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Old 10-22-2016, 01:38 PM   #1
FreddyAndMe
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Default Alaska cage: My Views

I understand that this cage is pretty popular and will already have numerous reviews on it. However, I recently made a video version of a review on this cage and would like to give some of my personal takes on it that others may not have mentioned.

Cage clips
Not many people talk about these! On this cage, you get six: which is more than enough to keep the wire section in place! They detach from the wires very easily, so you could quite easily misplace one and lose it; in most cages you can't fully remove the clips easily. Each clip does not really 'clip' to the base, i.e. they don't feel solid, but despite this they keep the entire cage held together very nicely. They are a silver colour.

Bars
The bars on this cage, in my experience, are awful! This is because they:
-Bow slightly in the centre of the top
-Are very flimsy
-Have been bent a lot when it got delivered to me
One disadvantage of this cage that most people mention is the corner clips which are very stiff and require pliers to operate. In my circumstance, one of the corner clips is welded (or whatever you'd call it) shut so I literally can't set the cage up properly. The door on the top has also received so much of a battering in transit that is doesn't close flat.
The bar spacing is about 1cm and unsuitable for most dwarf hamsters. They are a mottled black/silver colour, although predominantly black.

Base tray
Unlike the bars, the base tray is excellent! It's sturdy, lightweight enough to lift with one hand and smooth: unlike some cages with textured bases, this cage has a flat surface with rounded corners, which makes cleaning a breeze! I really like the base tray!
It is a deep red colour (you don't have options of what colour base, which is a bit of a shame).

Accessories
There are three accessories that come with this cage:
-A slide/ladder
-A level
-A hide
Each piece pits together to make a single unit. You are very limited as to where you can put it in the cage, as it will slide around unless you put it in the allotted area marked by oddly shaped bars that keep it in place. In this position is only just clears the top of the base tray enough for a hamster to fit under if you fill the tray all the way up with substrate.
The hole for the slide and entrances to the hide are very small. Most Syrian hamster owners will have to remove the accessories because of this, as there's a very real danger of a ham getting stuck. As discussed earlier, this cage isn't really suitable for dwarfs, so the accessories are useless for most people! I am lucky in that my Syrian, Freddy, is particularly small and uses the slide easily (he can fit into the hide no problem, he just doesn't use it).
The level is a very odd shape as it is moulded to fit the slide and hide and has a wavy edge. There are little paw prints on it, too. You might like this, however I prefer things like that to be more basic and I'd rather it just be a flat, rectangular shape - although that may just be me.
The cage does not include a water bowl or water bottle - you'll have to buy these things separately. The hide and slide are white, whereas the level is black.

Conclusion
So, I hope you learned something new about this cage! I haven't talked about dimensions, doors or anything like that because I am certain others will have already done so. If you have anything else you think I missed that someone else has not already covered, then by all means drop a comment! Thanks for reading :P
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Old 10-23-2016, 08:09 AM   #2
flowerfairy
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Default Re: Alaska cage: My Views

I love my alaska cage. my roborovski hamster Flower lives happily in there. I chucked all the plastic shelf house wheel etc.

I love the big opening top and front doors. I was lucky, none of the bars are bent. I can imagine that must be frustrating.

I like the nice deep base.

I agree that six cage clips are plenty to hold the base on firmly. Its my fave of all my cages.
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Old 10-23-2016, 10:49 PM   #3
FreddyAndMe
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Default Re: Alaska cage: My Views

Wow, I'm really surprised that a Roborovski can live in this cage! I guess he/she doesn't want to escape!

You are so lucky not to have the bars bent! I absolutely detest mine. I think the worst part for me is that the door on the roof does not sit flat - that bothers me the most. It, to me, feels like the wire part of my cage has been a complete afterthought; honestly I wouldn't buy one again for this reason alone!

Did your cage come with a wheel? Mine didn't!

Also if you chucked the accessories did you buy a new level or something? I could imagine it being very painful for a tiny robo to climb to the top and fall without anything to lessen the height of it.
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Old 10-23-2016, 11:07 PM   #4
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Default Re: Alaska cage: My Views

I've used this cage a lot, have had two now over the years & I haven't had any really bent bars the bars are a bit on the thin side but that does mean that if they bend out of shape they are quite easy to bend back again!
If the door on top isn't sitting flat then a couple of bulldog clips will sort it out. I know it would be better if they came flat but I've found with a few cages that large doors often bow a bit & need a little bit of persuasion to lie flat!
I keep Chinese hams in mine & have used cable ties on some of the larger gaps at the top, especially corners but no one ever escaped.
I too bin the accessories but then I do that with all my cages, I think virtually all cages are better with a bit of creative thinking for layout rather than relying on the (usually) inadequate or unsuitable accessories.
The alaska never comes with a wheel, I don't think that'a big deal, most wheels that come with cages aren't very good anyway & I prefer to get a good wheel separately.
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Old 10-24-2016, 12:34 AM   #5
FreddyAndMe
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Default Re: Alaska cage: My Views

I guess I got unlucky with my cage, then. There's at least fifteen noticeably bent bars and it really gets on my nerves! As I probably mentioned the worst bar is actually one of the corner clips, as it is welded shut meaning it's literally impossible for me to correctly assemble the cage. It means that it doesn't sit in the base the way it's meant to and that gets on my nerves as well!

All the wheels I have received with cages have been rubbish, that's for sure. I now have two five inch wheels in storage that will probably never get used.

Maybe it's the later models of the cage that seem to be worse? I got mine in about February this year and I assume yours are older?
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Old 10-24-2016, 12:42 AM   #6
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Default Re: Alaska cage: My Views

My second one isn't that old really, I think it sounds more like you were really unlucky & possibly the couriers didn't treat it too well in transit!
It does seem odd that the corner clip piece would be welded together, I would think it more likely it would be the paint holding it closed, can't say without seeing it but I've never had one I couldn't prise open with a tough flat screwdriver if it was a bit tight.
If you've got some good wire cutters you could possibly just cut that off & replace it with a cable tie to hold it together.
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Old 10-24-2016, 01:11 AM   #7
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Default Re: Alaska cage: My Views

You know, that's not a bad idea! I'll have a look at it today. I can't imagine that it's just paint holding it shut because it's literally holding it clamped tight; just going to have to wait and see I guess!
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Old 10-24-2016, 03:51 AM   #8
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Default Re: Alaska cage: My Views

Just been and had a look - after a lot of yanking with the pliers it turned out that it was only paint after all! I've gone around and put all of the clips in place now, managing not to wake Freddy up somehow. I also bent the door a lot with quite a lot of force and it's a little bit better; not perfect though.

There's still a lot of wonky bars that just spring back into place if I try and unbend them, but it's definitely an improvement.
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Old 10-24-2016, 04:47 AM   #9
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Default Re: Alaska cage: My Views

You are right about the wheel. I was getting confused with the other hamster cages I bought. (I have nine cages).

Glad you have been able to make some improvements.
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Old 10-24-2016, 05:40 AM   #10
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Default Re: Alaska cage: My Views

Glad you managed to make some improvements, hopefully it will be a bit less frustrating now!
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