Dwarf hamster, cage big enough?

[PurpleKat]

So I have 2 dwarf Russian hamsters, each has their own cage.
There large pets at home cages, 59cm by 38cm.

I layer their bedding enough for them to burrow.
One has half their cage having a second layer.
The other has a quarter second layer and a half third layer.

They seem happy, have toys, sandbath, wheel, and tubes that loop over the cage to the other side. With floor space still.

Also play often in their ball, and on my lap and sofa.
And have a playpen, similar size to the cage, with extra toys, water, sand bath etc.

Opinions?

[Sasha04]

Both of there cages are to small. The mimum cage size is 450 sq in, and just because it’s the mimum doesn’t mean it’s the right amount of space. All hamster have different cage sizes that they like. Your cage only measures about 322 sq in. You may think that your hams may be happy in that space, but over time they will probably start to get bored. Can you post a picture of your cage?
I would recommend the IKEA Detolf. The IKEA Defolt is actually a decorative shelfing item from IKEA but, can be turned into a hamster cage by not assembling to shelves and door. It measures 1,024 sq in. You can make a barrier to split the detolf in half. When you split it in half, each side will measure 512 sq in. It cost 60.00$ and is a great cage (as I have one for my dwarf he loves it). It also provides the appropriate amount of digging space for you hamsters. There are some videos on YouTube talking about the IKEA Defolf that you can watch.

Bin cages are also a great option. You can find them at hardware stores, furniture stores, and other places and usually cost 15-30$. The IKEA Samla store bin is also great and measures 589 sq in. It cost €20 (I’m not sure how many US dollars they cost). And sense you need to get two plus it will cost €40. I thing HC (hamster central) has a thread on how to make bin cages. Hope this helps!

[cypher]

There's no officially recommended minimum cage size, personally I prefer to go for something bigger, mostly around 80x50cm for my dwarf hams but if your hams are happy then that may just be fine for them.
I wouldn't recommend using the ball for dwarf hams though, they can too easily be injured & if they are having time in a playpen then there's no benefit to be gained from the ball really.

[PurpleKat]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/158247020@N02/?

I think this is a link for photos of cages.
Was thinking on getting an Alaska maybe or similar, one that's easy to get in the UK delivered. Not keen on tank cages, feel there's little air flow. I'm sure they're safe just a preference.
I'm not very diy'y, and don't have a car. I live in a small town.
And giving large one to the dark hamster, and making the two cages one for the white one.
The white one is shy and not keen on change. But the dark one loves exploring and new boredom breakers.
The dark one uses a dwarf hamster ball and happily goes in on her own.
The white one we tried and didn't like it so, she doesn't go in anymore.

[cypher]

I wouldn't recommend an Alaska due to the height, most Russians will bar climb if they have the chance & there is a real risk of injury when they fall.
If you want a bigger cage then something like the hamster heaven (best used without the tubes & penthouse) is a more suitable option.
What size wheels do you have? They look quite small but it is a bit hard to tell.
Even if your ham appears to like the ball it's still not safe for them.

[PurpleKat]

I'll try to limit her use, maybe with a bigger cage she'll burn her energy off. It is a clear ball and she manoeuvres it to follow us and avoid hitting things. I don't think she's hit anything in over 4 months now.
I can't remember the size, but their backs don't bend when they run in the wheel.
I did buy a flat wheel and they didn't understand it, even after 2-3 weeks.
The hamster heaven is (LxWxh) 80cmx50x50 taller than the Alaska 84x48.5x44.
The Barney looks good 100x54x43, been low heighted

[CMB]

I have my Russian hybrid dwarf in a Barney cage. I have added a lot of cardboard tubes, bendy bridges, hides and other toys to fill up the space.

I needed to add an extra ramp (longer narrow bendy bridge) to the shelf because he would jump Go up the ramp along the shelf and then jump off. Now he goes up one ramp and down the other.

He took awhile to adjust to the bigger space, but now is settled.

[PurpleKat]

I've ordered an Alaska. I was worried about the cage size difference been too big for her. I figure that putting the raffia long bits as a layer over the top would be good as a layer on a end