Pets at Home Small Wire Cage Honest Review

[chesca_27]

I haven't tried this cage yet, but I bought it for travelling for when I get my hamster. I posted this review on the Pets at Home website, but I thought I would post a review here so you can see what I think Also, they have a habit of editing reviews so this is my honest opinion without Pets at Home's editing. This was written towards people who currently aren't too aware of the complex needs of hamsters including huge cages so it might read a bit weird to all the knowledgeable hamster owners. I know this review is written quite harshly but I am sick of seeing 5 star reviews of this cage saying it is gigantic. Just want to mention I have the Ikea Billy Extension Cage (nearly complete) which is 80 by 35cm.

I copied and pasted it from the e-mail they sent so the general overview might look weird. I explain the star rating at the end with my conclusion.

WARNING this is very long.

Your Rating: 1 stars
Headline: Travel Cage only

Pros : Great Travel Cage, Cheap, Easy to Clean
Cons : Not For Permanent Living, Too Small, Cramped
Best Uses : Travel, Travelling, Small Animals
Describe Yourself : Long-time Pet Owner

THIS PRODUCT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR FULL-TIME LIVING. The RSPCA states that the minimum cage size for any hamster (even tiny roborovskis) is 80 by 50 cm. At 30 by 47cm, this is obviously too small. So even though Pets at Home state it is a starter cage, most people will ignore this fact because a pet shop sells it and shows animals living in it.
It is not suitable for: Syrians, Chinese hamsters (NOT DWARF HAMSTER because it is not part of the Phodopus genus which is the genus of the three dwarf species but part of the long-tailed hamster genus Cricetulus. There's your hamster origins science lesson for the day ), Roborovskis, Winter Whites, Campbells or the Hybrid hamster that Pets at Home refer to as a "Russian Dwarf Hamster".

Please note that it is totally suitable for travelling just not permanent living. It doesn't matter if your hamster gets two hours outside of the cage, it will still get bored. Now, imagine if you could live in a house, or a room for the rest of your life. You would choose the house and your hamster would choose a bigger cage ie bigger than 80 by 50cm.

However, this cage is not totally useless. I have purchased this to be used for travelling (vet trips, taking to pet sitter etc). It is absolutely perfect because it is small, compact and cheap. Cages like these are perfect for this purpose because the hamster doesn't have too much space to get thrown around inside on car journeys. I bought the small one in turquoise and I love the colour so much.

This cage also comes with accessories. for £15, you get: a food bowl, a water bottle, house, wheel, bedding, food and nesting material. I replaced the food bowl for a ceramic one as it much sturdier and cuter. I have bought a different water bottle as it has a smaller spout so easier for drinking. The house is useless as it's so small and bacteria will probably end up building up inside. Now the wheel I will be binning as it is suitable for no species of hamster except maybe baby Roborovskis. It is also extremely loud and flimsy. If you're looking for a wheel, I reccomend the Flying Saucer, Comfort Wheel or the Silent Spinner. I gave the bedding away as I don't like these shavings due to the lack of information (like what type of wood it is). The muesli is a nice addition if you want to use that type. I think the paper nesting is great though because fluffy bedding can be really dangerous so this is a much better choice by Pets at Home.

Overall I think this is a really great travel cage with relatively sturdy bars, nice digging room although I wish they made it deeper and I like the inclusion of multiple accessories. I would recommend this for travelling. I gave one star because I feel the accessories could be better and I don't like how this is sold for permanent living. Also it really is tiny.

I've just got to wait and let my baby test it when I finally get him from the breeder.

EDIT: I changed a few words from the original review to make it a bit clearer.

[peasypea]

Love this :P Wonder if it makes it to the website...

Wish they didn't sell these awful cages for people to use as permanent homes It makes me so sad every time I go there and see people buying hamsters, knowing they will probably live in one of these for the rest of their lives with no toys and nothing fun at all.

[flowerfairy]

Hope this does get online ... I often look at gumtree, etc and pretty much all the small animals advertised on there live in teeny cages. Very sad.

[chesca_27]

peasypea and flower fairy, so far it's not on the website but fingers crossed. I've tried to inform people looking at these cages in Pets at Home that they're too small but they look at me like I'm crazy because I'm a 13-year old girl. Honestly, I hate it when people buy these. It doesn't help that Pets at Home make it into a really cheap starter kit.

[flowerfairy]

Its crazy isnt it? I mean the poor little souls have to spend their whole lives in teeny cages due to some stupid executive decision somewhere.

Its not as if cages like the alaska and the barney are waay out of the price range of these teeny prisons either.

[Wisper]

I hope they do post it, looking at the other reviews there are others which are similar so at least it looks like Pets at Home do at least show all sides. I did a quick review for one of the other cages the 'Small plastic hamster home' which is a cage I have a personal hatred for.
I only ended up with one after a rescue came in one and after about a week the cage ended up in the bin. This was about 6/7 years ago I don't like the fact they are still selling the same unsuitable cages.

[xbuttons94]

Seeing such small cages in pet shops is upsetting. We made bin cages for ours as we struggled to find cages suitable. Since joining here I see regular cage names so if I do need to get another cage I know where to look!

I own the small cage as we used it for Lexi after her surgery. The vets told us to keep her in a smaller space to try and keep any injury down. She didn't do anything but sleep and eat so her old cage would have probably been fine. We have it as an emergency cage but if any of the other cages fail, I'd go out and buy another bin that day. My partner has made 4 so far, for us and friends. Cheap and you can make them as big as you like.

Great review. I hope it will help inform many people

[chesca_27]

Originally Posted by flowerfairy

Its crazy isnt it? I mean the poor little souls have to spend their whole lives in teeny cages due to some stupid executive decision somewhere.

Its not as if cages like the alaska and the barney are waay out of the price range of these teeny prisons either.

In most cases, these big cages like the Barney and Alaska are actually cheaper or maybe £5 more. It is not just the pet shops fault, but also companies like Crittertrail, Ferplast and Rotastak who make these cages. If they didn't make small cages, people would be forced to use big cages where they'd notice benefits. Lots of people say their hamster is evil, but it's just bored and we all know that big cages equals better behaviour and friendlier hamsters.

[xbuttons94]

When the time is right for me to get a Syrian, if I decide to get another, I think I will try and rescue one. Not sure if there are any small animal rescue places in my area. I might check on for sale sights and rescue one from a tiny cage. It is heart breaking.

[Wrongway]

Originally Posted by xbuttons94

When the time is right for me to get a Syrian, if I decide to get another, I think I will try and rescue one. Not sure if there are any small animal rescue places in my area. I might check on for sale sights and rescue one from a tiny cage. It is heart breaking.

I noticed Pets at Home do an adoption system for unwanted pets. Our local branch had a few Syrians that were ready for adoption. Could be worth a try.