Bin cage panic

[SaltyPickles]

I decided to re-measure Ares and Hera’s bin cages randomly today. And I discovered that they’re actually smaller than what I originally measured! I thought they were 30x15 in when they’re actually 20x12in. I feel really guilty about letting them stay in cages that were smaller than what’s best for them, even if it’s only down by a few inches. I’m planning to buy two more bins and stack them to create a two-level cage for each of them. Is that alright for them? And will they be fine in their small cages while the bigger ones are in the works?

[cypher]

That is very small, it would be far better to find larger bins for them, stacking bins doesn't work well as they really need all the floor space on one level with any other shelves or levels as an optional addition.
It's not easy to join bins completely securely so they are totally escape proof, also you would need a ladder or tube for access to the upper bin which would probably end up being too steep in a bin that size or just take up too much of the already limited space.

[SaltyPickles]

Originally Posted by cypher

That is very small, it would be far better to find larger bins for them, stacking bins doesn't work well as they really need all the floor space on one level with any other shelves or levels as an optional addition.
It's not easy to join bins completely securely so they are totally escape proof, also you would need a ladder or tube for access to the upper bin which would probably end up being too steep in a bin that size or just take up too much of the already limited space.

I already have a good amount of tubes and ladders for access. What I plan to do is cut out a section of the bottom of the top bin (They already have platforms in their cages that are quite high up) and set up the tube from there. To join the bins I’m going to use some zip ties on the outer part of the cage and nontoxic glue on the inside with screen wrapped around the openings for good measure. That was the largest bin I could find when I bought the cages and I’m just trying to make sure that they have as much space as possible, actually there’s enough room for a ramp/ladder type thing on the bins we have now, I don’t really have anything else in their cages aside from the food and water, wheel and a couple hiding places. Once I put in the expansion, that’s where I want to put the toys and other things

[cypher]

What kind of house do they have? I'm still not seeing how a decent size house will fit into a bin that size on a good depth of substrate with a tube or ladder at an angle that is easy for them to climb, the tube/ladder will most likely need to be almost the whole length of the bin to avoid it being too steep which won't leave a lot of room for a good house even if you put the wheel in the upper bin. Have you thought about how you are going to attach the tube? You would need one of those with a bend in it I would imagine as nothing that is vertical will work.
Have you looked online for bins or just locally to you? It would probably be worth having a really good hunt for a larger bin.

[SaltyPickles]

Originally Posted by cypher

What kind of house do they have? I'm still not seeing how a decent size house will fit into a bin that size on a good depth of substrate with a tube or ladder at an angle that is easy for them to climb, the tube/ladder will most likely need to be almost the whole length of the bin to avoid it being too steep which won't leave a lot of room for a good house even if you put the wheel in the upper bin. Have you thought about how you are going to attach the tube? You would need one of those with a bend in it I would imagine as nothing that is vertical will work.
Have you looked online for bins or just locally to you? It would probably be worth having a really good hunt for a larger bin.

They have the kind of houses you see in those often-too-small multi-leveled cages that I detached from the tiny cage Ares used to live in. Hera’s hiding place is a small cardboard box with a hole cut into it. I just thought about it for a bit, and yes, it would be better if I didn’t stack them. Would it work out if I just attached the bins by cutting a section out of each bin and joining them with a tube which would make it a 480 sq in cage? Or should I cut a small section out of each bin and attach them with duct tape and nontoxic glue? And yes, I’ve looked online. Those are the biggest bins I could find, all the decent sized ones are sold out. Will my hams have more space if I join the bins horizontally? I’m really just trying to give Ares and Hera as much space as possible, the reason I originally wanted to stack them was to make it fit inside the room, but after rearranging, I can now accommodate a larger floor space all on one level.

[cypher]

They would definitely have more room if you joined them side by side rather than stacking, there's still the issue of making sure the join is totally secure though, if you can do it then it would be better than the small space they have now but do take care that there is nothing they can chew through or pull apart to escape!

[Pebbles82]

I agree with Cypher. Although it's tempting if you already have tubes etc it won't work well for the hamster. Even if you do have two stacked bins connected by tubes, one of them needs to be big enough. At least 70cm by 45cm internally so they can have normal behaviours and nest, hoard and use their wheel in one area. Otherwise they have to use the tubes just to access something,as opposed to using them because they want to.

You'd do much better getting two larger bins, and keeping the smaller ones as play bins or taming bins, for when you're doing a clean.

Is it for syrians or dwarf hamsters? The 78cm Ikea samla bin would be fine for a dwarf hamster. Personally I'd think something a bit bigger for a Syrian. It slopes in quite a bit towards the base so a good depth of substrate will raise the floor area and give a better floor size. The lid is sold separately.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90102971/

[SaltyPickles]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

I agree with Cypher. Although it's tempting if you already have tubes etc it won't work well for the hamster. Even if you do have two stacked bins connected by tubes, one of them needs to be big enough. At least 70cm by 45cm internally so they can have normal behaviours and nest, hoard and use their wheel in one area. Otherwise they have to use the tubes just to access something,as opposed to using them because they want to.

You'd do much better getting two larger bins, and keeping the smaller ones as play bins or taming bins, for when you're doing a clean.

Is it for syrians or dwarf hamsters? The 78cm Ikea samla bin would be fine for a dwarf hamster. Personally I'd think something a bit bigger for a Syrian. It slopes in quite a bit towards the base so a good depth of substrate will raise the floor area and give a better floor size. The lid is sold separately.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90102971/

Unfortunately those were the largest bins I could find. Ares and Hera are dwarfs. Ikea isn’t in my country yet unfortunately, so I’m just doing the best I can. I’ll upgrade them as soon as possible. I’m going to join the two bins with duct tape and zip ties and wrap screen around the openings for good measure.

[Pebbles82]

Oh sorry - what country are you in? A diy cage might be best.

[SaltyPickles]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Oh sorry - what country are you in? A diy cage might be best.

I’m in the Phils. It’s so hard to find a good cage here, either I have to order abroad which will cost tons for the shipping, or make my own cages. IKEAs are being built here, but they’re only just starting the construction, and even then the IKEAs are so far away. I’m doing the best I can for Ares and Hera, and the only doable option is a DIY cage, but I can only use bins for that, and it’s not easy to find big bins here which is why I’m connecting them.