without the panels falling apart, as occurs with the Alaska.

Here's how I set up the Plaza for Quigley when he first came home. Since then, I've made adjustments to the platform height, substrate depth and moved a number if the toys to prevent falling hazards. But, it should give you an idea of what you can do with the space. Please note, I got Quigley at 6 weeks old and was told that he should not have a wheel in his cage until he is 8-9 weeks old. The space at the back is where the wheel will go.

http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv38/TTWNGCBC/20170614_193937_zpsh6ifnquy.jpg (http://s667.photobucket.com/user/TTWNGCBC/media/20170614_193937_zpsh6ifnquy.jpg.html)

[flowerfairy]

That looks lovely. I saw it on zoobio for just over 74.00 pounds, including postage.

https://www.zoo-bio.co.uk/savic/22085-hamster-plaza-knock-down

Those shelves look really strong and good quality as well.

[AprilPearl]

That looks lovely. I saw it on zoobio for just over 74.00 pounds, including postage.

https://www.zoo-bio.co.uk/savic/22085-hamster-plaza-knock-down

Those shelves look really strong and good quality as well.

I got it from Zoobio. It was €99.11, including postage, which worked out as £86.71. Price must have gone down since then... Or the exchange rate has gotten worse!

Yep, the shelves are great. As I said, they require a bit of DIY on the corners to make them fit the Savic's awkward shape. But, well worth the effort.

[BorisPasha]

Nice review AP, I would agree with everything you said. I found the front door really stiff to open too but it's loosened a little bit now but it is still really tight.

The shelf is terrible you're right. There are some cut out bits on the curved bit that make me worry someone will get their foot/leg caught in it. I'm glad you managed to find shelfs for it, I'll need to keep a note of the link for them as I haven't managed to find anything. I think I seen them at the time I was looking but worried they might be too heavy, but they look good and the cage is wheel supported with the uprights :)

[AprilPearl]

BorisPasha glad you like the review :) I can confirm that the wooden shelves I’ve used are really secure. They’re not in any danger of wobbling or falling, despite being thick. So, if you ever do want to use the cage I do recommend them.

[chesca_27]

Good review - the cage looks lovely as well. To be honest, this is my dream barred cage due to the wonderful door. I did see the cage somewhere without all the shelves and accessories which was cheaper so that be a better option to buy if you prefer your own set ups. I will see if I can dig up the link and attach on this thread.

[AprilPearl]

chesca wish I’d found the cage without all the extra bits! The only accessory I have used that it came with is the bottle because I like to offer two drinking bottles just in case one breaks.

[Pebbles82]

Great review April Pearl - thank you! Answered all my questions. I think all doors clang somewhat when they are closed, and my other Savic cage had a door that closed tightly and pulled at the paint too - but as you say, it's secure.

My dream cage too! I actually wrote to Savic about 18 months ago and asked them to make a 100cm hamster cage with a big front opening door like the Hamster Heaven - and they kept me up to date about it! You got one and I didn't lol. Congratulations on being the first to review this great cage! I had asked them to make it with 7mm bar spacing and a 30cm deep base lol. They did say they couldn't make a base that deep as it wouldn't be economical to set up new machinery. Bar spacing and height weren't confirmed at the time. They were maybe planning to do it anyway ha ha. Now it's less than £100 to buy I think it's a good option. The platforms look great - shame about the corners - you've done a neat job on them though.

[AprilPearl]

Serendipity in that case, I have you to thank for the creation of this cage! Hope you can get one if you’d like one, though I appreciate the bar spacing is problematic. So annoying that they ignored the one stipulation that was the most important to you! Maybe they will make one with 7mm spacing in future?

[Thin Lizzy]

The cage looks really lovely AP, I find that too at times, about not using all the accessories that come with cages. Why can't they just sell the cage alone?

[AprilPearl]

ThinLizzy or, better yet, why can’t they make the cage with quality accessories? Not asking for much! Just a decent sized wheel, good plaforms...

[flowerfairy]

It would be great to have a cage that came with decent shelves, etc like the alexander and with a large front door ... oh and 7mm bar spacing.

[Pebbles82]

Sounds ideal! Or - why can't they make it with 7mm bar spacing, the option of a 9" or 12" silent runner, a house and shelves like in the Alexander, and a rat sputnik :-) They would probably charge a heck of a price if all that was included, but better shelves and a house would be good.

I think they assume most people would just take out whatever it came with and do their own thing. Not the case - many people just use the Alexander as it is, and just need a wheel.

I think it's just the German cages that have wood accessories. Savic use their own plastic platforms etc.

[AprilPearl]

Thing is, I wouldn’t mind paying a more for a good wheel and quality platfotms to come with the cage, as I’m going to be buying them separately anyway if the ones provided aren’t any good.

[BorisPasha]

That would be perfect, it is a shame about the bar spacing it would have been better if it had been 7mm. I really don't like plastic shelves, I don't know why really but I just don't. I must admit I've kept all the plastic bits and pieces that came with the grosvenor and the HH (except the wheels!), it's always a spare bowl (not that I need any as I have more than enough) and I stick the little plastic houses in the playpen so that they have something to forage around in. The tubes from the HH aren't on the cage but in Boris's ranch lol :) Though I'm probably lucky in that my little guys can at least fit in the houses but when I see the size of them I can't imagine a grown Syrian fitting in anyway!

[cypher]

I've been trying not to look at this thread as I still want one lol!
I didn't think about the door closure being different as the HH & Mickey have the door going slightly over the top bars, they are all a bit stiff & noisy when you close them up tight but secure which is the main thing.
I think the chances of any manufacturer getting all the accessories you want right are virtually nil tbh, apart from the shelf for my Kevin which is a good basic shelf (even though I still don't use it lol!) I bin everything that comes with cages, I'd prefer it if they came with no accessories at all at a slightly cheaper price.

[AprilPearl]

Cypher haha sorry if my thread tempted you :p it is a great cage

Re the door: I guess I was just comparing it to the other cages I have had which close in the same way. For example, the Alaska. Compared to that, you do need to tug quite hard to get it open - though it’s actually shutting it again which I think is the most difficult and loud. You have to sort of pull the top of the door up and push the top bars that it fits over down at the same time in order to get the door over them. I don’t have the cages you mentioned, so I don’t know if it is any stiffer than them. Either way, I am pleased with how secure it is.

[Pebbles82]

I think they soon get used to door closing noises :-) The top door on the Barney is impossible to close without a fair bit of noise.

That also sounds like a good option Cypher! One price for a completely empty cage and another for one kitted out and ready to go. I hated having to work out a cage set up (as you know!) at first and it took me ages to get it right, but now I'm quite addicted to working out dimensions and heights of houses and levels and access to and from levels - lol.

[AprilPearl]

That would be good, too :) though what I’d love best of all would be being able to order a custom cage set up exactly how you want. Don’t need to be told that is a very expensive dream, which is almost guaranteed never to come true!

[Pebbles82]

Sounds like a business in the waiting for someone :-) Might not be profitable though.

[SKB_Hamsters]

This is a good review AprilPearl - I'm sure this will be a useful review to anyone considering getting this cage. This cage looks really nice and I like the way you have it set up with the wooden shelves.
It would be lovely if the sold cages without the accessories. I too also don't like the plastic corner shelves (I have the ferplast version got them free when I bought my previous cage on eBay) I used them a few times when I first bought the ferplast mary cage for Sherbet but soon switched them to wooden ledges which I much preferred.

[Thin Lizzy]

ThinLizzy or, better yet, why can’t they make the cage with quality accessories? Not asking for much! Just a decent sized wheel, good plaforms...

I so agree with you, I've still to see a cage with the proper sized wheel included.

[Nicky1875]

Hi, currently looking into this cage for our soon to be new Syrian hamster, I love the way you have set it up, could you help with the names of the shelving you used please, thankyou

[Pebbles82]

The shelving April got is from Ranchhouse cages on ebay. I've had some of theirs. They come in all different sizes along with the cage bar attachments and fixings. I particularly like their coloured bendy bridge that attaches to the bars as well as the shelves - I have two of those :-)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/m.html?_odkw=&epid=601180343&_ssn=ranchhousecages&hash=item43fa22e6e4%3Ag%3A0ysAAOSw5VFWHRqJ%3Ark%3A 2%3Apf%3A0&item=291959400164&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.XShelf .TRS0&_nkw=Shelf&_sacat=0

This one comes in different widths and depths and you choose the size you want

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30cm-Deep-Solid-Pine-Shelf-Platform-Rabbit-Guinea-Pig-Chinchilla-Cage/290403118250?hash=item439d5fecaa:m:mbgA_Wl7BBYkKIm uxp9tjwQ:rk:23:pf:0

[Nicky1875]

The shelving April got is from Ranchhouse cages on ebay. I've had some of theirs. They come in all different sizes along with the cage bar attachments and fixings. I particularly like their coloured bendy bridge that attaches to the bars as well as the shelves - I have two of those :-)

[URL="https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/m.html?_odkw=&epid=601180343&_ssn=ranchhousecages&hash=item43fa22e6e4%3Ag%3A0ysAAOSw5VFWHRqJ%3Ark%3A 2%3Apf%3A0&item=291959400164&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.XShelf .TRS0&_nkw=Shelf&_sacat=0"]https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/m.html?_odkw=&epid=601180343&_ssn=ranchhousecages&hash=item43fa22e6e4%3Ag%3A0ysAAOSw5VFWHRqJ%3Ark%3A 2%3Apf%3A0&item=291959400164&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.XShelf .TRS0&_nkw=Shelf&_sacat=0[/URL

This one comes in different widths and depths and you choose the size you want

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30cm-Deep-Solid-Pine-Shelf-Platform-Rabbit-Guinea-Pig-Chinchilla-Cage/290403118250?hash=item439d5fecaa:m:mbgA_Wl7BBYkKIm uxp9tjwQ:rk:23:pf:0

I’m really lost,sorry, the plaza is 50cms deep but none of these shelves fit that I’m I being stupid lol x

[mangoandmimi]

I’m really lost,sorry, the plaza is 50cms deep but none of these shelves fit that I’m I being stupid lol x

The original post linked this, which is 18 x 10 inches so will fit :)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290403123055?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=590000861138&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Nicky1875]

I’m so glad I purchased this just over a week ago, as it was on sale for £56 but checked yesterday and it’s back up to to £75, I’m never that lucky usually ��

[Pebbles82]

Sorry - the shelf comes in different widths of you look at the drop down box - 20" wide is the depth of the 50cm cage - if there isn't an exact one you could get say 19" and then you'd have a bit of a gap at one end to cover with something (another smaller shelf maybe?) Alternatively they willmake you one the exact size you want. Great cage - glad you got agood price!

[Pazzie]

That’s quite a perfect cage. I’m tempted and seeing the price at just £56.25 from Pets At Home it’s even more tempting. I was wondering how easy the paint comes off the door when opening and closing it would it hurt the hamster if he/she was to chew on the bars.
Also, how much mess fly out of these type of wire cages. Was dead against wire cages, but it’s looking like the best option for me now.

[alpacassei]

In a 100cm cage it’s very unlikely that your hamster will bar chew. If the base is filled right up to the top with substrate then it will get kicked out but if you leave an inch or two space it should be fine.

[Pebbles82]

I would fill it to 1cm or 2 below the top of the base :-) Depends what substrate you use as to whether much falls out. I think with any cage you always get a bit kicked out but I wouldn't worry about it. Savic cages tend to be good quality manufacture so I don't think there'd be any issues with paint rubbing off - no more than any other cage over time or any sharpness if it did. And as Alpa says, they are unlikely to bar chew in a 100cm cage. Our Syrian did a teeny bit, for a day or two when he didn't have a wheel - once he had his wheel in he didn't.


I posted on your other thread about the cage too :-)

[Pazzie]

That’s great thanks. Deffo looking into getting this cage.

[Quicksilver]

Hiya, just wanted to add some comments on the Savic Plaza, (AprilPearl your review was very thorough and really useful).


We decided to go for the Savic Plaza, we wanted to upgrade bigger from the Savic Ruffy (80cm x 50cm). Feel that Savic cages are well made with a sturdy base. However, I think possibly the Savic Ruffy base is very slightly sturdier material than the Plaza.

Advertised at 100cm x 50cm (I measured our cage at approx. 99cm x 49cm) on the outside. The base I measured at approx. 15cm in height and the front door at approx 21.5cm x 37cm. Bar spacing I measured at approx. 1cm. Like the Savic Ruffy the base slants inwards at the bottom, the base on the Plaza I measured inwards at approx. 3.5cm / 4cm. Overall the base is a good size in my opinion.


Tali (our Syrian hamster) has been living in the cage since May last year and seems happy with the space plus we can fill the space with a few more toys, hideaways and those few extra cm's in cage length do make a difference! Can fit a 12inch wheel in the cage too.


Pro's: Good size floor space, front door is a big plus (plus tightly fit so that it makes it difficult for a hamster to push the door open when closed), great ventilation, bars give the option to hang toys, shelves, water bottles and wheel.

Con's: The accessories were not great (we threw most of them away). We found the water bottle leaked, the hidey house kept coming apart, the wheel is ok but we don't use it, the shelf and ramp we do use as Tali likes running on these however due to the ridges on the shelf it does sometimes make it difficult to get toys to sit flat. Also the front door even after all this time of using the cage (10 months) is very noisy still when you open it so can startle any hamster. Price of the cage is expensive, however we were able to purchase from Pets at Home for cheaper than £75 due to a discount code, we saved around £13.


Just wanted to mention to that the Savic Plaza is advertised as a rat cage too, I've never owned rats but feel it would be very small for them plus I thought rats like to climb and with an overall height of the cage at approx. 50cm isn't tall enough. For as Syrian hamster the cage is a great size, looking back I wish we had been able to purchase the Plaza first but it wasn't available then! Plus its good that Pets at Home are moving towards stocking bigger cages for hamsters, I hope in time Savic might move towards manufacturing a 150cm / 200cm length cage as that would be amazing especially for the hamsters who are highly energetic!

[Pazzie]

Nice review and helpful too.

[Blossom0601]

What size is the wheel that comes with the Savic plaza? I have ordered a silent wheel but wanted to know whether the wheel that comes with it is good enough for the time being.

[Pebbles82]

Not really - it’s one of those big standard tiny ones! I can’t remember exactly the size but no bigger than 6 or 7”. I would take it out. If you have a baby hamster of about 6 weeks they are ok without a wheel for a couple of weeks, and/or just having one in a playpen during the second week. This is what some breeders do to prevent them over running and having a heart attack. I think it is not that common for it to happen though. If your hamster isn’t a baby they could go quite stir crazy without a wheel - so you’d have to see - it might be ok until the new wheel comes but if they start bar chewing I’d put the small wheel in until the bigger one arrives. Should be ok for a week, say.

[Rashy]

Do this cage fit dwarfs too?

[Pebbles82]

Hi I just answered your PM on that :-). Yes for Russian dwarfs with adaptions because of the height - there would injury risks from falls without adaptions. No for roborovskis due to bar spacing in my opinion.

To adapt it for dwarf hamsters it would either need a full level making or put cardboard or hemp mat round the inside bars and have much deeper substrate - which would effectively reduce the height. You’d need at least 10cm substrate above the top of the cage base. So you’d be talking approx 10” deep substrate (about 25cm deep).