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Old 07-27-2016, 06:49 AM   #11
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Default Re: Looking for thoughts

Rat cages can be OK for hamsters. Check the bar spacing isn't big enough for a hamster to escape. Height can be a problem with rat cages, but there are lower rat cages available.

80cm x 50cm cage may be ok for a hamster. 100cm x 50cm would allow for more enrichment/toys etc.

Don't feel pressured to have a cage 100cm x 100cm/1 meter. Not many people have space for cages that large.

For a Syrian you need to be able to fit a wheel of about 11" so the cage needs to be tall enough to fit one in and substrate.
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Old 07-27-2016, 02:01 PM   #12
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Default Re: Looking for thoughts

Agree with CMB there, most Syrians will be content with 80x50cm and almost all will be content with 100x50 cm

For dwarfs, just about all would be satisfied in an 80x50 cm cage and some may even feel overwhelmed by all the space in a 100x50cm or larger - especially apparent with Chineseys (not dwarfs!) and Robos
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Old 07-28-2016, 01:49 PM   #13
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Hi Juliebrei. The wood cage you linked is fine and has loads of space for enrichment. One member on here gave an excellent tip re the front door. Because the cage comes flatpack, when you assemble it you just swap the panel and door around, so the door is at the top and the panel is at the bottom. This means you can have really deep substrate for tunneling in the cage, and it also effectively lowers the fall height from the top (giving a nice soft landing. It think the mesh is about 1cm square on the lid so that is fine too. It is a good deep cage and has lots of floorspace and levels. I think it would be excellent for a Syrian hamster. I do know someone had a dwarf hamster in one as well, but some dwarf hamsters might find the style of it a bit exposed.

As the others say you would need to plastikote all the wood inside, so it was wipe clean. Some members have also used Cuprinol garden shades which is also supposed to be petsafe - and that would make the job quicker! (Plastikote comes in quite small pots).

You might need to have some sanding paper handy as well in case there were any splinters.

As you don't have your hamster yet, you don't know if he/she will be one that chews through wood cages, but if your hamsters was a chewer you would be able to reinforce or protect the corners (they usually try and chew through corners/edges of bases) with strips of metal, so it may mean being prepared for that being necessary.

Sorry I was just about to edit the bit about the mesh 1.5cm is ok for a Syrian, but it would need re-meshing for a dwarf.

I'm saying it's better than your alternative suggestions Amity I'm just commenting on the cage choice from the initial post and what can be done with it (especially re the door). I was very tempted with one of these myself. But decided I didn't want a wood cage and wouldn't like the look of it in our living room. However I think with the racetrack levels and opportunities for deep substrate it's a good cage.

A cheaper option, if you like the tank style is the Ikea detolf hack tank style cage - if you have an Ikea anywhere near you! It's a glass cabinet tipped on it's side with the glass door left off so it makes a long tank.

DETOLF Vitrineskab - sortbrun - IKEA

This is what people do with it to make it into a habitat for a hamster

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ha...L1BDkQ_AUIBigB

It would need two lids making out of pieces of wood with mesh stapled to them - if you don't mind a small amount of diy. Most people make two lids because they are easier to lift on and off than one large one - plenty of tutorials around on how to make the lids.

As Cypher mentioned, Zooplus probably ship to Denmark as well and the Barney and Alexander cages are very good 1 metre cages at reasonable prices. Zooplus also sell a perspex tank style cage - the Living World Eco Green Habitat which comes in 100cm and 120cm. It's lovely I reckon, and a similar idea to the wood cage you linked, but it's quite expensive. It also has 2cm ventilation slits in the lid, so they would need meshing and then you could again have deep substrate for tunneling.

Produkts

Living World Green Eco Habitat | zooplus.dk

It is up to you how big you want to go with a cage, and an 80cm by 50cm cage is fine too. Personally I wouldn't go any smaller than an 80cm by 50cm cage for a Syrian and think a 100cm cage is better for a Syrian (more or less - the wood one is different as it is deep and tall with lots of levels and varying widths - but still a very good size).

Just checked out the 1 metre square guinea pig and rabbit cage as well, which looks good value, but would need meshing (which has probably been mentioned). So that is also a good cage option.

But if you like the wood one, I would go for it and swap the door and bottom panel round when you assemble it.

Last edited by souffle; 07-28-2016 at 03:34 PM.
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Old 07-28-2016, 02:33 PM   #14
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Some hamsters also don't like too large a cage and hide a lot. You won't know until you get a hamster what size cage suits its needs.

I don't see anything on this thread saying a 100cm x 100cm cage was only rejected because of not delivering to the right country.

I considered getting this cage, but was preferred barred cages as they can have easier options of adding levels, roof toys etc as well as costing less.

Juliebrei do you have space to fit a cage 100cm x 100cm. If not what size could you fit? It will help people make better recommendations.

Last edited by souffle; 07-28-2016 at 03:34 PM.
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Old 07-28-2016, 03:02 PM   #15
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Default Re: Looking for thoughts

You have lots of options and suggestions to think about there Juliebrei I would go with whatever style you like and think will fit. Your original choice is plenty big enough. Will it be your first hamster or have you had them before? For a first time owner it can help to keep it simple as setting up cages can be quite a feat sometimes. The key word these days is "enrichment" - ie a good depth of substrate, plenty of toys - tunnels and hidey places - a shelf or level to sit under or climb up to, different textures - eg cork (tunnels), paper (substrate eg), sand, wood and so on. An enormous cage without enough enrichment or with too much open space is no good, so if you were interested in some of the very large options suggested, it would take a bit of thinking about how to set it up.
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Old 07-28-2016, 03:06 PM   #16
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I think the reason it can be hard to get setups right the first time or even first few times is because there isn't much information out there on what makes for a good setup!In general though,avoiding large open spaces and having enriching complex toys and plenty of hiding spaces is good as well as lots of substrate in a depth that can allow for proper burrowing.It may seem a bit intimidating at first,but cage setup is fairly easy when you know what to look for.
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Old 07-28-2016, 03:23 PM   #17
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Default Re: Looking for thoughts

Please try and stay on topic with your comments, remember this thread is asking for your opinions on a specific cage, it is not asking for a debate on suitable cage sizes for different species of hamster. I've removed all the off topic posts and I look forward to seeing any new constructive comments about the cage that members wish to post.


Personally I think the size of the cage is fine, its bigger than any of my current hamsters have. My concerns would be the ham chewing out or deciding to drop from the top all the way to the bottom, but I'm sure it could work for some of the more confident and better behaved hamsters out there.
I found a few threads about similar cages so I've listed the links below, hopefully some will be useful to you
Opinions on this cage?
Big hamster cage!
Need help with wooden cage!
wooden hamster cages on zooplus
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Old 07-30-2016, 12:19 AM   #18
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Default Re: Looking for thoughts

Great links there KD! Let us know what you decide on Juliebrei.
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Old 08-14-2016, 09:06 PM   #19
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Default Re: Looking for thoughts

Sorry I haven't responded in a while. Got a little overwhelmed by the debate. I had a hamster about 10years ago, didn't know much about it back then and was really just scared of handling it most of the time. Not the best experience. My boyfriend has never had a hamster, but it turns out he absolutely can't resist their cuteness we have a winter white dwarf and we got a Syrian 2 weeks ago, just 4 weeks old and so tiny. We tried a cage from zoo plus but it turns out that especially the Syrian has a serious beef with the bars :-S so we are getting detolfs for them both tomorrow then, at least we know there's no doubt the cage is right.
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Old 08-18-2016, 12:55 AM   #20
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Default Re: Looking for thoughts

Detolfs sound like a great plan, you just need to make lids out of wood and mesh
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