Criceti 15

KDcow · 09-01-2015, 12:11 PM

So, I was planning on buying a hamster heaven cage until I stumbled across the Criceti 15, and preferred this cage more. However, I had a look at the cage design and previous posts on here show that hamsters can chew the plastic corners next to the top door.
This cage would be brought for my Syrian Cinders, however, she is a bar chewer (hoping to stop this by getting a bigger cage to fit more toys). She gets stressed very easily so I am not too sure whether she would continue chewing in this cage. If she did chew the plastic, do any owners of this cage know if she could make a hole big enough to escape? (She is quite a big girl!!)
Also, what are your opinions on this cage?
Many thanks

Pebbles82 · 09-01-2015, 01:56 PM

I used to like this cage, but I think there are better ones, both for size and type. Zooplus have a good range of cages. The Alexander and Barney are great cages, and also a fair bit bigger than the Criceti 15. A number of people have found moving their hamster to an Alexander has stopped bar chewing. The only sure fire way though is to get her a glass tank like the Kerry Terrarium or something like a 3 or 4 ft fish tank and make a lid.

The Barney is a really good price at less than £50. It's a 100 cm cage and comes with a good house and platform.

Barney Pet Cage | Great deals at zooplus!

The Alexander is the same size but a bit taller with a kind of racetrack shelf set up to break up the height. Costs a bit more at £69 odd but comes with the three shelves and 3 houses (although the house with the round window is not suitable for a syrian - Neptune got stuck in the window).

Great deals on small pet cages at zooplus: Alexander Small Pet Cage

This is the Kerry Terrarium, but it's on the minimum size for a Syrian.

Hamster Cages: great selection at zooplus: Small Pet Terrarium Kerry

The Hamster Heaven is a good cage if you don't use the top penthouse thing and if you block off the tubes! It has a nice big front opening door - but better to get something without tubes, or block them off.

KDcow · 09-02-2015, 03:05 AM

Thanks for the reply. I like the look of both the Barney and Alexander but I have a feeling Cinders would enjoy chewing the shelfes- she's a destroyer! She also loves climbing so I would really love to avoid tank style cages, but if it comes to that I will. I was planning on blocking off the tubes on the hamster heaven if I was to get it as well. Do you have anything against the Criceti or do you just prefer the other cages?
Hm, looks like I have some thinking to be doing tonight!

Pebbles82 · 09-02-2015, 12:30 PM

Nothing against it in particular, although it is on the smaller scale of the minimum recommended size for a hamster - the tube attachments could be an escape route or chewable too. Mainly that there are better (in my humble opinion!) cages to be had for the money. Although the access is good on the Criceti with that big top opening door (as long as your ham doesn't mind top access - I don't think there's a side door). I reckon the Barney without the shelf could be a good option. It has quite a deep base - about 16cm. If you filled the based almost to the top with substrate the height would be less and you could just have smaller shelves - I have a couple of these little lava ledges - Charlie likes his - he likes to sit under it as well as on it and it's also a step to other things like his sputnik. I was toying with designs for a Barney set up without the shelf earlier this year and thought one of those big cork tunnels would be good in it at one end. On top of the deep substrate (or partly in it) it would give a kind of shelf. If she chewed the cork it would be good anyway and just add to the substrate lol! I haven't heard of hamsters chewing cork tunnels though. My idea was for a big house at one end and the cork tunnel at the other with the wheel in the centre hung from the roof top (but that's because I have a Wodent Wobust wheel). Or stood on a platform with legs so the hamster could go under it if they wanted to.

Anyway these are the lava ledges - help keep nails short. My first one was purple and the second yellow - you don't get to choose the colours. They just screw to the bars.

Kaytee (Was Superpet) Lava Ledge: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

This was Charlie's set up (until recently when I made a few changes but am about to change them back again!)

He had a big guinea pig house with his potty tray inside in the corner he chose to wee in and that doubled up as a shelf. The bendy stick tunnel is the medium one (about 16cm) and originally I put it over because the house door was so big but he loved that tunnel because it made his house dark. That particular house is very thick pine and I defy any hamster to chew that to bits! but in any case I lined it with a cardboard box (first an easter egg box, then a cereal packet cut to size), mainly to protect it a bit inside but Charlie loved chewing off bits of cardboard to line his nest with. My point being, if he had the cardboard to chew he'd be less likely to chew the wood!

Anyway - the house makes a level as well as a good hide - the lava ledge is just behind it. I set it down into the substrate quite low and built the substrate up around it as it would be quite heavy if they tried to dig underneath it.

So the Barney could look very similar to this but with an extra 20cm of space in the middle! Or an extra 20cm of space at one end with a big cork tunnel lying across that - something to climb on and go through. I might do that one of these days but we're planning to move so I'm a bit preoccupied right now.

The Barney also has a big top opening door for getting things in and out, but also two side doors for a hamster to come to when they want to come out. I think the extra space (it's a fair bit bigger than the Criceti) would help your hammy calm down a bit maybe - it's amazing how their behaviour changes when they have more space. It is quite high (about 43cm internal height) so the substrate would need to be quite deep if your hammy is a climber, in case Cinders fell from the top.

KDcow · 09-02-2015, 12:54 PM

I am now moving away from the Criceti and looking more towards the Alaska, as I seen many great set ups using this cage. This would also give me some room for toys and other boredom breakers. I don't want to overwhelm her with a HUGE cage, her current cage is on the smaller side as I was planning to upgrade her a while a back but she was starting to settle. I have started another post in the Behaviour Section about cage moving (the cage has not yet been ordered but I am 90% sure I want the Alaska, I think!). Thank you very much for your replies and advice, it's very much appreciated!!

Pebbles82 · 09-02-2015, 02:43 PM

You're welcome! The Alaska is a good choice. It's similar to my cage except a bit taller - and it also has a nice big front opening door like mine too.

KDcow · 09-03-2015, 10:19 AM

Sorry, I don't know if you wrote it earlier but what cage is that in the picture? Thanks

Pebbles82 · 09-03-2015, 11:59 AM

That's the Savic Mickey 2XL - it's basically the same cage as the Hamster Heaven but with smaller bar spacing (for mice and dwarf hamsters although I have a Syrian in it). And without all the tubes and extra plastic stuff that comes with the Hamster Heaven. It is 80cm wide and 50cm deep but only 38cm high though, whereas the Alaska is a bit higher and slightly wider/longer but a bit less deep. The Alaska is 84cm wide by 48.5 deep by 44cm high.

My cage is great but it's not easy to find these days and is about £78 on Amazon at the moment. Whereas the Alaska is similar but less than £40. The Hamster Heaven is about £59 on Zooplus. It is also a good cage but the tubes and top penthouse bit need taking out really as hammies can get stuck in them or start nesting in the tubes, plus they're an escape route. You can also get a similar cage called the Savic Sky which is also very similar to the Hamster Heaven - I think that one is better but it's also about £78. Jen on here has one and ended up taking her tubes out. They are all 80cm cages basically anyway.

Alaska Hamster Cage | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!

Savic Mickey 2xl Navy Blue Mice And Dwarf Hamster Cage 80 X 50 X 38 Cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

Hamster Cages: great selection at zooplus: Hamster Heaven 80 Cage

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Savic-Hamste...ords=Savic+Sky

I've found the Savic cage really sturdy and well made and all of those models have the nice big front door on them. But the Alaska is also a perfectly good cage and cheaper. I have to say though, I regret not getting a 100cm cage in the first place! It is about the right size for a Syrian once you have a wheel and all their stuff in. 80cm is ok but it's the minimum recommended size.

I reckon my cage is good though as it is futureproof with its small bar spacing as suitable for both Syrian and dwarf hamsters. It comes with a sputnik, food dish and water bottle that are useable. It also comes with a wire grid shelf that needs removing as it is bad for hamsters feet and only suitable for mice, and a small wheel that is only suitable for mice and needs removing too, and some very small savic tubing which again is only suitable for mice (I left the tubing in and our hamster got stuck and we had to break him free - it was all very stressful! I didn't know they did smaller tubing for mice and assumed all savic tubes were the same). Anyway, the sputnik is worth having! You could buy a shelf to put in - or have no shelf, or have a flat roofed house as a shelf like I had. Then you just need a syrian sized wheel. Unfortunately none of the cages comes with a Syrian sized wheel.

KDcow · 09-03-2015, 12:52 PM

Thank you for that info, I think I will still be sticking to the Alaska though. I am planning on adding in another level and a large corner house that can also act as a level. She enjoys climbing around onto things. I was looking at get a hanging bridge toy for her aswell, but looking at all those chain links frightens me, I would hate for her to get stuck (Cinders is the kind of hamster that would think its a good idea to stick her paws in places they shouldn't be!).
It's a shame that hamster cages never provide the right size wheel, I think they should sell a larger size wheel with that cage or no wheel at all.
I am still a bit scared of how Cinders will react in a new cage, she can get VERY worked up very easily. It's kept me up at night the past few nights on whether am I doing the right thing by giving her a new cage- hence why the cage has not yet been ordered. I have all the items I want in my basket in another tab ready! The last thing I want to do is stress her out even more than she has been the last week

Who thought such a tiny creature could cause so stress on their owner!

Pebbles82 · 09-03-2015, 02:13 PM

Hi again. I just posted on your other thread about cage moving. I think she'll be fine as she is moving to more space and more enrichment. I agree about not getting a hanging toy - I think they're a bit dangerous. Sadly a lot of toys sold for hamsters aren't suitable for them at all and most toys sold for hamsters are only big enough for dwarf hamsters! So if choosing a house, watch out for windows - small round windows aren't good for Syrian hamsters as they try and climb through them and get stuck. Best to get a house with no windows! Anyway I wrote some stuff and links about toys on the other thread.

Anyway to answer your worry - yes you are doing the right thing getting her a new cage. She will love it and it will improve her life and I doubt she can be any more stressed than she is now by the sound of it. Just fill it to the brim with substrate/litter (the base of the cage that is) and she'll have great fun digging and building a nest. She might be a bit nervy for a couple of days but she'll soon settle in and start exploring and having fun.