need help choosing a new cage for my syrian hamster

[Pebbles82]

I think it's difficult to have them on the sofa when they're not tame - as you say they can be fast and don't like being held on to too tightly. The bathtub is probably better. I wouldn't let him run around on the floor just yet either, even with the doors shut. If there is an inconvenient place to get stuck, a hamster will find it! I went round our room blocking off any holes in floors and making sure the room was hamster-safe (or so I thought) - he made a beeline for the gas fire and tried to climb up under it! Then disappeared behind the fridge. Took us all night to get him out again dismantling a kitchen worktop and carefully pulling the fridge out. And if there is the smallest hole anywhere in the skirting, wall, floor or vents, they will find it and disappear! I'd wait till you can make some kind of playpen to put up or use the bathtub. Unless you have a hallway maybe and live in a modern place with solid floors. If you think it's secure. I personally think it's hard to have them running around before they are tame. Playpens and materials for them cost money as well, so maybe use the bath - if you have a bath

I actually can't believe pets at home sold you that cage. It's described as being suitable for dwarf hamsters and mice! And is too small for dwarf hamsters as well. I would be seriously worried about him getting stuck in the tubes if the cage is meant for dwarf hamsters.

As it seems to cost £54 I would definitely ask for a refund - then you could afford an Alaska cage at least (about £33) and have money left over for a syrian sized wheel, a house/hide and some toys.

Alternatively - a quicker option might be to swap it for the Hamster Heaven at pets at home. You would need to pay a bit more for it though as they charge £75 for it. So maybe not when you can get it for £60 from Zooplus or the Alaska for £33.

I know it's a cash flow issue - paying for one cage before getting a refund for the current one, but if you could manage to do that, you will have a good chance of getting your money back as you can say the cage is not suitable for Syrian hamsters (it's on their webpage it's for dwarf hamsters and mice). You could phone them first and check that they will give you the refund. Then order another cage, get it set up and your hamster moved in, then take the Zolux back to pets at home for the refund. Check on the phone if they will let you do this. Or if they will let you swap it for the Hamster Heaven if you can find another £20 for that.

Yes it's best to remove the tubes and penthouse really. It's not that hamsters don't like them but they develop unhealthy behaviours. It's normal behaviour for a hamster to block up the entrance to their house/nesting box. When they nest in the penthouse this means they can block up the tubes. The tubes also get stinky and don't have good ventilation, plus they are an escape route - can come apart or be pushed out. The Penthouse isn't a great place to nest either and gets stinky as well which means they need cleaning out more often and it stresses them when they lose their nest and their hoard. A house open underneath and sat directly on the substrate is better. The hamster will toilet nearby - usually in a corner of the cage and that corner can just be spot cleaned without needing to disturb their nest or hoard. Happy hamster then. Some people do leave the penthouse and tubes in but can end up removing them later due to issues - and then it stresses the hamster having them removed. So best remove them in the first place

I would put as much substrate as you can in the bottom section for now. You could remove the bottom wheel to make space for more substrate - but would that leave a hole or something? (Just thinking a hamster might chew at it or escape then.

I had a similar thing when we got our hamster. I had a 3 tier rotostak thing. I realised within the first 3 weeks it was not good - the hamster started looking depressed then got stuck in a tube. So I did some research, found out about suitable cages, found this website and had a cage here within two days. Afterwards I hated the rotostak! It made me realise that the hamster had no alternative but to use the tubes whether he liked it or not! To get from one level to the other. He has to use all the tubes just to get to the water bottle.

Ideally they do better with one larger floorspace with everything accessible from their house - food, water etc. Shelves can be good and tubes can be good as in cage floor toys, as long as the tubes are big enough for a syrian (rat tubes are a good size).

For now just put 3 to 4" of substrate, if possible, in the bottom unit, but I would ring PAH tomorrow, say you want a refund because the cage isn't suitable for your Syrian hamster, get that approved then say could you bring it back when the new cage arrives. If you order a cage from Zooplus tomorrow it should be with you by the end of the week. So you would only have to find the money for a week before getting your refund. If that's possible. The Alexander cage would be perfect. But the Alaska is fine too. If you order a wheel at the same time you don't pay postage on the wheel. The Barney and Alexander have everything you need except the wheel (not sure if there is a food bowl and water bottle but you could scatter feed and use a dish of water at first). Whereas the Alaska you would need a house as well. And a few toys for any of them.

The Barney cage comes with a basic 8" wheel which would do in the short term if you couldn't afford a wheel straight away.

I would say go with the Barney - it's cheaper than the Alexander and although it's £15 more than the Alaska it has a good house and a short-term wheel and you don't need extras then. Plus it's cheaper than the one you're getting a refund for!

[Pebbles82]

Posted at the same time You don't need extra shelves or a flat roof house for the Barney cage I just decided to do that and already had a house from previous cage. The Barney comes with a good house. Then you just need substrate, food and water and a few toys - it can evolve from there. You do need quite a bit of substrate to start off with though. Could you fit a 100cm cage in? It sits on top of a chest of drawers ok - doesn't matter if there's a bit of overhang.

[arnieA380]

Hi yes the bottom wheel can be removed without leaving a hole has they just clip onto the bars
so il put more substrate at the bottom for now.
should i put any substarte on the two levels above or just the bottom?

if i went with the alexander cage isit just the wheel i would need to replace or house as well sorry?

[arnieA380]

Hi yes im stuck between two

the Alexandera and the barney.

Altough the alexandera is slightly bigger i think in height. its more expensive arghh. give or take they are similar cages if im correct. so would you say the barney would be a good cage for my syrian hamster.

if i went for the barney is the house that comes with it good enough or would you recommend me getting a better one, i know id have to get a wheel i was looking at the trixie wheel which seems to have good reviews?
Id like to get my hamster one of them cocounut houses with rope stair things are they good?

is their any advantages the barney has over the alexandrea apart from being cheaper?

thank you so much for your help and advice, dont know what i would do if i didnt find this forum

[Pebbles82]

The Alexander cage doesn't come with a wheel - but it does come with 3 houses The long built in one at the bottom, which hammies seem to like as there is room for nesting and hoarding and you can even fit a litter tray at one end (the end near the big door is best). The other two houses can just be hideouts, but one of the houses has a small window that Syrians can get stuck in (it has happened) which is a bit of an emergency - so either take that house out or block the window off by glueing a couple of small dowels over it (elmer's school glue is safe to use).

You would want a wheel - Zooplus sell the 28cm Trixie wheel. If ordered at the same time as a cage you wouldn't pay postage on either.

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

The Barney cage also comes with a house and a basic 8" wheel - it would do for a start but might be noisy and fall apart quickly!

Your current cage. I'm not sure about putting substrate on the other levels because it could fall down the tubes and block the hamster trying to get through the tubes so a bit risky. Just think of them as shelves maybe and put a nice layer in the bottom bit. Not sure what nesting material you have but a hamster's nest is their most important thing in life, next to their hoard. And the safest material (and they like it) is torn up strips of plain white toilet paper - a big heap of it. The hamster will take it or pouch it and build a nest. Nesting material isn't the same as substrate (the stuff on the floor of the cage. Without a nest or substrate to burrow in your hammy will be frantic.

Again you don't want to block up the bottom tube entrance so maybe have the substrate deeper at the end opposite to the tube end and just a very thin layer under and around the tube entrance. You could put the pile of nesting material in the bottom bit in the middle somewhere. The bottom part will then probably become his nest and the other two levels would be "shelves".

The key word these days for hammy cages is "enrichment" - that is what gives them quality of life and enables them to have normal hamstery behaviour. Enrichment consists of - enough substrate - somewhere dark to nest in (if there's no house they will build a big open nest and crawl under it), somewhere to bury hoards (he'll probably bury them in his nest), variety of things in the cage such as tubes, toys, hidey places, levels to climb - but all these things need to be in one continuous space rather than smaller separate spaces. So they can roam and forage and climb and have fun basically. Especially at night when they are most active.

Is he actually using either of the wheels? If he is it should be ok for a few days but they look very tiny. Anything smaller than 8" diameter is very bad for a hammy's back as they bend in the middle. But our hammy had a 6" wheel in our rotostak thing and I didn't know any different at first either. He was ok and lived into old age even though he used it for three weeks. But the sooner you can get a Syrian sized wheel the better - they really need their wheels to run in every night. In the wild they can run miles every night.

Not sure what else you have in his cage but you could put a treat stick on one of the levels (they need to chew hard things regularly to stop their teeth getting too long). Easiest to get hold of are the Vitakraft ones. I only ever gave those as an occasional treat because they have honey in (ie sugar) which can give them tooth decay! But once in a while it should be ok.

This is what they look like - most pet shops sell them. Inside the crunchy stuff is a piece of wood so they are chewing on the wood when they eat it which helps keep their teeth worn down. Otherwise their teeth keep growing and get too long.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vitakraft-F...W0WS4XZP7AVN7A

You could also give him a bit of fresh veg each day with his hamster mix. Only every 3 days at first, then 2 days then every day so his stomach gets used to veg. Just a tiny piece about 1cm cubed size (any shape - the 1cm cube is to give an idea of size). Safe veg includes broccoli, carrot, cucumber, cauliflower. Not lettuce or cabbage. Raw ideally. Boiled is ok but not anything with any sauces or gravy or anything. They love veg - that'll cheer him up along with a treat stick. They also love treats like pumpkin seeds now and then or half a pecan nut or half a walnut - only about once a week for nuts, or a small piece of cheese.

[Pebbles82]

You're welcome! I was totally dependent on advice on this forum at first anyway. Now there's a question - I had to decide between the Alexander and Barney myself. In the end I decided on the Alexander - and it was out of stock for ages so I got the Barney.

They are both good. The Barney has slightly more floorspace (it's 54 cm deep as opposed to 50cm deep). The house in it is good for a Syrian. . The Alexander is good for overhead cover for a hamster especially if a hamster is a bit shy - the three overhead shelves make things a bit shadier underneath for them. But there is a big drop through the gap in the shelves and people have to put something there to block it sometimes. They both have pros and cons - I would just get the one you like and can afford. The Barney is a good buy at less than £50 with a house and basic wheel included. You just need a lot of substrate to start with and have it as deep as possible as it is a bit high - not massively high, but if they start monkey barring along the roof and fall they need a good cushioned landing. So any hard floor toys could do to be put under the shelf. The best thing you can give them is loads of substrate and they will build mountains, burrow, move it around or just lie on it lol.

Right now I would avoid cleaning him out as this will stress him. He will maybe go to one corner of the bottom level to pee. You could "spot clean" the wee corner or area once every few days by just taking a handful of it out and putting a handful of new substrate in. Don't disturb his nest or take his hoards away. They mainly hoard dry food and it stays fine for ages. That way he will maybe settle down a bit more for now.

[arnieA380]

Hi

so the alexandra comes with more housing where as the barney comes with one house and basic wheel, other then that they both pretty much the same give or take.
o, more towards the alexandra because you mention about them likeing the housing but the barney is much cheaper

yes brian currently uses both wheels every single night he loves them, but i have taken the one out of the bottom now, not sure if i should of taken the top one out to be honest.

and the stuff on the bottom of the cage i think its like pale straw kind of stuff pets at home sell. and his bedding is like white fluffy stuff.
dont know if this is the best stuff but if you can recommend better please do

[arnieA380]

i have noticed something brian does and not sure if hamsters are supposed to do but he often like brushes himself upto the side of the cage and into his substrate something you know kind of like a cat brushing himself up against you.

what could this mean? he seems to do it when we go near his cage.

yes i can afford the barney i think as i feel the alexandra is a tiny bit more expensive then i can afford right now. and i was thinking of getting the barney putting lots of substrate like you say in it, do hamsters like the hammocks and swings etc iv seen?

iv seen a coconut hideout thing with a stringy ladder would that be nice for brian?

[Pebbles82]

You must take the fluffy bedding out now! It's dangerous. There are petitions all over to ban it but unfortunately pet shops keep selling it. They can pouch it, swallow it and die from blockages or get it tight round their legs and need an amputation. All sorts of horror stories. The straw stuff doesn't sound great either, but for now take the fluffy bedding out and give him a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper.

I'm sure he'll be ok with the little wheel for a few days. Better than no wheel at all as they need their wheels

How big is Brian? Some Syrians grow quite large and others stay quite small. The Barney is a good cage and is more affordable. I would still get the 28cm wheel at the same time if you can manage it.

I would go for the Barney and spend the difference on toys and a wheel

Toys - most toys sold for hamsters tend to be either dangerous or fall apart or too small! There are some good ones, but you want to avoid hanging toys with chain (toes get caught and they end up hanging by a broken leg). Sputniks are good (like plastic hammocks). Rat sized tubes and sputniks are best for Syrians - more room for them to move about in. Zooplus sell some good basic ones if you wanted to get them at the same time as the cage. The coconut sounds ok if it wasn't hanging too high and if the entrance hole is big enough. I would suggest hanging it over the shelf. Anything with an entrance hole needs to be at least 6cm diameter so they don't get stuck. A lot of toys are for dwarf hammies and have tiny holes in.

Hammocks - it depends if they chew them - fleece shouldn't really be used in the cage as if they chew them it can cause blockages too. I wouldn't try any fabric hammocks just yet. Zooplus sells a grass hammock - it can have the odd spiky bit on but they can be snipped off. I'll add a list of toys I think are safe/good

This is good next to or over a shelf

Tunnels & Dens: Sputnik Hanging Den | Small pet accessories at zooplus

These are quite big but make good floor toys/tunnels - it means the hamster can feel safe running from one end to the other if they're a bit shy at first plus it's an interesting texture to climb over.

Tunnels & Dens: bargain prices at zooplus: Trixie Cork Tunnel

These are good for in the cage or out of cage toys. It's a tunnel that extends and is stretchy and can be bent into different shapes. Mine had sharp plastic bits on the edges so snipped those off.

Trixie Extending Play Tunnel for Small Pets| Free P&P £29+ at zooplus!

This is great - it's a big long tube. You can tie it to the bars. Don't use the chains though. You can get a ball of sisal string on ebay for tying things on. Sisal string is safe to chew but other string isn't. Or you can just have it as a floor toy, or fasten it onto the side bars with cable ties.

Savic Play Tunnel Giant Tube | Great deals on small pet accessories at zooplus!

These are very popular and useful. Bendy stick bridge. You can have it as a tunnel, a hide, something to run over or as a ramp or ladder up to something. The small and medium sizes are both good. I would get one of each if nothing else. The small one makes a good tunnel over the house entrance. That makes the house dark inside and also makes a ramp up to the roof of the house. If you don't get any other toys, get a couple of bendy stick bridges They need checking for any sharp bits as well - snip them off.

Wicker Bridge for Small Pets at zooplus

This is the grass hammock

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_...es/mats/204595

This was our Syrian's favourite toy. Hyacinth tunnel. The small size is right for a Syrian. It's chewable, has no sharp bits and has holes on the side they like going in and out of. So bendy bridges and this if nothing else

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Small-Ani...yacinth+tunnel

This is the potty litter tray I used. It's easy for them to get in and out of. Ours used to pee in the back corner and sit in the front part and have a wash - it was his little bathroom. You put Chinchilla bathing sand in it and put it where they choose their wee spot to be. If you put it anywhere else they don't use it - they choose the wee spot lol.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Houses-Ha...=Hamster+potty

It's a good idea to have a sand bath as well. Some Syrians like them, some don't bother. A plastic ice cream tub is fine, just sit it on the substrate with the Chinchilla sand in it.

This is the Chinchilla bathing sand. I get 2 at a time to save on postage - you can get it from Viovet as well. It lasts quite a long time as you only need to empty the potty about every 5 to 7 days and the sand bath not very often.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Supreme-Pet...a+bathing+sand

That's a bit of a list. I would get the coconut you like (if the hole is big enough), a couple of bendy bridges, the rat sputnik, hyacinth tube, potty and chinchilla sand to start with - and maybe the cork log as that helps fill the floor space up and makes it interesting.

You could also make some of these

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuPeyD6w-CI&t=45s

You can use all sorts as toys. Old tissue boxes, cardboard tubes from inside kitchen rolls (you slit them down the side so they can't get stuck), cardboard egg boxes - sometimes they like chewing or ripping up cardboard.

[Pebbles82]

Maybe give him a small piece of banana as compensation for having his nest taken out

Just wondered what food you had too. Harry Hamster has everything they need in (Tiny Friends Harry Hamster).

Let us know how you get on phoning about the refund on current cage