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Old 03-01-2018, 01:32 PM   #1
Dedenne
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Join Date: Mar 2018
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Angry Barred cages is not allowed

Hi! I just found out that all breeders in my area refuses to sell hamsters to people that have barred cages. They say that it is unsafe since they can get stuck, chew on bars, fall badly if climbing and easily get out etc.

Every Swedish page I look on tells me to avoid barred cages and it makes me a bit confused since I read here on Hamster central that they are really good. I have been planning to get two alexander cage and connect them together for Missy someday in the future (that future hamsters, maybe a Syrian since there is a law against keeping single dwarf hamsters, can use as well) but now I do not really know what to do.

She has a god sized cage (duna multi) but I was thinking “you can always go bigger” and tried to connect two cages using pipes, which she, ofcourse, refuses to use and the pipes has to go through the lid which makes them really hard to open now (jupp, did not thing that trough).

Was thinking about aquariums but I have no idea how to get one that is the size I want that does not cost a fortune and still be able to transport it to my home. I also read about silicon chewing. Bin cages would not fit in my home since I want something that looks good and not just thrown together and the duna cages just go up to a certain size. I’m thinking about making my own cage but then once again there is mesh in almost everyone and I would probably fail miserably.

I’m in no hurry to get a new cage since she is perfectly fine in the one she has, I just like planning ahead so i can save up the money. I do not know if any of you can help me with this, mostly wanted to air my frustration.
Is barred cages really that bad...?
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Old 03-01-2018, 01:38 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Barred cages is not allowed

Barred cages can have their drawbacks but then so can tanks, it really is a matter of opinion & also knowing how to set up a cage correctly.
Taller barred cages can be a fall hazard for dwarf hamsters is not set up in a way that avoids this, bar chewing can happen with any species but in most cases can be avoided with adequate enrichment & a good cage would not have the potential for a hamster to get stuck although that is possible with some badly designed cages.
The alexander cage is tall for a Russian hamster so you would need to take care with that.
Personally I much prefer barred cages but there are no hard & fast rules, it comes down to personal choice.
Much as I love big cages they aren't for all hamsters, bigger is always better isn't always the case, it depends on the individual hamster & also on how the cage is set up too.
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Old 03-01-2018, 02:16 PM   #3
Dedenne
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Default Re: Barred cages is not allowed

I know, just got a bit discouraged reading about it since reading up on it I got the opinion that barred cages was better. Easier to get fresh air, add hanging stuff and reach since there are openings on the sides. I was planning to get the shelfs somewhere in the middle of the alexander cage so it would not fall so high if it decided to climb (missy does apparently not like to climb unless it is easy like the ladder she has in her cage. She likes more space since she goes bananas when I let her out in her playpen. She just do not like the tubes for some reason) and also set up a fence using ice cream sticks around the shelfs so she would not fall from there. Maybe ad in a hammock in the middle just in case.

You are completely right with the bigger is not always best part. I was mostly thinking that if a hamster wanted more space that should be possible. I was thinking of putting all the necessary stuff in the same area in the cage – food, water, sandbathe etc so the hamster would not have to move so long if it did not feel like it. And have the same in another corner if it felt like staying in the other end once it got there. But then you can also argue that that would be unnecessary if the hamster just stayed in one area but then it would be the hamsters choice and not because it does not have the space. I do not know if that makes sense really since I am a beginner and has a lot to learn but that’s how my parents do with our cat that is really old and almost never leaves the house but she is still allowed and still has a little house, food and water outside in case she feels like going outside for a bit
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Old 03-01-2018, 08:30 PM   #4
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Barred cages is not allowed

Have you seen the maxi duna multy? Same size base as the Alexander but not so tall. It's very nice and tall enough to have a platform in.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ferplast-Ma...axi+duna+multy
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Old 03-02-2018, 12:45 PM   #5
Dedenne
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Default Re: Barred cages is not allowed

Oh that true, did not realise they are the same size. But it still smaller then I would like it to be and would be hard to connect with another cage… And they are almost twice the price over here. They have changed the transport fee in my country so now it is really expensive to buy stuff from outside europe
But I will think about it since it is my best option at the moment

Oh, just found this DIY cage that looks amazing and is really big!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGLN4N_lGRY&t=604s
I probably could make it since most of it is just assemble as instructed by ikea. and I would not have to drill my own holes, at least very few ones. It would cost almost the same as the duna maxi and be twice the size. This would not happen in the next year or so since I have to save up the money but it would be awesome!
I can probably not have shelves but since it is so big and as you say the hamsters can fall and hurt itself maybe this is better in the end.

(and I´m sorry if I doubell posted again, my internet was struggling this morning and I was unsure if the post actually got through)
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Old 03-02-2018, 03:47 PM   #6
Razor
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Default Re: Barred cages is not allowed

So. I just posted in another thread that if there's a cage I'd swear by, it's the IKEA detolf. It's big, inexpensive and just brilliant.
Here's a post that I made sometime earlier of my thoughts on the Detolf.
Alternatively, the IKEA Billy that you posted is brilliant too!

20180302_125231.jpg
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Old 03-03-2018, 04:01 AM   #7
Dedenne
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Default Re: Barred cages is not allowed

It looks really nice! Your little fluffball must have so much to do in there.

I have been looking at it but people saying that it is hard to clean, hamsters chewing on the metal frame and somone even said that their hamster got stuck got me a bit discouraged. Erin talks about it in her “get rid of the detolf” video and Hammylux also shows that hers is broken in one of her videos. Also, since I would have to get kallax or something similar for it to stand on due to that I do not have a lot of furniture being a student it would end up costing the same as the XL Billy so it would not save me any money. It is probably awesome and everyone seems to love it I just don’t think it is for me. But thanks for the tip!

Realized yesterday when missy was in her playpen that she is a big chewer! Everything she owns is chewed on, even the new stuff she got after getting a bigger cage. She was running around happily and just once in a while she started chewing on the bars to the playpen. I stopped her every time and she would wander off playing a bit more and then start chewing again! After realizing this I’m really happy I'm not getting the alexander cage!
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Old 03-03-2018, 04:27 AM   #8
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Barred cages is not allowed

Sounds like you'd be best with a glass tank then, but they can be expensive. Or with the maxi duna (do Miscota ship to you - they are often cheaper and sell the maxi duna)? Or you could look out for a second hand glass terrarium with front opening doors (just check any gap between the doors).
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Old 03-03-2018, 08:30 AM   #9
CMB
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Default Re: Barred cages is not allowed

The link you posted was for an expanded Billy diy cage. You could make one. Then expand it by making another and joining them. The expanding them again later.

See other videos by Erinsanimals to see how she did it. She also has a new diy cage that she built that she called the test tube.
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Old 03-04-2018, 02:31 AM   #10
Dedenne
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Default Re: Barred cages is not allowed

I’m not completely sure what you mean but it is the Billy XL as was aiming for since the normal one is way too small according to the laws in my country and the extended one is smaller than I was aiming for. The Limnom cage (or test tube) looks good but I’m really not a handy person so I would just mess it up, it is smaller than the Billy XL and Missy do not like climbing to steep so two levels is not ideal.

The Billy cage is just following instructions and then put on silicon which I think I can manage (at least I built the Billy bookshelf I have standing in my bedroom by myself )
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