My cage

zinwei · 08-25-2019, 03:03 AM

Hi,

I am new to small pet world. This is my current cage setup with dimension 67cm x 44cm x 33cm (height). Is it enough for my hamster? Yea he is sleeping on the bath sand. Need comment on my cage setup hope is adequate for my hamster.

I found that he has been scratching himself more (walk a little then scract and repeatly for around 1 min) is it normal? Or he could infected by mites? Which I am worry but will try to monitor for another week to see.

Also I live in a country with only 1 summer season throughout the year. I would like to know how do you keep your hamster cool during your summer season? My room temperature is always around 30c degree without air conditioning.

LunaTheHamster1 · 08-25-2019, 08:18 AM

Your cage is just above the minimum size recommended by a few inches. Personally I would go as large as I could, if your hamster starts showing signs of stress you may want to try and upgrade.

30 degrees is rather hot for humans and hamsters, especially as it is not in a metal wired cage. Cages like yours can hold the heat in as less air circulates.

Do you have a fan that you can run? aim it at the cage but not directly at the hamster.

You could try putting some of the ceramic items you appear to have in a fridge to cool them down for your hamster too. The sand bath is probably cooling for him, so that could be why he is asleep there.

From the pic it is hard to see how deep you have the bedding, but in a bin cage like that you can easily go 6 inches or more to encourage burrowing type behaviour. I'm also not sure what type of bedding/substrate you are using.

You may want to look at adding some more tunnel/bridge type items. You don't always have to buy these as you could look around to see if you have any cardboard packaging that you could recycle. Try and fill the empty spaces a bit with items that your hamster can hide and feel secure under. A few wooden items may be good as well as these help keep their claws and teeth trim.

I hope I haven't overwhelmed you, you can just work on adding/improving things one thing at a time.

zinwei · 08-25-2019, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1

Your cage is just above the minimum size recommended by a few inches. Personally I would go as large as I could, if your hamster starts showing signs of stress you may want to try and upgrade.

30 degrees is rather hot for humans and hamsters, especially as it is not in a metal wired cage. Cages like yours can hold the heat in as less air circulates.

Do you have a fan that you can run? aim it at the cage but not directly at the hamster.

You could try putting some of the ceramic items you appear to have in a fridge to cool them down for your hamster too. The sand bath is probably cooling for him, so that could be why he is asleep there.

From the pic it is hard to see how deep you have the bedding, but in a bin cage like that you can easily go 6 inches or more to encourage burrowing type behaviour. I'm also not sure what type of bedding/substrate you are using.

You may want to look at adding some more tunnel/bridge type items. You don't always have to buy these as you could look around to see if you have any cardboard packaging that you could recycle. Try and fill the empty spaces a bit with items that your hamster can hide and feel secure under. A few wooden items may be good as well as these help keep their claws and teeth trim.

I hope I haven't overwhelmed you, you can just work on adding/improving things one thing at a time.

Yeah its really feel hot for me too, I thinking to make a big hole on the side and mount a fan to suck perhaps hot air put of the cage. I do have a fan but I doubt it blow the hot air downward as its a ceiling fan.

I try to put the 2 ceramic items currenly have in the cage into the fridge to cool it down overnight and put it back to the cage in the morning before I go to work, hope it helps.

I did not have a deep bedding but the bedding I'm using is aspen, but it doesnt feel soft like the one I used to see in the youtube videp that others use. i will consider the use recycled paper bedding (living world fresh n comfy) next week as I just changed my bedding today.

I have some wood items but I removed it as I keep seeing my hamster scratching himself I afraid that it could be mites, still monitoring for another week. Hopefully not.

Thanks for your advices it really help me a lot. Dont worry to overlwhelmed me I preferred to suggest all at once rather than bit by bit so I can prepare earlier and I do digest faster

10Minutes · 08-26-2019, 12:08 AM

1. If you are able to, please cut open the sides of your cage and mesh them. This promotes better air ventilation. You are right that the hamster will barely be able to feel the ceiling fan, as the air is not circulating at hamster-level. Your hamster is a small creature right at the bottom of the bin and will find it hard to get fresh air. I've attached a bin cage sample photo that is meshed at the side and the top. Ideally you should do at least two sides (length-wise) and the top.

2. You can prepare a small USB fan and have it blowing gently through the mesh at a small corner of your cage (so your hamster can easily run away and hide elsewhere if it feels too cold). The breeze should be very very gentle so as not to disturb the aspen shavings, as you have to be careful that your hamster doesn't catch a cold.

3. The chilled ceramic items as mentioned are already very good. You can also chill her bath sand if you wanted to.

I have loooots of other cooling down items, because heat is a huge concern for me too, and I really cracked my head for this one. So here are some of the ideas (with photos):

A. Essential Oil Burner: I got one new from the dollar store and it's a very nice bit of ceramic that my hamster really loves. She snuggles inside as a cooling nest, and sometimes she sits on the flat part on top with a snack to enjoy the cooling seat and breeze.

B. Metal Box with Ice Block: You can put the ice block in the freezer every night, and lock the ice block inside the box before you leave in the morning. Your hamster will be able to enjoy the chilling effect of the box by sleeping on it or next to it, and the metal box will prevent it from being able to access the ice block.

C. Cooling Plate: In theory this should work with any piece of aluminium plate, but I personally prefer to buy one that is made especially for hamsters, because I would be worried about the aluminium piece having any sharp edges.

D. Ice House: This is a normal hideout that has a cooling plate inside. My hamster likes to chill in this sometimes.

E. Glass sake bottle: This is a bottle with a hole in the side, especially for hamsters. You can put pieces of ice in the bottle and put the ball on top to prevent your hamster from falling in. Your hamster will be able to climb into the hole to enjoy the chilling effect. I recommend getting a screw on precautionary lid for it, and also, do not put the bottle anywhere near areas that your hamster can climb in the first place. This should only be used if there are no children or animals around that could accidentally push the bottle over while you are away. Ensure that you hamster has a dry place (platform) to run to, in the unlikely event the bottle falls over and causes the floor to be wet.

F. Cookie Cups: I did not know cookie cups were a thing until yesterday, and I have been intending to get a plain white one to try it out. This should theoretically work in a similar manner to the glass sake bottle. I intend to put water in the cup and seal it off permanently, then I can just keep freezing the same water over and over again. My hamster's a Robo so yes, she will fit in there, and the opening is very wide. I'm not sure what species your hamster is, so check the dimensions before you invest in one.

G. DIY Budget Cooling Pad For Small Pets (by ErinsAnimals): You can look this up on Youtube, I thought it was a really brilliant idea but I haven't been able to find suitable items. Anyway, my cage is really too full with all these cooling items already.

H. Pebble: My hamster has a flat sterilised pebble that she uses to cool off too. I've seen her hug it to sleep.

I love giving my hamster a few different cooling items, so if she's managed to warm one up with her body heat, she can move on to the next. Also, the different textures give her variety and keep her interested.

10Minutes · 08-26-2019, 12:21 AM

Sample cookie cup photos.

10Minutes · 08-26-2019, 02:18 AM

Sorry, I didn't add the bin cage photo. Here it is. Being able to get ventilation from the sides is quite crucial because it will help your hamster a lot in such hot weather.

Since you mentioned you wanted to make a big hole on the side, I presume you are able to do this, and I do hope you can help your little hamster get fresh air as soon as possible.

zinwei · 08-26-2019, 04:48 PM

Hey it really help a lot! Lots of useful information from you. I was thinking to put ice pack and stick outside of the cage but I find it useless and only last a few hours before all the ices melt, and the rest of the day remain hot.

I think I saw the ice house in the pet shop, now I know what it use for! Initially I thought it just a usual hideout, didn't know there is an aluminum plate inside.

Recently I found out a small air-conditioning like fan, just put in some cold water and ices (I thinking to put in coolant [like the one use for car] but havent got to know how does it works yet) into the water tank and it blows cool air, thinking of getting that to cool the cage down.