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Old 11-18-2019, 04:43 PM   #1
Kennedyyy
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Question Tips on aquarium tanks please!

Hello! I am planning on getting my first hamster, but I am needing some help with my set up. I already have a 20gal tank, but its the tall not the long. I figured the best way to make the tank a good home would be to try and make a second story, or even just to add a bunch of different climbing toys but the problem is that I have no idea how to connect any of those things to the glass of the tank! I found some really cool climbing toys on amazon but they are supposed to be connected through the cage wire, but I have glass. Does anyone know of any pre-made second story type things to add into the tank, or some climbing toys that have legs to hold it up? Or even if I can glue the toys to the glass of the tank? I read a few websites but they all pretty much require you to know how to use tools to cut plexi glass or to make your own wooden frames and I do not know how to do any of that, so any advice on aquarium tanks would be much appreciated!
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Old 11-19-2019, 02:18 PM   #2
Otaku
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Default Re: Tips on aquarium tanks please!

I noticed that some members buy big houses so the flat roof can double as a shelf, that might be a good start. (^_~)
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Old 11-19-2019, 03:48 PM   #3
alpacassei
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Default Re: Tips on aquarium tanks please!

Unfortunately 20 gal isn’t a suitable size, even with a second platform as that does not count towards overall uninterrupted floorspace. At the least you need a 40 gal breeder tank. The Prevue 528 might be more affordable though, or a bin cage - anything bigger than 450sq inches really.
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Old 12-20-2019, 09:58 AM   #4
sarahbutterflies
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Default Re: Tips on aquarium tanks please!

Hi! It's awesome you want to give your hamster a lot of enrichment. Unfortunately adding levels doesn't add to overall floor space. You are more than welcome to have levels but it doesn't add floor space. Also, hamsters are not good climbers like rats. You may have seen a hamster climb on the sides of a wire cage but it's actually because their enclosure is much too small and they are very stressed. There are climbing toys for hamsters but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them. Some may be more inclined to climb than others and some may not use them at all so I would save your money there. Hamsters are burrowers so they would much rather have deep bedding (6 inches or shoot for 8-12 inches if you can).

There are many great diy options from bin cages to furniture to Ikea diys. Depending on which species your hamster is can also help determine how much space is recommended. In the US is is recommended to have at least 450 square inches of unbroken floor space. Your 20 gallon tank is a tad on the smaller side so it would be recommended to upgrade your hamster. Syrians are the larger of the species so they need more space than a dwarf. You can get storage bins for about $20. Typically it's the 110 quart one but you can always check measurements of the base yourself which I would actually recommend. The storage bin actually has more floor space than your 20 gallon tank and is much less expensive than an aquarium. Depending on how much space you have the Ikea detolf is highly praised by hamster owners as it gives about 1,000 square inches but its about 62 inches long. It's only $60 too which is a great price for how much space you get compared to buying a tank that large. I hope this help!
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Old 12-20-2019, 11:25 AM   #5
RobinIsACatto
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Default Re: Tips on aquarium tanks please!

Hello, and I’m happy to hear you’re looking into upgrading!

As the others have said, adding a similarly sized tank won’t help much, but if you’d like to connect the 20g to another larger enclosure, provided it’s properly secured, it can make for a great option for a burrowing area or even sand area.

I also agree with what’s above about climbing—even if your hamster is a bar climber, it’s in no way natural for your hamster’s territory to extend up rather that out. Hamsters are completely terrestrial animals that, more often than not, are abysmal at climbing.

In general, my opinion is to try to shoot for at least 600sq in for dwarfs and at least 1000sq in for syrians as I believe this is a pretty good amount of space for enrichment. Bigger is always better, but those are a good start. A 40g would work great for a dwarf, and, for syrians, I think DIY would be a better option (although I wouldn’t recommend the detolf as it’s quite shallow and fragile).
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