Carrying zooplus cages

[Savannagh]

Hi. I am between hamsters and after the previous one died I realised the cage I had for her was too small. So I am looking at getting a new one before I get a new (syrian) hamster. Looking at the cages on zooplus they all have their pros and cons. I saw mentioned somewhere about one of them that it's hard to carry due to its size and I'm wondering if that's true of all of them.

At some point in the hamster's life I am going to go on holiday, or just to my parents for Christmas, so I will need to put the hamster cage in the car on my own. My question is, is that doable? Would I have to empty it first and then put everything back when I got to wherever the hamster's going?

Also, I can't put the cage on the floor in my house because my laminate floor never gets warm. My table is 90cm long. Would a 100cm long cage be ok on that, or would the overhang make it unstable?

Thanks in advance - it's very hard to imagine these things without being a able to see them before buying.

[hellobg]

Zooplus hamster cages are indeed hard to carry, For your table, you should try getting the Alaska hamster cage as it is 80 cm, well in my opinion the Alaska Hamster Cage will be quite good for your Syrian Hamster.

As for holidays, you can get travel cages for your hamster, large cages are do-able to carry in the car, but it will take too much space.

[Pebbles82]

It isn't so much Zooplus cages as larger cages that are hard to carry 100cm cage would be absolutely fine on a 90cm table A bit of overhang is no problem - when full the cage is quite stable.

You wouldn't want to take a set up cage in a car anyway. Everything ends up in a big mess inside it with the car movements etc. Also it isn't safe for a hamster to travel in a cage, they need to be in a pet carrier either on your knee or the carrier well wedged in so it can't move in case of sharp braking.

How often do you go away to need to take your hamster with you? If it's just once a year then it's not a problem. Sometimes for a holiday it's better to just leave the hamster in its cage at home and have someone come round to put food and water out while you're away.

But if you want to take your hammy to your presents once a year at Christmas eg there are a few options. You could either take a smaller, holiday cage with you and set it up while away (our hammy did fine in something a bit smaller than a duna multy for a week's holiday) eg 68cm x 45cm. The cage was easily portable then you set it up when you get there (bag up the bedding and toys and put them in at the other end).

hellobg mentioned the Alaska cage - this cage actually folds down flat for travelling. It's a good size regular cage for a Syrian, although some people end up upgrading to a 100cm cage. I prefer to have a permanent 100cm cage which I don't move. And then take a smaller holiday cage if needed. If you have a smaller cage already - otherwise it's more expense. But it would be hard fitting a large cage in a car anyway, whether it folds flat or not.

But the Alaska cage would be a good option for doing everything you want. Personally I think the Barney or Alexander are better for a Syrian as a full time cage. I wouldn't want to try and fit the Barney in a car though, even disassembled!

I have the skyline ted as a holiday cage (without the metal wheel!) It's actually being sold for half the price I paid for it at the moment! It has a built in house that is quite good so more floorspace for some familiar toys etc from the main cage. Some 11" wheels fit but not all. An 8" wheel is fine for a short period away.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Skyline-Ted...ds=skyline+ted

If you got that, and a Barney cage, it would be about the same price as an Alexander cage. You could then use the holiday cage as a play cage for during cleanouts etc. The top and base nest inside each other on the Ted and it's easy to pick up when full also. Plus the top lifts off easily (sometimes necessary due to just having two small doors on top).

[Savannagh]

Thank you. That is all really useful, I just need to make a decision. I still have the old cage (and travel cage) so I'm sure a hamster would survive a few days in it a couple of times a year.

I tend to think that all hamsters will be like my last one. When I went away for two nights and got a friend to come in and feed her she threw a major strop. And she would not have stood for being in a different cage when on holiday. But she was very opinionated and fond of my getting her own way. But obviously that's not going to be true of all hamsters!

[Pebbles82]

They do vary! Our last hamster went totally bananas after we left him at someone else's house while on holiday. He was in his usual cage, everything exactly the same, but the length of time (10 days) and different environment had an effect and it was after he got back with us it was quite upsetting for a couple of weeks. The next time we were away for a week I made the decision to take him with us - even though he was quite old because I was pretty sure he'd die if I left him somewhere. He was absolutely fine in a totally different cage in a strange holiday cottage - and came out most nights and just pootled around as normal. His familiarity was us I think - but not all hammies are like that. We left him for two nights at home with food and water out and he looked terrible when we got back - he just didn't like being left!

Other hamsters do better being left than taken away. You'll just have to suss out your hammy!

If you have his old cage then that would be good to keep for a holiday cage and then just get what you want for his main cage

Actually our hammy seemed to really like his holiday cage! It was like we were all on holiday. He didn't like the journey/travel but was fine when we got there. 2 hours was about his limit.