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Old 07-04-2018, 04:25 AM   #1
SandyT
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Default Second Hand Cages

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this forum and haven't even got my hammy yet. I like to get as clued up as possible beforehand.
I have been looking at getting a new Hamster Heaven cage but have also seen an older style HH second hand. Having just read that second hand cages could give your hammy wet tail if that's what the previous occupant died of and that the can harbour mites, I'm now not sure how safe it is. Any advice? Also, the listing does say 'some nibbles' but apparently they are minimal, some loss of paint on the wire and a bit on the yellow tray in the corner.
I have also considered a bigger cage such as the Savic Plaza but wondered what other cages are out there that are roughly the same size as the Plaza and with a big front opening as the Plaza is considerable more expensive and needs a lot adding to it?
Sorry for so many questions and thank you so much in advance.

Sandra.
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Old 07-04-2018, 05:48 AM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Second Hand Cages

Hi & welcome to HC
You can always disinfect a second hand cage before use & then it would be perfectly safe.
I would be more worried about the damage, have you seen a photo of the cage? If a shelf or some accessories are damaged that's not a problem as you don't really need them anyway but damage to the bars could be a problem so I would either check the cage first or ask for a photo to be sure what kind of condition it's in.
The plaza does need extra shelves added to it due to the height, there's a review here that you might find useful showing how AP added shelves & set hers up.
Unfortunately there are no longer any other cages that size with a large front door available in the UK, the only other cage with a really large door is the Alaska which is still a good size but smaller than the plaza.
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Old 07-06-2018, 10:57 AM   #3
SandyT
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Default Re: Second Hand Cages

Hi Cypher,
Thanks for getting back to me. They sent me some pics and the bars had signs of rust so I decided against it.
Not long after, I found a second hand Plaza, that from the pics, looks in great condition, so that's the one for me. I just hope it looks as good in the flesh.
What sort of disinfectant would you recommend? I've seen suggestions of bleach and Milton or would u just use that pet spray they sell in the pet shop?
On a slight side not, if you have a large cage and put tons and tons of stuff in it, different substrates, toys, different levels of substrate etc, does that still count as one level? To me, it doesn't seem like it as the hamster wouldn't be able to freely run around without having to climb over lots of things.
Thank you again.
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Old 07-06-2018, 10:06 PM   #4
cypher
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Default Re: Second Hand Cages

A second hand Plaza sounds great!
Personally I don't like to use bleach & prefer to use an unscented pet safe disinfectant like Sage4 or F10 but as far as I know you can also use baby sterilising stuff.
When people talk about one level they do mean the actual overall floor space no matter how much stuff you put in, having to climb over things or dig under things is the fun bit! To a ham it's still the same amount of floor space.
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Old 07-07-2018, 08:27 AM   #5
SandyT
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Default Re: Second Hand Cages

Thank you again Cypher, you are very helpful and it is much appreciated. I am doing as much research as I can so that when I adopt my hammy, everything will be right. Trouble is, I've now worked myself up onto a panic about the Plaza cage. I'm worried about the height, not sure what I should put in there etc. I had been thinking about the Trixie small steps and some bridges that hook on but from what I've read, those hooks are dangerous. Hammy would need things in the cage but I'm scared of him/her hurting themselves. An adopted hammy has been through enough trauma, I want to make a safe and fun forever home.
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Old 07-07-2018, 10:05 PM   #6
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Default Re: Second Hand Cages

The height is a problem with the Plaza, it should be ok with some careful planning though, you would need to put some shelves in I think, have you had a look at this review? You can see the shelves AP used & how she fitted them with the slightly awkward corners.
I think you would need the shelves a bit higher than that though, if you fill the base completely with substrate & have a large house there you could then add a couple of shelves above that, maybe a lower one for the wheel & a slightly higher one opposite, you could use bendy bridges to make access easier.
Any hard surfaces that your ham might fall onto if it did climb the bars could be covered with hemp mat (you can get that from Zooplus) you could also try attaching some ledges, lava ledges or something similar, to the bars
If you want any more ideas once you've started to set up the cage if you can post a photo we might be able to help with more suggestions.
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Old 07-10-2018, 09:58 AM   #7
SandyT
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Default Re: Second Hand Cages

Thank you Cypher, that's all vet helpful. I've been searching the internet high and low for different shelves, comparing to the sort AP has, constantly worrying whether or not I'd bought the wrong cage, envisioning my future happy badly injuring itself. The Plaza arrived today, damaged in transit so all of that worry for nothing and back to square 1! I have no idea which is the best cage to go for and am seriously wondering if I'm just to neurotic to be a hammy Mummy��
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Old 07-10-2018, 12:51 PM   #8
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Default Re: Second Hand Cages

Have you thought about the Barney cage? It's probably about the most popular cage for syrians, it does have small doors though, if you really want a large door then the Alaska would be a good choice, it's fairly tall but not as tall as the Plaza, not as big but still a good size & probably easier to set up.
Lots of us get quite neurotic about our hamsters so you're not alone there!
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Old 07-14-2018, 11:58 AM   #9
SandyT
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Default Re: Second Hand Cages

Thank you again Cypher, it's good to hear I'm not alone.
Sorry for the delay in responding. I am currently seeing if I can sort something out with the Plaza, replacements etc.
If something can be sorted, I'm wondering about putting an almost full shelf in there if possible. I'm worried this could make it look closed in but want to eliminate accidents.
So many decisions to make!
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Old 07-15-2018, 03:20 AM   #10
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Default Re: Second Hand Cages

A full shelf or almost full shelf would make it very dark in the cage, probably better to put a couple of smaller shelves & just make sure that access is easy & there are no hard surfaces to fall onto. You could put something like the large hanging rat tubes (best to use safe string not the chains though) going from one shelf to the other too.
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