Perfecto Hamster Tank

[Jenni_08]

I decided to get the largest of these tanks for my Roborovkis, (I wouldn't recommend the smallest one for any animal to live in permanently) it has 3 shelves. I found that in the cage I had them in I couldn't watch them unless I looked down on the cage (it was a gabber cage but not a rex) I was originally worried about the height of the tank as I know that Robos have a tendancy to bounce off things without judging the fall, I was also worried that they would struggle to climb up & down the levels, but I have not had any of these problems.

It is perfect for dwarf hamsters but although my robos have no problem whatsoever with climbing I have been told that some robos do. This is easily remedied by some creative use of cage accessories.
In this picture you can see that I have used a wooden barrel, stick bridges, a tree branch & drift wood, which my boys climb up very well.


There is plenty of space for creative cage layouts & I love rearranging it. It also has the added bonus of being large enough to accomodate several different sleeping areas, bowls, water bottles & even wheels for territorial dwarf hammies. The smallest Silent Spinner (& possibly the next one up) will fit on the shelf to the right of the cage.


The packaging of the cage boasts that this tank is recommended by the national hamster council - although in my opinion it would not be suitable for a syrian hamster, due to the lack of free climbing space. However if you had an extreme bar chewer the largest of these tanks would be great.
The lid of the cage is venitalated & slides in & has a catch at the back to prevent little Houdini's
As my roborovskis claws were getting over grown I lined the top 2 shelves with bird sand paper & now their claws stay nice & trimmed This avoids unsightly bricks taking up space.
The space in between the bottom of the cage & the 1st shelf is ideal, it is not so large that it is wasteful but it is large enough to bury rotastak tubing, placed stick bridges, a nice sized wheel, drift wood, a sand bath etc
There are no holes for a water bottle so the only option is a 'sippy' water bottle which attaches to the side (I think it's made by Ferplast) or a free standing one.
The only down side to this cage would be that it could be difficult to clean due to it's size & weight. For me it is not difficult as I give it a spot clean every few days & the base substrate rarely needs changing. When I do a full clean I put it in the bath & shower it - or a hose down in the garden would be ideal.
There is no way of extending the cage (unless you were really good at DIY) & it would not be easy to hang things up due to there being no bars - I suppose if you really wanted to you could use suction hooks or thread fine string through the mesh top.
I would NOT recommend this cage to young children (or clumsy people ) due to the fact that it is heavy & because it is glass. Please also be aware that as it is glass you will need to place it OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT (or it will get too hot inside) & on a stable, strong surface.

The tank cost £50 from Pets At Home & came with a ladder, A kidney shaped ceramic bowl & a large 'chube' (the pink & turquoise one). It does seem like a lot of money but it is not if you consider that there are no bars to go rusty & looked after properly you could have it a very long time. I have also seen the same tank in a large pet shop for £70 so I believe P@H is the cheapest place to get it. I did order the smaller one for my friend over the internet which was about £7 cheaper but it arrived broken & then we had such confusion over getting another one that in the end I opted for a refund & went & bought her one instead (which I should've done in the 1st place!) There are other varieties of the perfecto tank that I cannot find pictures of online but I asked at an independent pet shop & they were happy to order one in for me if I wanted it. I have also seen this tank & some other varities of it at 'The Range' superstore (but I can't remember the price )

So to some up....
Pros:
No mess!
Ample space for dwarf hammies
Larger size Suitable for bar chewing syrians
Provides excellent viewing of hammies
Looks neat & 'grown up' in my flat & has even become a bit of a feature!
Has shelves, unlike normal tanks
Long lasting if looked after
Not just for hammies (for gerbils, mice & even small repltiles too)
Losts of space for creative layouts
Good for litters/babies (you could take away the ladder to the top 2 shelves)
Fits into any colour scheme

Cons:
Could be hard to clean out
Heavy to move (need to make sure you put it on a strong cupboard/table)
No way of extending it (unless you know a glass cutter )
Hard to hang things
You may have to adapt ladders for robos
Access is from the top only
Not good for travelling/holidaying (I have kept my gabber cage for this)

My overall opinion is that I absolutely love this cage & I'm very, very glad I got it!

How you liked my review

[arikata]

A friend of mine has two of this tank for her syrian, she's cut (well, melted) away some of the mesh at the top and used a tube to connect them. Great cage and is bigger than it looks in store in my opinion

Great review by the way

[pophammy]

Great review Jenni! I'm sure that it will be very helpful to those considering buying this cage in the future

[souffle]

Excellent review. Thanks a lot for the useful info.

[raindrop]

Having read through all the reviews many many times, I decided that this would be the most suitable.
Being an insomniac I wanted to be able to see them at play when the world and my other pets including husband slept! Without peering over them like a giant, though they do seem to have got used to that.

So just having returned from P@H, which is the cheapest having checked many sites and it was as previously said around 70 then of course p&p on top and as most by weight would certainly up the price a good bit more.

Now it is sitting on the lounge floor while I decide just where it will go. But i want to make sure that i have all I need to 'furnish' it all in one go (which i think I have most and more )

Can anyone advise the best thing to put in the bottom? As I saw that the previewer mentioned that a 'full' clean had been less frequent

And also it was mentioned using a suctioned 'sippy' do these stick on ok?

[souffle]

You can either use shavings or carefresh which is a paper based litter. Both are found in P@H. Many people use Megazorb which is actually a horse bedding and is available from equine supply stores. It does come in very large bags and some batches can smell a bit 'horsy' so may not be great in your bedroom! Aubiose is also a horse bedding and is chipped hemp straw which is nice and natural but again comes in large bales.
The Sippi water bottles do have suckers but they can be leaky, difficult to change and clean and some hammys can't work them. Try and get either a water bottle stand that sits on the floor or a hanger which clips over the edge of the tank. You can even make one out if a wire coat hanger. If in doubt give a dish of water but this will need changed often but will do till you sort ot a better holder for the bottle. I am sure your hams with love their new set up.

[raindrop]

Thanks souffle, i have made a note of the info and will have to find an equine supplier
At the moment with having the ferrets we use dust extracted shavings, which is what i am using at the moment. The hammies will be in the living room as they are now, and in their new abode, as soon as i have worked out just where... I know they will be more entertaining than the tv, even if they are asleep

I know from experience that some Sippy's do leak and can make things quite wet.
I have never seen a floor standing one, so where will i find one of those? Perhaps if i saw one i could work out how to make one as you say

Puddle does dominate the Rolly although they are frequently side by side until Raindrop being smaller flies off which worries me that he (at least that is what I was told they were!) takes so many tumbles. I bought the silent spinner but that goes even faster and they both fly off, so I took it out again in case they got hurt.
Are they safe? I bought the flying saucer because it looks like it might be safer, perhaps i am worrying to much.

I have read everything I could lay my hands on both before I bought the Robo's and since but really there is nothing better than peoples experiences of products and their opinions which is why I am asking so many questions so that i get it right for them

[Jenni_08]

Glad to hear my review was helpful

I haven't had any problems with the Sippy so it could be worth trying - my friend also has a sippy for her robo & has no problems with it - also if it's leaky you get a 'tool' to tighten it up. I suppose it's just a case of finding out what suits you, which you cant do without trying things (& spending money )

Have fun setting it up & rearranging it

[raindrop]

Still trying to find megazorb locally without success, so will probably have to get mail order(drat)

When I was in Morrisons at the weekend I saw some paper based 'litters', would they be suitable for the base of the tank, I have sawdust at the mo, They love to scuba through it!

I

[Jenni_08]

Originally Posted by raindrop

When I was in Morrisons at the weekend I saw some paper based 'litters', would they be suitable for the base of the tank, I have sawdust at the mo, They love to scuba through it!

I used that litter for my rats, I found it quite dusty. My robo's tank has 3 different substrates for different textures - I placed a 'grass mat' (available from P@H or online) at the right of the cage - this provides a flat surface for the wheel to be steady on (helped by a smooth rock on the wheel base.) Then in the middle of the cage I have P@H wood litter - I started using them when I ran out of normal shavings & decided to stuck to them. Then I have a corner or a strip of woodshavings on the left, which I bury rotastak tubes under & they dig around in there Then I have a tupperware dish of bathing sand.

If you can get it & it's not too expensive then 'Aubiose' would be a great substrate - although I have a feeling it comes in bales