Suitable Playpens for a Robo (Uk only)

[Snail]

Hi as everything is on lockdown at the moment I am unfortunately having to self isolate away from 2 of my hammies. One is a russian dwarf/winter white (unsure but he’s definitely at least partially ww) and the other is a tiny timid roborovski who very much dislikes human company and will do anything to escape. Despite this he has been fine in a bin cage with no lid for around 6 months now although I al definitely trying to either get him a cage or a lid as I dont trust the wee guy! But as I am not able to be with them I wanted to order a playpen for them to get out of their cage with my friend. I seem to be having no luck finding one with small bar spacing or one that isnt material. The robo isnt a chewer but the winter white is a very nibbly dude.

Has anyone tried any playpens (hopefully not too expensive) and which ones would you recommend/avoid. Because of the lockdown it doesnt seem likely Id be able to do any DIY’s from craft stores so unfortunately only cages I am able to get online. Will appreciate any advice I can get!

Robo is relatively small but is nearly a year old so should be close to an adult size if not there already(i cant weigh him as last time i tried to move him more than a metre he escaped)

[Ria P]

I have a Robo who is happiest with his own company in his tank and doesn't seem to want out of cage time. I have tried but he also tries to get away and be aware that Robos can jump.

I'm only mentioning this to point out that out of cage time may not be what he enjoys and could even stress him out. Just something to keep in mind. Does he go onto your friend's hand or into a mug to get him out of his cage? Mine doesn't so i have to catch him in a mug when i have to do a rare cage clean and he's not happy when out.

I use a 133l playpen bin cage for my dwarfs, with different toys from their cages and a flying saucer wheel (they have upright wheels in their cages) and i let them run around on the futon.
My Syrian free roams and doesn't like playpens. I bought the Trixie wire panel playpen and wouldn't recommend it. It is very fiddly to put up and not that secure. A determined hamster could easily get out.
Some people use kiddies pools for playpens which are fine providing the hamster is not a chewer.
Another option and in my opinion a good one, is a wooden framed playpen but they are more costly.

Your friend could make a playpen from large cardboard boxes and join them with an empty plastic bottle if she wants to make a really big one. That would be a free options to find out if your hamsters like out of cage time.

The dwarf could also run around in the bath tub with a blanket and toys. I read that bath tubs aren't suited for Robos because they get scared.

[Snail]

The main point of a playpen was to be able to try tame him as he is so timid. Im not bothered about him liking us I just kind of want him to be comfortable as he is so so petrified of humans that he shakes and pees himself when we have to clean his cage and pick him up. I havent tried the mug method but I thought this may be a way of him getting to be around us in a less threatening way than me leaving over his bin cage. It may be easier to just get a playpen for my winter white though as he is quite a chill little baby and I think he would quite enjoy it. That being said my other hamster who is a russian dwarf absolutely despises time outside his cage even though he is very tame he immediately just runs back into my hand when i try to put him in the bath or my DIY playpen I made for him.

I might try a ballpit or something along the lines but will just have to keep a close eye on my Ww nacho to make sure he doesnt have a nibble at it. I have seen my robo jump very high before but its usually when we have to pick him up and he starts to panic. I think my robo could enjoy having a larger space to run around in if I potentially put in lots of hides but it might be worth just upgrading his cage after this whole epidemic is over to an ikea detolf which he might feel safer in. Friend doesnt have a bath which is a bit of a pain and since they are dwarves (and little devils) i dont like the idea of free roaming them. My russian dwarf who i keep with me i had out and about the house with me as hes very well behaved and i blinked for a second and he was halfway through a tiny gap in the wall id never noticed!

Thank you for the advice! I may just order a playpen and see how it goes because if one doesnt like it the other usually does. Think i will go for a fabric/ballpit one as i dont trust bars but i may have a lot of patching up the holes to do once my winter white gets into it!

[Ria P]

It took my Robo three or four months to trust me enough to come onto my hand (inside his tank) to eat some linseeds and that's as far as we got which is fine with me.
I rarely clean his tank because his pee seems to evaporate and when i do, i clean part of the tank only and leave him in it. It's far too stressful for him to get taken out of his tank.

I think a Detolf would definitely be the answer for your Robo. You could then try and tame him or at least try and reduce his fear of humans or hands because he'd have enough space to hide until he feels more comfortable with you. My Robo used to run away for months when i put my hand in (for very short time), then he would slowly come closer and closer, then sniff my hand and the back of my hand until he finally plucked up the courage to walk on it to get the seeds. He seems to be very happy in his tank though, loves his wheel and sand and builds lots of tunnels in deep substrate.

A ballpit seems a good idea because they are inexpensive and can be folded away when not in use.

[Snail]

Really excited for when I can move out (hopefully soon) and have some more space to set up all of their enclosures as at the moment he is in a bin cage which is big but feel it could be bigger. Hes nearly a year and we’ve had very little luck taming him but if i stand very still he will go onto my hand for food. At the start we used to handle him to try to tame him and he would empty his cheek pouches onto my hand. I think a detolf would be good just cause of the amount of floorspace as he wouldnt really need anything taller if i can fit enough bedding in. I dont tend to clean his cage much except for spot cleaning weekly and a little bit of a bigger clean every once in a while cause the poor soul just completely panics. His wheel is the main problem though as he is both, constantly doing his business in it, and also keeps running so fast that he flips over and the wheel keeps spinning which is very concerning and also a little of the reason i wanted to try another method of getting him exercise as I am very worried he will end up injuring himself. I got him a bigger wheel and it helped a little but poor guy just keeps ending up upside down. I havent managed to get sand for them because of being trapped away from them but he doesnt tend to roll in it very often. He does like the different texture though so I do feel a little bad.

Ever since we started putting in 10inches or so of bedding we barely see him! Hes always off burrowing somewhere and really seems to enjoy it although he does have a massive stash which we cant seem to prevent. All round a pretty happy hammy which I hope to make a little happier. Ive ordered him the ballpit like playpen now along with some dried fruit treats and some herbs to keep him going so hopefully he wont be too mad at me for not being around.

[Ria P]

My Robo pees in his wheel too so has to have a wipeable plastic one and like yours, he used to flip over and fall out of his wheel. He used to have the silent spinner which was too narrow i think. I then got him this wheel which has a wider running surface, in fact all my hamsters have this wheel ((Syrian has the bigger version) and he runs really well in it. It's not the Savic Roly which isn't a good wheel btw.
His wheel is in the sand pit and he loves his sand.

I understand why you want to tame your Robo but i'd be careful not to stress him out in the process. Some hamsters are happy in their enclosures and don't want playpens and out of cage time.

[Snail]

My hamsters are currently in this wheel which I find does the job but seems a bit cheaply made. Not sure if you are in the Uk but I find it difficult to get good wheels. Trixie Exercise Wheel, Plastic, ø 20 cm , Assorted https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0042LHX..._vJLKEbNEKQXW5

I won’t try too hard to tame him if I find it’s making him uncomfortable I never want to push him past his limits and if he doesn’t like a playpen I definitely won’t force him to roam around one. Thank you for all the advice so far and please tell me if you think my wheel is bad!

[Ria P]

Oh, i'm surprised that you find the current wheel is cheaply made, the Savic Rolys are and they're noisy as well but i've never had issues with these Deyang ones.

I have the 12in Trixie wheel in the spare Samla (for overnight rescue lodgers) but find that my Syrian's Deyang one runs far smoother. Thing is, if you order a Trixie wheel from Amazon and you don't like it, its easy to return. I did that twice because one they sent me wasn't running well and one was pink but the current one is fine.

The Silent Runner (not Spinner) is supposed to be a very good wheel and that's the one i would go for myself if i'd be looking for a different plastic wheel.

The wooden ones are supposed to be good too but need varnishing with plasticote first.

[Snail]

They aren’t necessarily bad I just found the plastic on mine was quite flimsy and they were very loud but they do the job okay. I’m considering buying another one in a larger size for my bfs friends Syrian who he refuses to even buy a wheel for but also refuses to surrender as I’d rather he was being kept in at least okay conditions. The wheels I got as I got two of them one of them runs better than the other which is very loud so we gave that to the less active one to try and achieve even a little bit of sleep.

I looked at the wooden ones but was very put off as many reviews said that they had injured their hamsters with splinters which I was horrified at but I’m sure if they were varnished they would be okay

[Ria P]

The Savic Orbital Wheel is another option for a plastic wheel or the Kaytee Comfort Wheel. I haven't tried those myself but have heard good reports about them.

It's a shame that your bfs friends won't surrender their hamster. It's cruel to deprive a hamster of a wheel, poor little thing. It must be very hard and upsetting for you too. You obviously care a lot for your hamsters. Let's hope they'll let their hamster have the wheel you're going to get him or her.