I want to get a hamster...

anjalina rosario · 11-20-2020, 06:32 PM

I had a syrian hamster a few months ago that sadly passed. I want another hamster but the cages I have right now are pretty small, and not very good. My best option for a cage is a 10 gallon tank and I dont think I want my hamster to live in such a small home. I am on a 20 dollar buget for the hamster + a cage. Im thinking of doing a bin cage but I might not have enough money. Anyone have any ideas?
Btw i wanna get a dwarf hamster, but im not sure yet...

Ria P · 11-21-2020, 08:46 AM

My advice would be to wait until you have saved up enough money to get a decent home for your next hamster. In the meantime you could have a look in the small ads for good second hand cages. Aside from a good cage, you'll need a wheel in the right size, a house, hides, toys, food and substrate and you need to put some money aside for possible vet bills.

I'm not trying to put you off getting a hamster but it is our responsibility to take care of them properly and the fact that you ask for advice now shows that you are a caring and responsible person.

LunaTheHamster1 · 11-21-2020, 10:36 AM

I think 10 gallon is very small. I don't really know much about size when it come to gallons, but i think 40 gallons is classed as the minimum, but I would be measuring the tank to see how big in cm/inches for the width and length.

Like Ria says can you keep an eye out on 2nd hand sites

I think you are in the States, so at this time of year I think places like Walmart have big plastic bins that are used for xmas trees/decorations, maybe have a look their and see what sizes they have available.

anjalina rosario · 11-21-2020, 10:42 AM

Thanks, I will be sure to look in walmart to make a bin cage. I wont make a hamster live in a 10 gallon, knowing its too small.

anjalina rosario · 11-21-2020, 10:43 AM

Thank you, I will try to save up some more money to afford a bigger habitat before getting a hamster. The advice is very much appreciated.

Ria P · 11-22-2020, 12:23 AM

I have made a 133l bin cage before from a christmas tree box which was 98cm long and 30cm wide. It worked well for a dwarf hamster. It had a lid meshed in two section panels and because of the long length it had three meshed front windows and three meshed back vents.

A bin cage needs a meshed lid and meshed windows to ensure sufficient ventilation so is not always a cheap option.
You also need tools to cut the plastic but there are tutorials on youtube.

I thought i'd point this out before you go ahead and buy one.

anjalina rosario · 11-22-2020, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ria P

I have made a 133l bin cage before from a christmas tree box which was 98cm long and 30cm wide. It worked well for a dwarf hamster. It had a lid meshed in two section panels and because of the long length it had three meshed front windows and three meshed back vents.

A bin cage needs a meshed lid and meshed windows to ensure sufficient ventilation so is not always a cheap option.
You also need tools to cut the plastic but there are tutorials on youtube.

I thought i'd point this out before you go ahead and buy one.

Thanks! This is a perfect timing for that since I will have about $100 for christmas and I will be able to maybe even do a detolf cage. Thanks for the idea, its very much appreciated! Have a good one!

AmityvilleHams · 11-22-2020, 04:22 PM

The Iris Christmas tree bin(generally $20-30 regularly), a roll of properly spaced mesh, a wood burning knife(typically around $10 at Walmart), and zip ties wouldn't really be a bad idea. That specific bin ends up giving roughly the equivalent floor space of an Ikea Detolf at a lower cost - mesh and a wood burning knife are both long term investments that go beyond just one DIY project, so for me counting them or at least their full prices into the cost of the DIY isn't really fair.

That being said just to cover a couple other bases here, the proper diet in the US is Higgins Vita Garden. Adding Pure Bites and flax seed to that would be a good idea for boosting the nutritional value. The best substrate in the US would be Small Pet Select paper bedding due to higher quality control standards, higher raw material standards, no dyes or other questionable additives etc, very little if any dust, and pure virgin fiber - something other products on the market with the exception of Oxbow Pure Comfort simply cannot compare to although Oxbow Pure Comfort is also a lot more expensive when you consider the amount you can get for the cost.