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Old 12-11-2019, 01:42 PM   #1
Chilli
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Exclamation Worried if bin cage is not suitable for new robo pair.

Good evening,

I have just acquired a new pair of robo females on Thursday. I decided to set them up in a bin and thought that the size was adequate (75x43cm). When I received the bin I noticed that in actual fact the inside was smaller than the outer to an extent. Now I am worried this is not suitable for my pair. I understand that they need two wheels (they currently have a Savic Rolly in medium for now) two bowls, no platforms, two hides etc, etc and filling up the bin with these basics is losing a lot of space! I don’t want to risk my girls fighting and am considering to invest in either a zoozone 1/2 or ferplast maxi duna in the meantime.

My two questions are:

1) Do you think I need a bigger cage or see for now?

2) If I do need an upgrade, is it too soon to move them into a new cage?
I haven’t had them for long and they are still adjusting to their new home. I barely see them, they seem to pop up for food and that’s it. I don’t want to make them feel even more uncomfortable by throwing them in a new cage.

Last edited by Chilli; 12-11-2019 at 01:49 PM. Reason: I forgot to ask the first question, lol
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Old 12-11-2019, 01:53 PM   #2
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Worried if bin cage is not suitable for new robo pair.

I would let them settle in the bin cage for now. Can you fit a flying saucer in as well as the wheel? If they settle ok then you could think about moving them to a duna multy - it’s maybe a bit more accessible as well as slightly bigger.
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Old 12-11-2019, 04:12 PM   #3
Engel
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Default Re: Worried if bin cage is not suitable for new robo pair.

It ok for temporary accommodation but for the long run you will need a larger setup. 450sq inches per hamster as a minimum although please keep in mind that they may need to be split up and housed separately if they begin to fight. Personally to be on the safe side I'd house them separately anyway but this will need to be verified by someone more experienced
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Old 12-11-2019, 04:54 PM   #4
sushi_78
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Default Re: Worried if bin cage is not suitable for new robo pair.

How big is your bin internally?

I found with my Robo a smaller cage (60x30cm) made taming much easier. She was so much calmer and less anxious. I unfortunately upgraded her much too soon and undid all my progress. I'm glad she has plenty of space now, but I should have waited another month or so. If yours aren't very tame yet it might be a good idea to keep them where they are for now and upgrade them later.

Edited to add: Of course I only have one Robo so only needed one of everything. You have two so need two of everything. If you can't fit everything in or it's unreasonably cramped an upgrade is probably needed before they settle in too much.

Last edited by sushi_78; 12-11-2019 at 05:48 PM.
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Old 12-11-2019, 05:02 PM   #5
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Default Re: Worried if bin cage is not suitable for new robo pair.

Engel is correct. Separate housing regardless of species is best. It is far more natural, with hamsters in the wild interacting with other hamsters for breeding purposes. You'd also have this being supported by overwhelming evidence of numerous hamster pairs and groups falling out eventually no matter how hard an owner tries, along with the unavoidable additional and completely unnecessary stress that pair and group housing bring to hamsters. You can also accomplish quite a bit more in the way of safe enrichment without having to tackle the obstacles pairs and groups can bring!

I would personally avoid the 450 square inch minimum though. I would aim for the range of 516 square inches to 775 square inches per cage per hamster, all on one completely uninterrupted floor space(no tube connection or similar modular cages etc).

Keep in mind you must set up a cage in a safe way as well, lots of enrichment but no unsafe objects(things with chains, ladders with gaps, tall objects, etc - which can be advised upon even further with cage setup pictures once you've got things sorted!) along with not leaving too many wide open and uncovered spaces which can make any hamster nervous.
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Old 12-12-2019, 04:30 AM   #6
Fluffagrams
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Default Re: Worried if bin cage is not suitable for new robo pair.

Firstly, I would just like to remind everyone that this forum does not have a minimum cage size rule nor is there a legally defined minimum cage size that applies throughout the world. Therefore any cage sizes mentioned in posts are the opinion of the individual poster or the organisation that they are quoting. As a forum we, encourage all members to choose the most suitable cage for their hamster's individual needs and personality.

To answer your original question though Chilli, some people have has more success in keeping pairs in slightly smaller cages as they have less to become territorial over. You'll need to avoid levels and scatter feeding is often a preferential choice over using two food bowls.

In the last couple of months I have had to separate two of my robo pairs and from talking to a Robo breeder, I have discovered that it's fairly common for them to end up needing separation. Unlike pairs of Chinese who often make it very clear that they dislike their cage mates, I noticed that my Robo pairs displayed more subtle signs that all was not well including repetitive behaviours which suggested that there was a level of stress and often one of the pair began losing weight.

I feel that you're probably better off separating them now and get them set up in their own cages rather than buying a new cage for them and still needing to separate down the line.
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