Pets At Home- medium plastic hamster home

[Pebbles82]

If you like the tank style, then a Ferplast Duna Multy is a good size for a single dwarf - and some people go as big as the 100cm Maxi Duna Multy - but strangely that is way more expensive. The standard Duna Multy is only about £33 whereas the Maxi Duna is nearer £90!

Cage Duna Multy

It's hard to tell from the photo, but the dimensions are much better than the pets at home one you have. As mentioned above, the one you have could be a good starter cage, especially for a nervous hamster, but the Duna Multy is a good sized cage for a single dwarf hamster (some will say it's too small, some will say it's too big!) But it fits what the RSPCA minimum recommended size for a single dwarf hammy used to be - about 70cm by 40cm. And it only just meets that as the base slopes in a fair bit at the bottom.

So it could be a good upgrade without spending too much. I have the Barney cage from Zooplus for our Syrian and think it's perfect for a Syrian. It would also be good for a dwarf hammy if set up carefully, but it's fairly tall so there can be fall risks if not set up carefully. A lot of dwarf hammy owners prefer a cage though because you can do so much with them to give enrichment - tie things to the bars, have shelves and levels and so on. But a tank style like the duna can make them feel more secure and you can still have a level on legs in it.

Personally I think the Imac Fantasy is too small for a Syrian as well. They're not bad but it's difficult to fit in a large Syrian wheel and they are very limited for depth of substrate. Deeper substrate allows them to dig and burrow and bury hoards and do other normal hamstery behavioural things

Some people even get a detolf for a dwarf hammy - which is a cheap option for a large tank if you have the space. It's an Ikea glass cabinet tipped on its' side with the door left off - it needs a lid making out of wood and mesh. It can create an amazing habitat.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ha...zCAtoQ_AUIBigB

[CMB]

If you haven't had the cage long you could use a storage box as a cage temporarily and try to return the cage.

P@H have a Savic ruffy 2 rat cage that looks too small for a rat, but good for a hamster.

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pe...ffy-2-rat-cage

Zoo plus also have some good cages. So having a look at those to is a good idea.

[Crayolalaura]

Thanks guys!
I've been having a look about and I think the barney is too big for my space sadly and I've heard mixed reviews on the Alaska which is a shame as it's a better size for my space. But who knows maybe I will go for either one at some point
Going to look at the Dina multi and Savic

The more I look st Margots cage the more I'm sure it's just not quite big enough for her
It's not massively too small but I feel she could do with a little more
But for now I'm decking out her pad and seeing how she is with all the new fun stuff in it
If I don't feel she seems relaxed enough I'll upgrade

Your recommendations have been such a help everyone thank you!

[Pebbles82]

That's a good point CMB makes about getting a refund! A few people have done that, even after using it for a couple of weeks, saying it's too small. If you're going to upgrade her though, best to let her settle into the current cage for a couple of weeks.

I think you're instincts are right about it not being right though. It basically becomes an oversized pet carrier if you can't fit much enrichment in.

The Duna Multy would be good without being massive. Also the Savic Mickey 2XL which I had (7mm bar spacing) but unfortunately that one is really expensive now - about £86. You can get the hamster heaven from Zooplus for £59.99 though. That has 2cm bar spacing like the Savic Ruffy, which is ok for larger dwarf hammies I believe, but you'd want smaller bar spacing or a tank style for a not so large dwarf hammy possibly.

I personally think the Savic Mickey 2XL is a fantastic cage - it has the same big front opening door as the Hamster Heaven and the narrow bar spacing and it's not too big, not too small (slightly less long than the Alaska) - very well made and sturdy and easy to get the top off. It's just quite expensive. It's also quite low so less of a fall risk for a dwarf hammy.

It comes with a wheel, some in cage play tubes and a sputnik. The wire shelf needs to come out - bad for hammies feet. But you can set it up how you want with a kind of clean open cage to begin with - a house and a level would be a good start, or a flat top house that doubles up as a level.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Cages-Pen...vic+Mickey+2XL

The standard duna multy is way cheaper though and about 10cm smaller.

[cypher]

I thought this was a cage review but seeing as it seems to have become something else I just wanted to say the Hamster heaven is fine for a dwarf ham (I have a chinese in one, slimmer than a hybrid) the bar spacing is fine & it's a lot cheaper than the Mickey, just don't use the tube or penthouse as they're nothing but trouble & the cage comes with bits to block those holes.

[Pebbles82]

That's good to know The Hamster Heaven is cheaper. I think it became comments on the cage reviewed.

[Crayolalaura]

It started as a cage review LOL sort of turned into recommendations now
So much choice!

I will settle her in this one whilst she gets used to us
It'll do for now
She has a lot more stuff in there now thankfully!

[AmityvilleHams]

It's fine to start with a small cage and then upgrade,which is sometimes more beneficial to a hamster that isn't tame.

There are tons of different options for housing depending on exactly what you need,so try and keep an open mind at all times with housing

One option that almost never gets mentioned is an expanded bin cage unit.This is virtually the same as making one bin cage,the only difference being you'd make the windows lower and you'd need several bins to do this.It works out cheaper than most DIY but you could still go as big as possible,plus it has so many benefits when it comes to having the perfect shape cage for your space and how much space you could get for far less money and even more benefits that would take ages to list!

[Crayolalaura]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

It's fine to start with a small cage and then upgrade,which is sometimes more beneficial to a hamster that isn't tame.

There are tons of different options for housing depending on exactly what you need,so try and keep an open mind at all times with housing

One option that almost never gets mentioned is an expanded bin cage unit.This is virtually the same as making one bin cage,the only difference being you'd make the windows lower and you'd need several bins to do this.It works out cheaper than most DIY but you could still go as big as possible,plus it has so many benefits when it comes to having the perfect shape cage for your space and how much space you could get for far less money and even more benefits that would take ages to list!

It really is like going back to the start when you get an entirely different breed of hamster than you're used to isn't it lol!
Yes I am definitely interested in a bin cage! I want to look into that option a bit more

[Crayolalaura]

Here is her layout now

Please don't freak out about the water bowl! No it's not permanent it's just whilst I figure out what to do about her water bottle. I've ordered a holder which is coming tomorrow but in case that's unsuccessful I have been looking at the bottle holder thread for some fab ideas

Not sure if she'll like the flying saucer but i have a small wheel if not
I've other bits and bobs to alternate which is something I've always done with my Syrians but are dwarves different? Are they ok with changes? I'd alternate toys and such weekly with my Syrians and they seemed happy with that
Not much room to move about but I was looking through the show us your cages thread and they mostly seem quite packed too so I presume this is ok for dwarves

It was easier with the levelled cage for my Syrians as I could add so many little things on each level LOL

I'm happy with it and it'll do for now so long as she's happy with it