Duna Multy Questions

[Gamina]

Long time no see everyone!

Long story short - we stopped raising fur babies because we had two not so furry...babies. When our last few rats passed we got rid of all our cages and equipment because we knew we didn't have the time to devote and our first born was about 3 months old.

Now though our first born is off at school and our second born is a dream. I have a lot more time on my hands and we are thinking about branching into being fur-parents again.

A friend of mine who rescues hammies and other little furries as a foster rescue has been contacted about a syrian boy who is in need of a temporary home - and potentially permanent family. She can't take him and has asked if I would as we had begun talking about introducing our oldest to shared caring for a hamster.

This boy has been kept in some horrific teeny cage - I'm talking one of these tall, tubed 35cm x 25cm monstrosities you buy on amazon for £20. He has some serious hair loss on the face from bar biting and had the smallest size silent spinner...

We don't have a cage of our own and my friend is willing to lend me a duna multy which is at her parents house - which would house the hamster for around two months (so I can remove an old fridge freezer for space and buy and mesh a zoozone 2 or a 140litre bin cage) - I know its not big enough for a full time future home but considering how this hamster has lived for the last 4 months I think it's going to feel like 5 star.

I know I can get one of those 9 inch silent wheels in there or an 8 inch wodent which will be a huge improvement and we really want a tank cage as I want to minimise any chance of him further injuring himself from bar biting but also it means my children can keep their fingers away.

The few questions I have about this cage for anyone that has one...

Firstly what are the exact measurements - width and length - if it doesn't fit in the temporary space I have he may have to go to another home when one presents itself and I would ideally like to get him away from his current situation asap.

What is the height inside the cage (not the external height) - so I can plan which wheel to buy.

How do you attach your water bottles - I assume like most tanks style cages their is a small hole for bottles?

Thank for the help!

[souffle]

Honestly I love the Duna Multy and keep all the Custard hamsters in these. Some may think it is too small but I believe inthe right size and style for each individual. Bar chewing is addictive and even in a huge cage he may still do it. With the multy they can reach the roof if they stand on something like a hut but we solve that by putting a tile over any areas where there is an item they can climb on to chew the roof bars. We have no issues with boredom as they can easily be decked out with plenty enrichment. They won't take a 12 inch wheel though we have never had a syrian who has needed a wheel that large. Ours all fit in a Wodent wheel junior or a trixie or an 8.5inch comfort wheel and I would expect a pet shop hamster to easily fit those. They have sand potties, nest boxes, chews, and cardboard tubes. I like this cage for easy access for youngsters too. You have to be careful with the hinges on the lid and open them so they balance against something. There is an indent in the plastic base for a bottle spout and we used to use the self adhesive hooks with an elastic to hold it in place. The only other issue is that sometimes someone will decide to chew at the plastic indent where the bottle goes. We block that off then and we use a soldering iron to make a hole slightly higher up on the CLEAR plastic bit for the spout plus two smaller ones to thread elastic through to hold it on. You can use velcro.
If you also have one of those 'Apple' sand pits for your kids those make nice play pens for hamsters (supervised)
The duna multy is not much different in size to the zoozone 2 and I found the meshing was much to scratchy with kids around to be of any use. You also can't shut it that well once it's meshed (I have one which I only ever use for litters if I have to)
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[Fluffagrams]

I used to have a Duna Multy for one of the Chinese but after she died I let my sister borrow it for her Syrian as he’d arrived in a cage that would have been more appropriate for a Chinese and although some people may consider it to be too small, my sister’s Syrian has lived happily in one for over 18 months now. He’s never been a bat chewer but I’ve noticed with my Chinese that if you’ve got a hamster that likes to chew then huge cages won’t necessarily stop that.

It fits Henry’s 8.5” Comfort Wheel in without problem and he has an Ikea Knuff level as his house. There is a hole for the bottle spout to poke through but the suction cups supplied with the holder didn’t work for long so we have drilled small holes through our Mini Duna (the smaller version of a Duna Multy) lids to make a more permanent bottle holder...

bottle hook by Metallica Hamstery, on Flickr

[Pebbles82]

It’s a nice cage and providing you don’t put really big items in - eg large houses like labyrinth houses - it will be a great improvement for the new hammy. You’ll find out whether it’s enough space for him when he’s in there by his behaviour. I think internal height is about 31cm but can’t remember. The 9” silent runner fits but a 28cm trixie wheel doesn’t. The 9” silent runner is expensive though so an 8.5” comfort wheel might be good as a stop gap. The duna multi is 75cm by 45cm. The Zoozone 2 is 100cm x 50 cm. There is also the maxi duna multi which is like the zoozone 2 but doesn’t need the lid meshing. It’s nicer than the zoozone 2 I think and has an easier lid but costs about £90 as opposed to £50 for a zoozone 2. You could see how he settles in the duna multi first though and then decide if you want to give him more space.