New cage

Kirstyw · 03-18-2016, 03:26 PM

Hello
Our hamster Nibbles has been rattling on the bars now for a good few months. We only got her in December and it seems apart from the settling in period she has always done it. We've tried new toys, toys where she rattles, talking to her, longer play time etc but she still does it. We were thinking about getting her a new cage. We don't want to because we like the set up as it is but she is more important. While it doesn't really matter how much the new cage will be (within reason lol) the thing is space. At the moment she is in two Savic Hamster Heaven Metros joined together by tubes. I thought that this would be more than enough space but obviously not

. The cages are one on top of the other- as in the picture. So the new cage or cages would have to be the same. I love what some people have done with IKEA stuff like the deltof but I am limited with space. I have also seen the bin cages and while this is an option I was just wondering if there are any actual cages out there which are barless and we could maybe get?

Thanks in advance

AmityvilleHams · 03-18-2016, 04:22 PM

You could get a fish tank,but that would end up costing significantly more than a Detolf if you wanted the same amount of space.You won't likely find a barless cage that is comparable in size to the Detolf,but you could make a DIY cage that is larger than the Detolf which would be the best option if possible.

flowerfairy · 03-19-2016, 09:05 AM

One of my syrians, Woodstock is in the maxi duna multi which is a barless cage. You can sometimes get them from amazon for around 50 pounds. Porton aquatics sell them for 69 pounds.

They are great. Have a look at the housing section on here for set up ideas.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ma...w=1280&bih=800

pinkneon · 03-19-2016, 06:06 PM

Hahaha FlowerFairy I was just about to say the same thing! My Syrian, Sweep, is is one too. The only thing I don't like about it is it doesn't seem big enough to fit all the toys in! And also he can't see me! He has 2 houses currently and has just decided he prefers the massive one that takes up an entire corner of the cage! BUT it is big enough to act like a little shelf, though he doesn't really go on top much! So I don't like that I can't see him much as it has a very deep base! But even if he stands on top of the house he can't reach the top

AmityvilleHams · 03-19-2016, 06:10 PM

Even the large UK cages aren't exactly that good for Syrian hamsters,which is so sad and annoying.They would never be able to provide the right amount of burrowing space,which is definitely not good and can be one of the best boredom breakers if one simply does it properly.Dwarf hamsters are definitely easier to house with commercial pet cages,but it's never going to be the same as a large German sized DIY cage with height for up to 3 feet of substrate and so much floor space compared to the storebought cages.More space means more stimulation,which prevents boredom,and in turn creates a happy healthy hamster!

Pebbles82 · 03-19-2016, 09:28 PM

I love the Barney cage! The Maxi Duna Multy is great too. They are both 100cm cages - so will only be 20cm wider than the Hamster Heaven, but the Barney does seem to create a lot more floor space because of the extra height, meaning you can put somethings on shelves - and have a bit of a roof run as well.

You are right - one larger floor area cage would be much better than two smaller areas. Not that the Hamster Heaven is small but it's the minimum size for a Hamster. So one 100cm cage would be better than two 80cm ones.

This is the Barney on top of Charlie's old cage which was the same size as the Hamster Heaven (it was just there while I was switching him over). As you can see, it's only 20cm longer but somehow a lot more useable space - it has a good deep base and is also deeper than the Hamster Heaven (about 54cm deep) as well as longer.

Could you fit 120cm in? These are great I reckon - a bit expensive though

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/2535...?ref=related-3

The Alexander cage is also good - it's a bit taller than the Barney and has almost a full level in, but all in one cage, so similar to having two on top of each other but more floor space and all accessible. It's about the biggest commercial cage you can get in the Uk.

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

Or there are also the Living World Eco Habitats. The 100 cm one is a good size because you get the full floorspace without the curved base of a cage, and it's also about 55cm deep. There's a 120cm one as well that's about 75cm deep. The medium size is the 100cm one. Not cheap either but a lot cheaper than a fish tank.

Living World Green Eco Habitat | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!

The downside is the vents on top are 2cm so could do with meshing really.

I would go with a Barney or Alexander cage. Except if you are concerned she might still chew the bars in a bigger cage (is she chewing them or just rattling them?!) then a tank style would be better, in which case.

Maxi Duna Multy

Eco Habitat

Second hand 4 foot fish tank (they can be good value but sometimes hard to find)

Sometimes with more space, as in the Alexander cage, they don't chew the bars - especially with narrow bar spacing like in the Alexander or Barney.

This is Charlie's Barney cage now it's set up and there is loads more room for toys and still plenty of floor space.

Before (Savic cage that's the same size as the HH)

After (Barney cage - mine has different coloured bars but it's the same cage)

flowerfairy · 03-20-2016, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinkneon

Hahaha FlowerFairy I was just about to say the same thing! My Syrian, Sweep, is is one too. The only thing I don't like about it is it doesn't seem big enough to fit all the toys in! And also he can't see me! He has 2 houses currently and has just decided he prefers the massive one that takes up an entire corner of the cage! BUT it is big enough to act like a little shelf, though he doesn't really go on top much! So I don't like that I can't see him much as it has a very deep base! But even if he stands on top of the house he can't reach the top

I put Woodstock's substrate almost as high as the base (except where his wheel is). I fence off his wheel/food/water area with a bendy bridge on its side and his house has no base so he can dig into the substrate (fina card and fitch) to make a cosy nest. He will go onto his wooden house to collect food and I have the cage on a low table for viewing purposes!