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Old 01-22-2020, 01:07 AM   #1
Nakuzo
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Default Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

Hello everyone!

Currently, my dwarf's cage is 30 cm x 23 cm x 30 cm (roughly 12x9x12 in inches). I know it is really, really small but at the point of buying Oscar, it was the only thing I could provide him with. Right now, I am looking to upgrade, and I purchased a 59 cm x 40 cm x 30 cm, or 2360 sq cm (roughly 22x16x12 in inches or 365 sq inches) plastic bin, which I will then transform into a proper cage.

Will this be adequate for my Oscar, or will he feel sad or something? Right now, he began bitting his cage a lot, which I know is an indication that the cage is too small.

As I am waiting for the new bin to arrive, I try to let him free roam more often, so he can have a better time until his new home arrives. Is that a good move, or will he get used to the outside life and refuse to go to his cage after a while?

I am a new hamster owner. I've been with Oscar for about 1.5 weeks and I had no other hamster in the past.
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Old 01-22-2020, 02:39 AM   #2
SupermanCDC
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Smile Re: Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

Hello,

I heard that your hamster is biting the bar of it's cage. That is not a normal behavior as it usually indicates the cage you provided is too small. The idea of the bin cage is a good idea which makes it cheap and easy to use.

Free roam for your hamster is a good idea. For the bin cage you ordered, the size is an average for your hamster. See how your hamster thinks about it's new cage in the future then decide on whether you need an even bigger one.

Good luck with your hamster.

Last edited by SupermanCDC; 01-22-2020 at 04:05 AM.
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Old 01-22-2020, 02:57 AM   #3
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

Please don't use a hamster ball like supermancdc says they are not safe or nice for the hamster to use they can trap paws, have no way of telling you when they have had enough, they can't use their senses to know where they are etc. Instead whe free roaming I always recommed having a other wheel handy for your hamster to jump on and off of when they want to. Don't worry about free roaming, I find my hamsters still like time in their cages afterwards to do their own thing. As long as the cage and wheel are big enough with plenty of enrichment most hamsters will be happy to go back in once they have had a run around. You could always scatter feed in the cage, giving him something else to do when you put him back in.
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Old 01-22-2020, 03:16 AM   #4
Ria P
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Default Re: Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

Hi,
my advice is to cancel the bin cage and order a bigger one. Bin cages aren't necessarily a cheap option because you need to mesh the lid and mesh a front window so the hamster can see out. You need materials like mesh and cable ties and tools like a drill to convert a bin to a proper hamster home. If you can do it, that's fine.

I don't know which country you are in but sites like Zooplus sell good cages. The Alaska is very reasonably priced.

Free roaming is great as long as the area is secure and there's nothing unsuitable lying about your hamster could pouch. I'd strongly advise against a hamster ball. Your hamster is already stressed by living in a small cage so subjecting him to a tiny, poorly ventilated space where he can't see out properly would only stress him more.

Once you provide your hamster with a suitable habitat he'll soon settle down and enjoy his new home. He won't become reluctant to go back into his cage after free roaming because a decent house and wheel will be there, his nest and hoard, plenty of substrate to burrow in, tunnels and hides etc to play in.

While you wait, have a look at the 'Let's see your cages' thread under Housing on the Forum to get ideas.

I don't think anybody gets a hamster habitat right on the first attempt, i certainly didn't and had to learn a lot on this wonderful forum first.
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Old 01-22-2020, 04:02 AM   #5
Ithuviel
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Default Re: Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

I am glad you are improving your hamster's life however the bin you are describing is under minimum recomandations for SUA which is 450sq Inches. For EU minimum is about 620sq Inches.

Please don't use the hamster ball it is a terrible near torture device.
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Old 01-22-2020, 04:38 AM   #6
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

You will probably get lots of different answers on this one, but everyone agrees, I think that the current cage is way too small, as you know, and good that you're giving him lots of out of cage time and going to upgrade him.

You didn't say what species of dwarf hamster it is - I'm assuming a russian dwarf rather than a roborovski. It can make a difference as Roborovski's are the tiniest species but very active and often need quite a lot of space.

The usual recommendation for a Russian dwarf (or Roborovski) is along the lines of the old RSPCA minimum recommended cage size which is at least 70cm by 40cm floor area. Something like an 80cm by 50cm cage is good. They do vary in personality though and some dwarf hamster owners find they are fine,or even prefer, something a bit smaller than that. I agree with Ria though, it would be better to get something a bit bigger - to give more enrichment and fill it up with toys and a good sized house for nesting. It's easier to make a larger cage smaller by filling it up. But if the next one is too small as well then you'll be upgrading again, and every cage change is stressful for them (although the current upgrade will relieve stress and be appreciated I am sure!).

It is difficult finding bin cages big enough plus they tend to slope in at the bottom and not have a big floor area sometimes.

60cm x 40cm is not a bad size - but if that is the maximum dimensions then the floor area is probably still a big small.

Do you have an Ikea where you live? They sell a 78cm Samla bin which is quite a good bin to make a cage for a dwarf hamster. It's also quite cheap. The lid is sold separately but quite cheap also. It still slopes in quite a bit to the bottom, so is probably more like 60 x 40cm floor area, although if you put a good depth of bedding in (at least 5 to 6" deep) then the effective floor area is bigger as the bedding level is higher up the bin. Also dwarf hamsters sometimes like to dig tunnels!

Not sure what country you're in but assuming it is hard to find decent sized hamster cages. A slightly bigger bin is probably the way to go in that case. If you do have an Ikea there is also the detolf hack option. If you have the space.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ha...w=1252&bih=554
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Old 01-22-2020, 05:55 AM   #7
Nakuzo
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Default Re: Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Hi,
my advice is to cancel the bin cage and order a bigger one. Bin cages aren't necessarily a cheap option because you need to mesh the lid and mesh a front window so the hamster can see out. You need materials like mesh and cable ties and tools like a drill to convert a bin to a proper hamster home. If you can do it, that's fine.

I don't know which country you are in but sites like Zooplus sell good cages. The Alaska is very reasonably priced.

Free roaming is great as long as the area is secure and there's nothing unsuitable lying about your hamster could pouch. I'd strongly advise against a hamster ball. Your hamster is already stressed by living in a small cage so subjecting him to a tiny, poorly ventilated space where he can't see out properly would only stress him more.

Once you provide your hamster with a suitable habitat he'll soon settle down and enjoy his new home. He won't become reluctant to go back into his cage after free roaming because a decent house and wheel will be there, his nest and hoard, plenty of substrate to burrow in, tunnels and hides etc to play in.

While you wait, have a look at the 'Let's see your cages' thread under Housing on the Forum to get ideas.

I don't think anybody gets a hamster habitat right on the first attempt, i certainly didn't and had to learn a lot on this wonderful forum first.
Unfortunately, canceling the order is not really an option for 2 reasons. First of all, the shop doesn't provide refunds, and second of all, I live in a tiny apartment, and space is even something I struggle with so something like an 80x50 cage or something would probably mean that I would have to move the cage around when I sleep and when I am awake.

I had bought him a ball, but I quickly figured he doesn't like it, so I through it of the window (metaphorically speaking of course).

Do you think that just drilling a lot of holes in the lid of the bin cage would prove enough, or should I go with the recommendations and cut a great peace of the lid and add a wired fence on top of it for ventilation?
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Old 01-22-2020, 05:57 AM   #8
Nakuzo
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Default Re: Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ithuviel View Post
I am glad you are improving your hamster's life however the bin you are describing is under minimum recomandations for SUA which is 450sq Inches. For EU minimum is about 620sq Inches.

Please don't use the hamster ball it is a terrible near torture device.
Yeah I've read about the minimums, though it's both hard and expensive for me to find a buy a bin that big, and I want something fast because I can't look at him bitting his cage, knowing that he feels unease.

I got him a ball, but I quickly realized he hates it, so I through it of the window (metaphorically speaking).
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Old 01-22-2020, 06:00 AM   #9
Nakuzo
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Default Re: Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000 View Post
You will probably get lots of different answers on this one, but everyone agrees, I think that the current cage is way too small, as you know, and good that you're giving him lots of out of cage time and going to upgrade him.

You didn't say what species of dwarf hamster it is - I'm assuming a russian dwarf rather than a roborovski. It can make a difference as Roborovski's are the tiniest species but very active and often need quite a lot of space.

The usual recommendation for a Russian dwarf (or Roborovski) is along the lines of the old RSPCA minimum recommended cage size which is at least 70cm by 40cm floor area. Something like an 80cm by 50cm cage is good. They do vary in personality though and some dwarf hamster owners find they are fine,or even prefer, something a bit smaller than that. I agree with Ria though, it would be better to get something a bit bigger - to give more enrichment and fill it up with toys and a good sized house for nesting. It's easier to make a larger cage smaller by filling it up. But if the next one is too small as well then you'll be upgrading again, and every cage change is stressful for them (although the current upgrade will relieve stress and be appreciated I am sure!).

It is difficult finding bin cages big enough plus they tend to slope in at the bottom and not have a big floor area sometimes.

60cm x 40cm is not a bad size - but if that is the maximum dimensions then the floor area is probably still a big small.

Do you have an Ikea where you live? They sell a 78cm Samla bin which is quite a good bin to make a cage for a dwarf hamster. It's also quite cheap. The lid is sold separately but quite cheap also. It still slopes in quite a bit to the bottom, so is probably more like 60 x 40cm floor area, although if you put a good depth of bedding in (at least 5 to 6" deep) then the effective floor area is bigger as the bedding level is higher up the bin. Also dwarf hamsters sometimes like to dig tunnels!

Not sure what country you're in but assuming it is hard to find decent sized hamster cages. A slightly bigger bin is probably the way to go in that case. If you do have an Ikea there is also the detolf hack option. If you have the space.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ha...w=1252&bih=554
Oscar is a winter white Russian dwarf hamster. I hope that the bin I currently order will make him happier, and I will definitely look at the bins you suggested, but currently it's not possible for me to buy any of those 2.

Do you think that Drilling lots of holes in the lid is adequate ventilation for my hamster, or should I cut a big chunk of the lid of and close it with a wire, just like some of the tutorials?

Thanks a lot for your recommendations!
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Old 01-22-2020, 06:42 AM   #10
Vierville
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Default Re: Minimum and ideal cage dimensions (or surface)

I think that a proper cut out window that is safely covered with mesh is much better than drilling lots of holes. It will provide better air circulation which is important and will allow Oscar to see out.
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