think my cage is wrong

[jency]

Crayolalaura its a little zoo holly cage. I dont know how to put photos on even though i read the faq.
Am currently researching cages and bin cages. need to save for one.

[Crayolalaura]

Originally Posted by jency

Crayolalaura its a little zoo holly cage. I dont know how to put photos on even though i read the faq.
Am currently researching cages and bin cages. need to save for one.

That's ok I googled it
You can photos by scrolling down to additional options and click on "manage attachments"

Anyway- yes I can see the issues with that cage. I used to use IMAC Fantasy cage which was a cage you could add lots of levels to (much like a bin cage) my Syrians loved it. So long as you set it up right it can be just as enriching as any other large cage.

I use the Alaska cage for my dwarf hamster- great size and only £35 on zooplus.

Your cage will be ok for now whilst you're waiting to upgrade don't worry. In the mean time make use of all the wires and bars and add some shelves, hammocks etc. And anything that can catch your hammy gently should he fall

Try having a look at hamster cage set ups to get some ideas on what you could do with your current cage whilst you're saving to upgrade and your hammy will be fine till then

[jency]

Thank you.

[Pebbles82]

Just googled the cage as well It is very small and I think you're right to change it. My first thought is - take it back and ask for a refund. A number of people have done that after buying a cage that wasn't right and saying it's too small, too tall or whatever. I think people have had good results doing that with pets at home, even if the cage has been used, and one member said they would wait until she had a replacement cage before she returned it.

Depends where you got it from maybe, but it would help towards the cost of a replacement.

For a Syrian I think it's quite hard to find a bin cage big enough. The RUB boxes mentioned are good but not that cheap and the largest one isn't as big as some 80 x 50 hamster cages (I think).

Sometimes it can work out cheaper just to buy an Alaska cage from Zooplus (about £33) rather than a bin and the bits and pieces for making a bin cage.

Depending how much space you have, a detolf could be an option for a diy cage as well. It's £40 but needs a lid making out of strips of wood and mesh. It's an Ikea glass cabinet tipped on its side with the door left off.

DETOLF Glass-door cabinet Black-brown 43x163 cm - IKEA

Some set ups in detolfs here

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

Personally I would try to get a refund for your current cage and get an Alaska cage. It has a nice big front door for good access and that can help with taming as well. It is not a really tall cage but the height is better if you have plenty of substrate in the base. It's a good size for a Syrian hamster. It doesn't come with much. A shelf, which is apparently a bit flimsy but people tend to find it ok. The white cat house is no good as a house and the holes in it are too small for some syrians so they could get stuck, but it's easy enough to remove it. So you'd need a wheel and a house and presumably you've got some toys and chews already

A good house would be a shoebox house, so doesn't have to cost anything. You turn it upside down so it's open onto the substrate and cut a hole in for a door - it could go well under the shelf or partly under the shelf. Or if you have it in an open part of the cage, use the lid of the shoebox as a roof to lift off and check inside and cut the bottom out to be open onto the substrate.

A popular wheel for Syrians is the 28cm Trixie wheel - also sold by Zooplus if you did get the Alaska but not called a Trixie wheel. You wouldn't pay postage for the wheel if ordered at the same time as the cage.

Alaska cage

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

This is the wheel (28cm version)

Small Pet Exercise Wheel | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!

Another option could be to look for a used Hamster Heaven on ebay or gumtree. They're also a good sized cage for a Syrian and a bit easier to set up as it's a fairly low cage compared to some. Although personally I found that size a bit cramped for a syrian with their large toys and wheel and the Alaska is probably better proportions, size.

I would definitely try and get a refund for your current cage though - if you haven't had it long. It can feel awkward asking, but it's worth a try. Just say it's not suitable for your Syrian hamster.

[jency]

i got it from a seller Posh Pets on amazon in november so not sure if they will refund me. the box was damaged and the house was broken, so bith have been thrown away. i have messaged the company saying its not fit for purpose because its the wrong size according to rspca guidelines. is the alaska big enough it looks the same size as the storage boxes from wilkos that someone in the diy thread used.

[AmityvilleHams]

It really depends on your hamster.Syrians tend to need tons of space,and unfortunately if you put money into a wire cage it might not necessarily be big enough in the end.Luckily wire cages can be expanded like bin cages,but it is nowhere near as simple and would cost far more money to do so.

Bin cages can start out by being equal in size to some storebought cages,but what they have that storebought cages certainly do not is the ease of expansion with adding actual floor space.So,for the extra investment of time and a bit of extra money,you can get a cage that ends up being more than twice the size and if set up properly could even be safer.

[jency]

am torn. the bin i have found is 80cm long and 25cm high is that deep enough. i cant afford a rub bin i want my hamster to be happy. is the alaska cage good enough or the barney or a gerbil cage. if i make a bin cage i need to stack the boxes so how do i stick them together. then what stuff do i put on the floor for him he has a lovely house which is huge and a big wheel because the one that came with the cage was useless but i think i need bigger.

[Pebbles82]

Not sure which Wilco bin you mean The Alaska is 84cm by 48cm. It's a good size for a Syrian. Although our Syrian is in the 100cm Barney cage and I think that's a great cage for a Syrian. But it costs about £49 as opposed to £33 for the Alaska.

I guess November is about 2 months ago - but it's worth a try, especially if you tell them about the damage.

I don't know any bins as big as the Alaska. Apologies I missed a size of the Really Useful boxes. The largest one is the 145 litre one which probably is a similar size to the Alaska, looking at the dimensions. Slightly less wide but deeper. It would be a good bin for a bin cage. But it costs £44.96 - similar price to a Barney cage.

Go Shopping - Really Useful Boxes - 145 litre Really Useful Box

It depends how much space you have. Personally I wish I'd upgraded to a 100cm cage when our first cage was too small. I upgraded to an 80cm one and as soon as it arrived I wished I'd got a 100 cm one! Because I had made space for it by moving some furniture round and then found I had an extra 20cm and could have fitted a 100cm. The 80 cm seemed huge until I got it set up then it seemed a bit cramped inside! So value for money wise getting a bigger one could work out a good investment. But if you don't want something that big, then the Alaska is fine. It is 84cm and surprisingly 4cm can make a bit of difference.

In terms of low price and decent size the Alaska can be a good option.

[Pebbles82]

25cm isn't high enough really. Some people put 20cm deep substrate in! 7 to 10cm depth of substrate would be the minimum you'd need and it would still be a bit on the low side for a Syrian wheel, especially if your hammy grew large and needed a bigger wheel.

Your questions about how to set things up make me think you'd be better buying a cage

Both the Alaska and Barney are good cages - I would get the one you can easiest afford. They are a similar height - the Barney is 16cm wider and about 6cm deeper. The Barney has narrow bar spacing so can be used for dwarf hamsters as well.

As you've already got a good house for your hammy then you wouldn't need much extra to get for the Alaska.

Personally I'd say - if you have £50 to spend on a cage for a Syrian - get the Barney - if you have £70 to spend, get the Alexander and if you have £30 - borrow £3 and get the Alaska

On the other hand, the Barney does have a good shelf and ramp with it and you may end up wanting a different or extra shelf for the Alaska at some point and that might make it worth paying the extra £15 or so. I think the Barney is a cage that you can start with very little and its ready to go. The shelf is good, it actually comes with an 8" wheel which is ok for a smaller syrian or a starter wheel (although its a bit flimsy) and it comes with a good house. An extra house as a hide could be a good thing. Some people put it on the shelf if they already have a house. Toys you can make from toilet rolls and egg boxes and so on and don't really have to cost anything.

[AmityvilleHams]

Stacked boxes are not more floor space for hamsters.Hamsters are not climbing animals,therefore adding height extensions doesn't really help them,so stacking bins would really just be a waste of money and time since it would not actually give more real floor space.