New hamster owner cage help please:)

[MillieRex]

Hi there
Hi I am Millie,
I got my first hamster last week (his name is archaeopteryx) and after taking advice on cages from the people in the place and I picked out the one they advised. I followed all the advice on how to much chipping stuff you put in the bottom, however after having him for a week I have added a lot more in because he seems to prefer it that way. Only thing is that I am now worried about him not having enough room because of the chipping. The chipping is not far off the top of the plastic bit on my cage. If the picture isn't showing it is the large pets at home one with both bar things and a plastic top)
Is this okay for him? Should I consider upgrading him into a bigger one? (Even if it is an okay size have you got any recommendations for an bigger one anyway )

Thankyou, sorry if it makes no sense

[Crystalroborovski]

What are the dimensions of the cage? I can't tell exactly how big it is but it looks on the small side to me. You say chippings- what kind of chippings are they? Pine? Cedar? Aspen? Pine and cedar are very dangerous and cause respiratory issues. What kind of hamster is he? Depending on what species he is, if you know which one he is will help determine how much bedding he should have. Most hamsters like to have several inches of bedding to burrow in An upright wheel is an absolute must, the flying saucer won't cover it. There could be more toys in the cage, though it is small and I can see that you can't fit much in it. I would recommend upgrading his cage if you can

[Drago]

Hello and welcome to HC!

I love your ham's name by the way, I love the animal he's named after

Bigger is almost always better! Even if your hamster doesn't show signs of obsessive or stressed behavior, it's perfectly fine to upgrade (granted your hamster isn't fearful). How large is the cage exactly? I could be wrong, but is it the pets at home "large" hamster cage? Again though, I may be incorrect as I'm from the US! Depending upon the species you have, cage recommendations will be different, but most species will thrive in a cage called the Alaska. I believe robos are fine in this cage, but I've never owned it so I can't say for sure; all the way up to Syrians. Even better than the Alaska would be a large bin cage system. Syrians really do best in cages that are 1,000 sq in+ while a dwarf may be okay in a smaller size bin/cage. Besides it offering more space for toys and exercise, it also will hold more bedding. You should shoot for 8-10 in minimum for Syrians, and 6-8 in for dwarfs.

Like crystal said, an upright wheel really is best. This allows for your hamster to exercise properly without their spines bending unnaturally (granted this wheel is a good size). This again will depend on the species of hamster you have, but I'd recommend the 9 in silent runner for all dwarf species and the 12 in silent runner for Syrians good luck and if you have any other questions, please ask!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...YPL&ref=plSrch (For Syrians)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...U7L&ref=plSrch (For dwarfs)

[Jeir]

I'm afraid the cage you have is about half the size it should be. Sadly, the vast majority of cages sold in Pets at Home (and other stores) are only really big enough to be travel cages at best. The only cage that P@H Sells that is really suitable for a hamster is the Savic Hamster Heaven, but it's online-only and quite expensive (and the upgrade to that, the Hamster Plaza, is even better - got mine recently from a German site for about £10 more than the HH is on the P@H site.)

As mentioned, the Alaska is a good size cage that comes quite cheap, although the Barney/Alexander cages from that site would also be better for a Syrian (and a ZooZone 1 or 2, or Maxi Duna Multy, for a dwarf). If you get the Alaska/Alexander/Barney from ZooPlus, you can also get a Trixie wooden (requires Plastikote-ing and probably sanding, but is silent) or plastic (easy to clean but can rattle) wheel to replace whatever came with that small cage. P@H does sell a surprisingly good silent plastic wheel (the blue and white one), but it's only suitable for dwarfs.

Also, Fitch Pet Bedding may be a better and cheaper alternative to whatever substrate ('chippings') you're using. It's softer, almost completely dust free, good against allergies, and very cheap considering the amount you get (especially considering larger cages, once the hamster is potty trained, don't need to be fully cleaned out as much).