Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

[Fluffagrams]

Firstly there is no legally enforceable minimum cage sizes globally so any sizes you see are usually a recommendation from the organisation or individual that have originally published it so you have a lot of scope when choosing the best cage for your hamster’s needs.

There can be many reasons why hamsters bar chew and it’s not always down to the caging however, in this case I would be asking myself if Oscar’s cage chewing was for that reason and an upgrade is probably a good idea. The size of the bin you have already purchased could be adequate for some dwarfs and I’m currently using cages of a similar sizes for many of my dwarfs. More confident and active dwarf hamsters may need more space though so to avoid buying extra cages to be able upgrade if Oscar needs it, I’d consider trying to find a slightly bigger bin or cage.

[LunaTheHamster1]

From all that I have seen re bin cages I would suggest that drilling holes is not enough ventilation, erins animals on Youtube just did a recent video on bin cages that was a very good explanation of everything involved, if you havn;t watched it already I strongly advise watching that one.

[Pebbles82]

It sounds like you’ll need to see how he is with the bin you have ordered already. He may be fine with it. As the others say, it is best to mesh the top fior ventilation. Also a mesh panel at the front is needed ideally - so the ventilation is more effective and to see out. If after 3 weeks he doesn’t seem settled and seems desperate to escape then you may need to think about upgrading again. Most dwarf hamsters are happy with something 70 x 40 ish. The Samla bin isn’t too big but a decent size. I didn’t think I could fit an 80cm cage in initially but ended up rearranging the furniture and actually changed a small table for an upright bookcase which gave me space to fit the cage. It was great actually as I ended up with more storage space on shelves as well as enough space for a 100cm cage!

I know it’s not always that simple especially if you have a small room or flat, but have a think about how you could change things around or clear the top of a chest of drawers to a window ledge eg - then the bin could stand on top of the chest of drawers.

[Ria P]

Drilling holes is definitely not sufficient ventilation.

You need to cut a square out of the lid and the front panel (i use a Dremel electric tool) then drill holes around the cut out squares to securely attach the mesh with cable ties. Attach the mesh from the outside and make sure that all edges are smoothed down with sandpaper. You can apply decorative duct tape before you attach the mesh.

There are turorials on youtube.

[Pebbles82]

I would like to know more about the dremel! What kind of things do you generally use it for? And would it cut through thick plastic! Ie about a quarter of an inch thick? I have a stupid plastic thing screwed/stuck to the bars of my spare cage and have tried everything to get it off! It is well and truly stuck and wire cutters couldn’t cut through it. I made such a mess trying to get it off it now has lots of sharp bits so the age bars are unusable. The blooming thing has annoyed me for years! It was a holder for a Ferplast drinky bottle that is certainly very strong!

[Ria P]

The Dremel is my favourite tool. Have a look at B&Q, they sell them there with a variety of attachments like cutting discs, files etc. Yes, it would cut through thick plastic. I use mine (well, my OH's) for cutting out the bin cage lids and windows, filing the edges smooth. I filed Edwina's ceramic mushroom smooth because it had some rough surfaces inside. I cut the plastic shelf from Henry's Alaska to size and fitted it into Percy's bin cage. The Dremel has adjustable speed settings and you can cut a clean, tidy line when cutting plastic. I don't know how people manage with a heated knife or stanley knife. Far too much effort for my liking.I have converted a lot of boxes into hamster homes lately and couldn't have done it without a Dremel.

[Pebbles82]

Thank you. What end/tool would you use for cutting plastic like my solid thick piece please? Although maybe it would be cheaper to buy a new cage! Sorry off topic a bit there.

[Fluffagrams]

My dad does most of my bin cages as he's a bit more DIY-savvy than I am but he tends to use a soldering iron to do ours, scraping off any lumpy bits with a burr. If you do use a soldering iron, it apparently doesn't work very well with actual soldering after being used to cut plastic so my dad has one that he uses just to do my bin cages. They're not overly expensive: https://www.amazon.co.uk/GHB-Solderi...=fsclp_pl_dp_5

The soldering iron method has made about 20 different bin cages of varying sizes and seems to work well for us.

[Ria P]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Thank you. What end/tool would you use for cutting plastic like my solid thick piece please? Although maybe it would be cheaper to buy a new cage! Sorry off topic a bit there.

I'd use the Dremel with the cutting disc attachement. Various tool bits like cutting discs, files etc come with the Dremel and they are interchangeable. Like with a power drill you can use different drill bits. Maybe you could borrow one to get the annoying plastic bit off or go to a tool hire place.

[Vierville]

Dremel tools are brilliant for many different uses! Also widely used in plastic model building.