What cages do you prefer?

[Emma]

This is a topic I always like to here other hamster keeper's views on.



For many years I used Rotastak cages for Syrians, as that was what I was bought with my first hamster Rosie when I was quite little. I used standard wire cages with plastic bases for Campbell's.



More recently I've been using the wire cages for all Syrians, as I've grown up and come to the conclusion that systems like the Rotastak are far too much effort to clean out, easily escapable from, and the hamsters get just as much enjoyment out of a wire cage with the right accessories and toys.



My Roborovskis are housed in a wire cage designed especially for mice/dwarf hamsters, with narrower spaced bars. They have a wheel, lots of cardboard and wooden tubes and hidey-holes made from those crittertrail jigsaw things, which they use a lot. I'm considering moving them to an aquarium-type cage though as it would give them more opportunity to burrow, which my two like to do. And then the cage they vacate would be a perfect home for a Chinese....*schemes about getting more hamsters!*



As I'm only on a small scale I still prefer more aesthetically pleasing cages like the wire ones and aquarium types, although I think the expensive brand-name systems with lots of add-ons and accessories are a bit of a waste of time. If in the future I am able to set up a little hamstery, then I'd probably go for the adapted bin cages.



So what cages do others like to use?

[SnuggleHam]

I haven’t really owned to many hamsters yet, Back when I was younger and had my first hamster I had a plastic tube cage much like the habbitrail cages you see today only this was from a company called I believe Hartz.



I loved the cage; the starter was quite large and fit my syrian really well. The tubes were a bit fatter also and had tiny pinholes for air to come through for ventilation. I had a really great set up with tubes and another attach on house/condo thing. After my hamster I put gerbils in it and they chewed up all the plastic.



Iv seen the plastic tube cages here in the US, they always just seem to small and cramped though. I had a wire cage for butters but I still think that was too small. Honestly most the cages I have seen look to small and I don’t care for wire cages with floor that climb up either, and they are to drafty.



From now on all the hamster cages I buy will be large and long, Ill probably be making all bin cages now. I have one in the making but still need to do a few things first. I have heard of people buying long guinea pig cages for their hams and they seem to have enough space.

[babyboos]

The most important thing to remember when it comes to enclosures for our little ones is

• a) how much can you afford?
  
  b) how many hamsters do you have (bearing in mind that Syrians are solitary by nature and must live alone. ONE SYRIAN HAMSTER TO ONE CAGE. Chinese and Dwarves (Campbells and Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamsters, and Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters) are more social and will generally live together but disagreements can occur and a spare back up enclosure should always be available.
  
  Once separated and kept apart, either through death of a partner or fighting, a Dwarf or Chinese hamster will usually not tolerate a new hamster and attempt to kill any "intruder". Sometimes if you get them quick enough it is okay, but all new animals to your home should have a 2 week quarantine before being introduced to your existing pets, so by this time it is normally too late. If you do decide to go ahead and attempt introducing two new potential cage mates together always ensure this is done at a time when you can supervise for several hours and be prepared at the first signs of aggression to get your hand in there and split them up! You may well have to accept that your little one is now accustomed to living solo and will be quite happy with its own company from there on.)
  
  Also if you keep mixed sexed groups of Dwarves or Chinese together, or intend to breed Syrians you will potentially need up to 13, maybe more, seperate enclosures (in the case of Syrians) from when the pups reach 10 weeks! With Dwarves and Chinese the minimum you will need will be an enclosure for the boys and another for the girls, unless you plan to pair these with their respective parents in two individual same sex enclosures, but bear in mind again some or all may not get on together once they reach maturity. And if you keep the Dwarf or Chinese parents together you will need these new enclosures every month!
  
  c) and most importantly the suitability of the enclosure FROM THE HAMSTER'S POINT OF VIEW. Not how pretty it looks on your bedroom shelf or sideboard! However, as we cannot actually ask the hamster we need to use common sense and practibility.
  
  Rotostack and Habitrail of old were usually of solid plastic construction with air holes for ventilation. Habitrail at least have move on a little and now incorporate some wire to allow better ventilation. I have nothing personally against these type of enclosures and I know many people who use them with no mishap. Indeed I myself remeber quite vividly (though we are talking a good 15 years ago now ) campaigning for months to convince my parents to get me a Habitrail for Christmas and then bugging my brother for weeks to get me the maze for my birthday! I still have it, and all the additional components, though I also tried a pair of gerbils in it and sadly there are rather a few too many teeth marks on it now from them to make it useable. I really must clean out my attic...
  
  Wooden and solid metal cages are now very rare, but the rot and rust issues they experienced can be seen in some shelves of modern commercial enclosures. Care must be taken to ensure no sharp edges/corners are present for the hamster to rub or fall onto/against. Open shelves are quite common in commercially available cages and these should be avoided as little legs can fall through them and get trapped, similiarly with runged wheels, solid surfaces are best. And even just from a general comfort point of view you would prefer to walk on an even surface without huge cavernous gaps between paving stones wouldn't you?
  
  You find cage bottoms made of open wire mesh to allow waste to fall through in Chinchilla enclosures for example and I have seen this in some hamster intended cages too. Apart from the walking discomfort they allow the hamster no opportunity for digging and burrowing a past time they greatly enjoy mimicing their wild existence. For this same reason I am totally opposed to the new Revolution cage
  
  I personally feel it is important that whatever enclosure you choose it has a nice deep litter layer, and therefore if going for an open wire affair it needs a good deep plastic base. That way litter is not as easily kicked out onto your carpet, or yucky I know, but it does sometimes happen - urine sprayed out of the corner
  
  If you are considering making your own enclosure old fish tanks/aquariums or large storage bins are probably best although wire cages are possible and the main thing you need to bear in mind here is mesh size. Compare the size of your hamster to the bars - are the gaps narrow enough to prevent your hamster squeezing through and escaping? This is also a consideration when making roofs for tanks and bins. 1 cm squared (approximatley 0.5 inches squared) mesh is universally suitable for all hamster species. I would try as much as possible to prevent your Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters from getting in contact with the mesh as they seem to get through the tiniest gaps!!! Syrian hamsters especially like to think they are Tarzan and monkey bar walk around their enclosure roof, therefore it is essential if using a tank or bin it is stable enough to support this activity.
  
  I personally prefer large, wire sides and ceiling cages for Syrians for this very reason. The majority of mine are currently in Ferplast Rainbow Cages as these are a nice generous size, have two solid levels, with solid rampways and a nice solid curved bridge to walk on, a lovely, extremely deep plastic base and lots of doors for me to get them out to play! The wire allows me to attach toys and treats and a lovely comfort wheel each - Wodent Wheels just wont fit unfortunately, unless you remove the bridge in the middle which is easy to do as it is designed to come away. The Syrians are able to dangle without dragging their feet on the ground BUT they don't have too far to fall either which is another important consideration. Certainly over 6 inches for height from floor to ceiling is ideal but no more than 12 or you may experience some problems. Bear this in mind when building bins and tank enclosures - if the hamster can get to the roof how far does it have to fall down?
  
  All of my Dwarves and Chinese hamsters are in Duna style enclosures, and large bins are starting to creep slowly in as my skills with a Dremmel are improving!!! Ventilation has always been my primary concern with these type of enclosures. We are quite fortunate to have an air-conditioning unit in the hamstery which my partner got from his work when they were upgrading. Please always keep an eye on condensation levels in your tanks and bins especially as enclosures made from glass or plastic can become quite stuffy and humid in hot weather and damp in cold weather. This is also important in terms of sleeping quarters. I have quite a few Ferplast igloos - they come with the cages - and they do seem to condense up unless the bedding is changed frequently something our little ones are not too keen on as it disturbs their hoards!!! My Roborovski have coconut shells with three holes drilled in one end and a one inch circlular opening in the other - thanks to my partner for making those! Or they sleep behind their wheels in an enclosed area created by the special level which comes with the Duna to hold their sand bath/potty and food dish.
  
  
  
  The Chinese and most Winter Whites just have lots, and lots of bedding material which they pile up into large nests.
  
  
  
  Above all I would recommend you get the aboslute biggest enclosure you can afford, space for toys, for sleeping, for eating, for digging, for climbing, for drinking, for wheeling, for living...
  

[hammydude]

Currently I'm using the crittertrail2 attached to a 10 gallon Aquarium. I've had no problems, but only wish the crittertrail had more "floor" space.I don't think that it would be a good cage for an adult syrain because of the tubes.I think they would be to small.Candace, do can you share some tips for building bin cages?

Thanx!

*Chris*

[babyboos]

Hello again Chris. If you want to be really adventurous when making bins I recommend you invest in a Dremmel type handheld cutting/grinding/polishing/carving/router tool. You will find it invaluable creating ventilation holes for example in the plastic.

[hammydude]

Well I already have a Dremel and all attachments except the bandsaw.I just got plenty of information on bins on the PetWebSite forum in a new topic by afishcalledwanda.

[babyboos]

That is so wierd, I was just going to PM you her email address as Wanda's bins are great, and she has even decided to try making them for other people now. Best of luck Wanda. If you check the Articles section on Hamster Central you will see a great guide by that very special lady!

[afishcalledwanda]

Wanda's here!

[SnuggleHam]

Welcome Wanda!! are you going to post us a little Intro.. By the way, I love the signature quote, is that from one of the guys on Myth Busteres, I saw it said on that show once, but Im not sure if it originates from some place esle.



Made me laugh though :P

[babyboos]

Hope you are going to show of some of those great bin enclosures you have made Wanda