New hamster house

[TeDDyLoVe]

Hi all... so I have a big fish tank... 800 in lenght 500 in whith and 500 in hight....but I want to get some opinions from you guys...

I want to cover the bottom 1/3 with sand and 2/3 with bedding... but I also want to put in some grass... now can I use normal citty litter sand? The really fine kind?

And what sort of grass will do? Can you put in fake grass? But then wont he chew on it?

And the wood for the house and bridge... can you use any kind of wood? Can you put it togheter with nails or what kind of glue can you use.... obviously non toxic....

We tried the tank as it is to see if he would enjoy it and he was running around all over the tank very interested in his surround so I do think he would really enjoy it...

Hope to get some nice tips from you all!!

[Crystalroborovski]

Originally Posted by TeDDyLoVe

Hi all... so I have a big fish tank... 800 in lenght 500 in whith and 500 in hight....but I want to get some opinions from you guys...

I want to cover the bottom 1/3 with sand and 2/3 with bedding... but I also want to put in some grass... now can I use normal citty litter sand? The really fine kind?

And what sort of grass will do? Can you put in fake grass? But then wont he chew on it?

And the wood for the house and bridge... can you use any kind of wood? Can you put it togheter with nails or what kind of glue can you use.... obviously non toxic....

We tried the tank as it is to see if he would enjoy it and he was running around all over the tank very interested in his surround so I do think he would really enjoy it...

Hope to get some nice tips from you all!!

are you giving the dimensions in centimeters???

It is best to just have a sand section in the cage, rather than putting sand along the bottom. If you would like to use sand in a section of the cage the best option is sterilized playsand from a diy store.

It is best to not keep real grass, or sometimes even fake grass in a hammy cage. If the hamster chewed on or ate the fake plastic grass it could cause blockages in the digestion system.

And never use cat litter in a hamster cage, unless it is a biodegradable natural paper or wood pellet litter. Even if the litter was "a really fine kind" this could still be dangerous. Clay or crystal cat litter is a big no no. If your hamster ate it, or even pouched it, the litter would clump up and cause health issues, mainly digestive system blockages.

As for putting together a house and bridge, using nails or screws would be fine, as long as there was no exposed or sharp points of metal.

i hope you found these tips useful!

[TeDDyLoVe]

The tank is 80cm by 50 cm... very helpful tips. I will have to go search for a place that sells that kind of sand... not sure where to go i Cape Town...but will find out. I see a lot of photos on the internet of people putting in real plants in the cages... is that also a no no?

[AmityvilleHams]

Plants in a hamster cage is a disaster waiting to happen,if they stay permanently.They increase humidity,making plants along with moss a very serious cause of respiratory problems.

For sand sterilized children's play sand is perfectly fine(make sure to sift it properly though!).Other than ordering high quality chinchilla sand there aren't really other options unfortunately

I definitely wouldn't put that much sand in the cage.Too much sand will create higher levels of dust which you don't want with delicate respiratory systems.

The substrate in general needs to be either completely dust free or have little dust,and it should also not be a type that is known to cause allergic reactions(wood for this reason cannot be considered completely safe,as it is known to cause allergic reactions especially with time as allergies often form with constant exposure as in the case of wood substrate).

Nails and such are best avoided They can cause serious injury if a hamster chews the wood down enough,so because their safety cannot be guaranteed it's best not to use them at all.However,you can use Elmer's glue but I personally cannot say that just any school glue would be safe(even if labelled non-toxic,it is still possible that they'd be made with some form of rendered animal parts unlike Elmer's which is not,also non-toxic is by no means a guarantee of safety for hamsters as humans and hamsters are extremely different in regards to toxic substances).

[InkyPen]

Firstly, well done for starting with the right size tank - that already puts you ahead of many hamster owners!

In terms of bedding, what I do is
- sand in a Tupperware box in one corner, with sides high enough that it doesn't get kicked out and the bedding doesn't get kicked in, but low enough so that my Syrian can get in and out with relative ease. They really don't need vast areas of sand! I wouldn't try layering it either - it will just get mixed up pronto as they dig. In terms of sand, in the U.K. Tiny Friends Farm Bathing Sand is reckoned to be good. Avoid anything labelled chinchilla dust as it is too fine and dusty.
- As the others have said, avoid the grass - they're desert creatures, and won't miss it, and it can be unhealthy from the humidity point of view, as well as the issue of them choosing to eat plants in preference to a balanced hamster mix
- What hamster bedding types are available in South Africa? If you can give us a list, we can help you identify the more or less suitable ones.
- if you're looking to build your own shelter and bridge, then wooden lolly / popsicle sticks (the flat wooden ones sold in craft shops) are a good bet, and the glue that is called Elmers glue in the US and PVA in the U.K. (sorry, not a clue about South Africa!) is safe. VanillaHamHam on YouTube has lots of tutorials. Otherwise, safe woods would include The question of safe wood As a temporary measure, you can use a shoebox, with the bottom cut out and a door cut in, as a hide

Perhaps you could give us a link to a large pet shop in South Africa (equivalent of petsmart or pets at home?) and we could have a look at what is on offer and advise.

[TeDDyLoVe]

The biggest pet shop here is Pet World...
Pet World | Pet Store | Grooming | Vet | Kennel | Bookings

They are very big... and have a wide variety of items.

I usually use soft shavings. The hammies seems to like it. But I give them toilet paper to built their nests with...

[JLPrairie]

What type of shavings are they? If by soft, you mean softwood, I would remove the shavings immediately. The only safe wood shavings is considered hardwood, and is called aspen.

[AmityvilleHams]

If you can get Carefresh and thoroughly air it out(removing the dust)it'll work in a pinch.Paper substrate is best overall,unlike wood.Even aspen isn't guaranteed safe,and I've heard of many hamsters having allergic reactions to aspen just as any other wood Hemp is supposedly less likely to cause an allergic reaction but the risk factor is still there.

[Drago]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

Plants in a hamster cage is a disaster waiting to happen,if they stay permanently.They increase humidity,making plants along with moss a very serious cause of respiratory problems.

Moss really isn't all that horrible to keep in cages in all honesty. It must be dried moss of course, but due to the fact that it's dried, it's not going to produce more moisture nor hold significant amounts of it. The issue with plants is that they must be watered to a certain degree and will transpire which will actually add to the humidity. The moss will not transpire however as it is already dead and no longer functions as a live plant would. As long as your hamster isn't peeing on the moss, and you're not spraying it with any liquids, I'd say it's perfectly fine to have it in the cage. I've used moss with almost all my hamsters with zero issues, and it's absolutely lovely looking in a natural/German style cage. Monitoring it and keeping good ventilation (both things which should be done anyways) will usually prevent any issues

[AmityvilleHams]

Dried moss still absorbs moisture.It certainly isn't necessary for hamsters to have and while it looks nice it is still the same substance(slightly altered of course).

There are plenty alternative choices for cage decoration,specifically along the lines of substrate enrichment which can be decorative For example there are plenty hamster-safe dried flowers,herbs,and more which would not be as risky as moss(even if it has been used to an extent with success,that's not quite a guarantee of safety nor would I say it has completely been stripped of the moisture absorption and release properties therefore I still cannot consider it suitable).