Do I need to change my hamster cage?

[Saz P]

Hi
I'm new here on this website and I live in Uk and I bought a ferplast Duna multy cage 70x50 cm but I then discovered the Barney and Alexander Hamster Cage which was bigger so I was wondering if I should buy a new and bigger one?

[SKB_Hamsters]

Personally I think it depends upon your hamster, to whether you need a bigger cage or not. Some hamster are happier in a smaller cage whilst other prefer a larger cage. So if it looks like your hamster might appreciate a large cage then you could consider upgrading.
What species of hamster do you have?

[alpacassei]

It depends on the hamster really, I've had a WW that hated anything bigger than the Mini Duna whereas 2 of my current hybrids hate anything smaller than the Duna Fun Large (the Multy but with added platforms). What species is it? A dwarf hamster should be fine in the Duna Multy but a Syrian might need more space.

What toys does your hamster have? You could add some new toys, houses, or platforms for it to explore if you're worried about enrichment.

[AmityvilleHams]

Firstly,assess whether or not your hamster is doing anything to indicate the cage is too small.This would come in the form of stereotypic behavior such as bar chewing(I even see this in tank style cages if a hamster gets a chance),obsessive digging(not normal digging,these are very different behaviors),any sort of attempting to chew their way out or escape,and obsessive pacing.

If your hamster is showing even a few of these behaviors,you really need to consider that either your setup is inappropriate for your hamster or that the cage itself is just too small.

Bigger cages that are storebought get really expensive You could save up money instead and depending on species make a DIY cage,which would be a lot more cost effective and depending on what route you go the price for the overall floor space can be an absolute steal.There are lots of DIY options,including making your own cage completely or you could expand bins using several bins directly connected(I can explain in another post if you'd like)to make a massive but relatively cheap cage.That is definitely not anywhere near all your options though

[jency]

i have just the barney cage for my syrian and he loves it. the cage is huge though so make sure you have enough space. i got mine from zooplus and it was much cheaper

[Pebbles82]

As the others say, the Duna Multy is fine for a dwarf hamster - unless your hamster is showing stress signs as some dwarf hamsters do need more space.

I would say it's a bit on the small side for a Syrian - you'd be limited to what size of wheel could fit in heightwise. Syrians generally need a 10" to 12" wheel - a lot of people opt for an 11" one which suits most sizes of Syrians. Our Syrian was huge and needed a 12" one.

The floorspace is maybe a bit on the small side for a Syrian as well as the dimensions are for the maximum width.

But if your hammy is a baby Syrian then they might be fine in it as a starter cage with an 8" wheel.

If you do have a Syrian though, upgrading to a Barney could be a good thing - and the Duna Multy could be a spare or play cage or useful for taking on holidays - or you could sell it.

Our Syrian is in a Barney cage too. It is big but it would fit on top of a chest of drawers - it wouldn't matter if there was a little bit of overhang.

[Fluffagrams]

I would just like to echo what some of the others have said with the suitability depending on your individual hamster. I've had some hamsters who find settling in anything much bigger than a Mini Duna difficult and I've had hamsters of the same species that have needed a lot more space.

By watching their body language, you should be able to get some clues as to how your hamster feels about their environment. I've recently upgraded one of my Chinese as she became unhappy in her old cage and her behaviour started off as being a bit more hyperactive than normal and then became gradually worse with her becoming more destructive and frantic just before I moved her. On the other hand I had to downgrade one of my boys just over a year ago as he started to become very nervous in his cage, literally every sound or movement would send him looking for cover but yet outside of his cage, he was fine.

If your hamster is new I'd probably advise leaving them where they are for a couple of weeks before you change their cage as hamsters often need time to adjust and settle in before you really know what you're dealing with.

[CMB]

Is your hamster a dwarf or Syrian?

If you have a Syrian. Then the Barney or Alexander cage will give space to fit in a big wheel and other toys.

If you have a dwarf hamster. You will may have to add more tubes, hides etc as some dwarf hamsters don't like lots of open space. Unfortunately you may not find out until the hamster is in the new cage.

Deep substrate will be needed in case the hamster climbs and falls/drops to the floor.