Falco Small Pet Cage (Zooplus)

[Miles]

Since I couldn't find a review on this cage on this wonderful site I thought I'd write one myself.

I've had the cage now for probably about 6 months or so, and I don't think Gus has ever been happier! I'll break the review down into sections for simplicity.

Size:
I got the bigger 100x50x75cm cage and it is absolutely huge! I believe it got delivered from Germany and it came in a massive cardboard box The cage was within the glass section and all the little bits you get with it were inside the cage. Compared to his old cage I bet the floor space is about 5 or 6 times what it was.

Functionality:
The picture on Zooplus' website shows the wood shavings filled up to the ventilation strip, but obviously if you don't want to, you can just put a bottom layer of shavings in. Although I would have liked him to dig about in a thick layer of shavings, the cost of doing so would be high as it takes atleast 0.5kg of shavings just to cover the bottom. Instead I'm going to order him a digging tower, so he can fulfil al his digging needs! It is worth noting that if, like me, you only put a small layer of substrate on, the 55cm suspension bridges or even the solid wooden bridges you get with the cage are not long enough to allow for a shallow enough gradient for hamsters to climb to the 2nd floor. To resolve this I bought him a large house that had a 'balcony' area which I used to launch the bridge off and up to the 2nd level. The balcony was about 12cm high, the total height from ground to 2nd level is 37cm. This meant the 55cm suspension bridge only had to climb a height of 25cm, allowing for a suitable gradient.

One issue that you may find is that when your hamster is still exploring, he may fall of the 2nd or even worse, 3rd floor. I did unfortunately see my hamster fall of the 3rd floor but thankfully because of the generous layer of shavings at the bottom he seemed fine. He also seems to have learnt his lesson, having not done it again! I may one day get round to building him a couple of nice little barriers.

The shelves have sections cut out to allow the bridges you get with the cage to be attached. I decided to use another wooden suspension bridge, however as Gus used them I noticed they moved whilst he did so. Obviously I didn't want the collapsing when he was on them, so I set about fixing them down.
As they need to be removed when doing maintenance I couldn't simply screw them down, that would have been far too easy! I found the best way was to put two screws in to the 2nd floor then drill a hole big enough for the screws underneath one end of each bridge. Then the bridges simply 'sit on' the screws meaning they cant move. It's difficult to explain in text but I can take some photos if you want.

Quality:
Top-notch, is the only word I can use.
In the instructions it said to wipe the cage part with a damp cloth to get off any remaining black coating that hadn't properly adhered. After having done so the cloth was clean! The glass part is similar to an aquarium with nice siliconed clean joints with the ventilation strip nicely incorporated.
The shelves had holes pre-drilled to allow for the metal plugs that hold the shelves in place. It was all assembled in about 40 minutes.

Price:
I'm sure we can all agree that at £169 it is rather expensive. My excuse for buying it was that I only had one hamster and I don't plan on getting any others. So I thought I may as well spoil this one rotten I'm sure it will also last a long, long time and should for whatever reason I no longer need it, I think it should hold it's value quite well.

Cleaning:
Cleaning is fairly easy, I can only see someone struggling if they are very weak! In order to access the cage properly you need to remove the top 'cage' section. It isn't light but it comes off fairly easily. Once you've removed any toys/buildings off the floor you can simply scoop up the substrate. Sometimes his pee can stick to the glass floor but if you have something like a stanley knife blade you can easily scrape it off, one advantage of glass!

Stand:
I decided it needed a stand. It is rather heavy and I keep it in my bedroom so the only other place it could have gone was atop a chest of drawers!
I managed to find a black stand exactly 100x50cm! I couldn't believe my luck, it was perfect. I think it cost about £75 from Argos.

Summary:
Excellent cage, would definitely recommend to a friend. And should I get another hamster I may well have to buy another!

[evel_lin]

Thanks for sharing your review You might find that if you use a thicker layer of substrate you don't need to do cage changes as often so the substrate lasts about the same length of time but your hamster gets lots more fun digging. It's such a good cage for substrate it seems a shame not to take advantage of it. Substrates such as megazorb are often better at absorbing smells than wood shavings anyway

[Miles]

Thanks for the advice, i'll give it a try!

[LavoChain]

That looks like a beautiful cage, I can't believe the price though! I agree if you only have one hammy it may be justifiable. I second the substrate suggestions above (:

[evel_lin]

Originally Posted by Miles

Thanks for the advice, i'll give it a try!

No worries Megazorb is what I use for two of my hams (long haired gets fitch because it doesn't stick as badly!) and my hybrid constructs lots of tunnels through hers

[JBH316]

I look longingly at that cage everytime I'm on Zooplus

[Miles]

Originally Posted by JBH316

I look longingly at that cage everytime I'm on Zooplus

I did that for a while! Then i just decided to buy it

Worth noting that they've changed the design now, if you buy one you should get the same as mine, where the front of the cage section is a 45 degree angle. Whereas in the picture they have on their site the cage is 'square'.

[Kiki_3173]

This is a fantastic cage. How lucky you hammy is!!!!

[Kissa]

I third the substrate comment -- if you buy horse bedding, such as bales of shavings or hemp-based aubiose (or the megazorb already mentioned) it is a lot more cost-effective

I am jealous though, I always drool over this cage when I am on zooplus!

[PatricksMum]

Lovely cage, and you will find if you do fill it up you won't have to clean it out as often as you think! I use Fitch and its lasting really well, with only spot cleans here and there everyday. I wonder if the manufacturers recommend filling the substrate right up so as to reduce the height of the platforms and break a fall if ever it happens? Your hammy is one lucky little hammy!!!