Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Housing

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-13-2020, 03:47 AM   #1
Petite
Senior Hamster
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Scotland
Posts: 501
Default Best travel carriers

Just now we have an almost round hamster carrier, around 6 inches in diameter. We've used it in the past for coming home trips, vet trips, and sometimes for safety while cleaning. Our last dwarf chewed a hole in the side big enough to get her head through, and although we've bunged it with a cork I'm thinking about replacing it. She hated being in the carrier while we cleaned the cage, and I don't always have a spare pair of eyes to watch her in the playpen, so I'm thinking of buying a larger carrier for such occasions, maybe something like one of these (sorry, can't do links):

Minimals pet carrier, 40 x 29 x 17 cm
Ferplast Guinea Pig & Rodent Carrier, 30 X 23 x 21
Out & About Medium Animal Carrier, 36 x 25.5 x 24.5 cm
Pod Pet Carrier, 30 (height) x 22 22 cm

Ideally it will need to do vet trips etc too, and very occasional 2-3 hour ferry trips (usually when I am bringing a new one home). Would one of these be ok, or should I be looking for something bigger / smaller / different? Grateful for any suggestions. Many thanks.
Petite is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2020, 04:00 AM   #2
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Best travel carriers

I have the Ferplast Aladino medium size (Guinea pig size). Used it for Syrians and dwarf hamsters. It takes plent of substrate and room for a little house so they feel secure in there. It sounds like the Ferplast one you‘be listed above might be it - similar dimensions. I prefer that one as it has a wider base - less of a slope. But there are plenty of similar ones (a trixie one).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ferplast-Al...5265174&sr=8-2
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2020, 04:53 AM   #3
chesca_27
PM Fluffy for custom title
 
chesca_27's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Hertfordshire, UK
Posts: 1,269
Default Re: Best travel carriers

I have the ferplast one in large and it works for me. Personally I prefer the large as it seems a bit sturdier (I used to use them for guinea pigs) and feels a bit more enclosed (so hopefully the hamster feels safer) but there’s really not a lot in it. I can’t comment on the other 3 carriers, but my Ferplast has lasted me many years so I would highly recommend them.
__________________
Bucky the robo, Hugo the miniature schnauzer and Hermes and Harvey the labradors ❤️
At the Rainbow Bridge: Toffee, Oreo and Pemba the guinea pigs, Jasper the winter white and Artemis the hybrid 💔
chesca_27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2020, 05:29 AM   #4
LunaTheHamster1
Cosmic Hamsters
 
LunaTheHamster1's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,593
Default Re: Best travel carriers

I just thought I would throw this in, I actually use a small cage from petsathome when I go to the vets, they don't have the handles, so you need to hold form the bottom, but i would do that with a pet carrier anyway.

https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/p...c-hamster-home

This way it means I can move my hamsters house/hide into it and mostly they just go straight back to sleep and are non the wiser as to what is going on.

I just think it is slightly more secure than a carrier as I know of many hamsters that have chewed their way out of them.

It can also be used for when cleaning out or a hospital cage if ever needed.
__________________
Cosmic Hamsters YouTube Channel
LunaTheHamster1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2020, 07:08 AM   #5
AmityvilleHams
PM Fluffy for custom title
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 4,545
Default Re: Best travel carriers

Definitely go small. The carrier should be large enough to fit the hamster in, along with enough substrate(used from the cage preferably). You also would need to add a little food including a slice of cucumber for hydration. You could add a very light cardboard house as well but that is entirely optional - definitely don't use anything heavier or that could cause harm if it got flung around during the trip(including plastics as they can also be heavier).

Size definitely matters though. Using something like Luna has mentioned unfortunately would not be a good idea and could even become quite dangerous. Around the 30 x 20 cm range would be about as large as you'd want to go for Syrians, preferably smaller for a dwarf hamster when possible. Too large of a carrier or similar enclosure can result in serious injury and such for hamsters as they can get easily flung around in overly large carriers and such - definitely avoid these!

Carriers should always be chew proof. Cardboard boxes and such are not an option as they can be escaped from with extreme ease, same with fabric products. A hard durable plastic is your best friend - something that can survive minor bumps and scratches as well as not be chewed through.
AmityvilleHams is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2020, 02:32 PM   #6
Engel
Hamster Addict
 
Engel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Shropshire, UK
Posts: 923
Default Re: Best travel carriers

Sorry amity going to have to disagree with you there. Have you tried getting a Syrian in a large carrier with a hide and a nice amount of bedding? It's a nightmare. Also hamster can get flung regardless of carrier size.

I agree with Luna. You can put in enough bedding and a decent size hide. Cardboard box will act as a divider so can make the space smaller if needed. The hide is necessary as it creates a dark space for them to feel safe, thus less stressful.

When I took Niko to the vets he was in a carrier meant for rats/guinea pigs. Plenty of bedding and a hide or 2 later it fills the space quite a bit. Also whilst driving with many bumps in the road, a hamster isn't going to be flung about.
__________________
🐹Slave to Ares 🐹 - 🐶 2 dogs, 🐷 8 pigs. 🌈 Forever in my heart, 🐹 Lilith, Athena, Nikolai, Ghost & Mania 🐀 Inky & Splat 🐶 Beau ❤️
Engel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2020, 03:37 PM   #7
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Default Re: Best travel carriers

I'm with Luna and Engel on that one.

I meshed the lid of a small rub that's big enough for a familiar house or hide and substrate deep enough to bury in because i want my hamster to feel safe and secure. I also scatter food around and put in a piece of cucumber.

I find that a hamster gets quite stressed in a small carrier and a small carrier or a hamster ball should only be used to transport a very short distance like from room to room.
Ria P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2020, 03:52 PM   #8
AmityvilleHams
PM Fluffy for custom title
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 4,545
Default Re: Best travel carriers

I definitely understand where you're coming from with wanting to make the trips less stressful, but unfortunately larger carriers and such are still no less dangerous. Cardboard doesn't eliminate or even reduce the risk of hamsters getting flung about - it is a real risk and it cannot be stressed enough, though I don't think it has been considered much on this forum.

With regards to making carriers darker without having to use hides though, there have been good ideas on the forum. Placing a carrier inside a cardboard box partially covered with fleece(careful for ventilation and such of course) would effectively darken the carrier without resorting to adding a hide or having to use an improperly sized carrier. This is really all that is needed though, hides aren't actually necessary in carriers although I do understand how it could seem like they would be!

I'd also suggest considering that while not everyone is going to get a car crash, wearing a seatbelt is still the responsible thing to do. This comparison may not necessarily be received wonderfully, but it is in my opinion an entirely fair one. Just as humans can and should wear seatbelts for their own safety, hamsters can and should be transported in properly sized secure carriers for their own safety. The larger the carrier(or alternative enclosure used for this purpose) the more space there is for a hamster to get flung around and injured.

That being said when you've fully stopped and arrived at your destination(where appropriate, such as a hotel) cages like Duna style cages, the P@H one Luna mentioned, and other similar sized enclosures that are easy enough to transport make excellent travel cages. They aren't suited to being used as actual carriers for hamsters, but when it comes to using them as a travel cage they are one of your best options. The tank style cages in particular can also make a great hospital cage should you ever need one.

ETA not suggesting the carrier needs to be extremely small by any means. If you can fit two hides though it is definitely too large. For reasons I've said, proper sizing is still very important though.
AmityvilleHams is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-14-2020, 04:12 AM   #9
LunaTheHamster1
Cosmic Hamsters
 
LunaTheHamster1's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,593
Default Re: Best travel carriers

Amytiville whilst I get where you are coming from too, nobody wants anything heavy flung around when you are in an accident, but over the last few years I have used this method with all of my hamsters at least over 10 times if not nearer 20 to no harm.

The cage is strapped in with the seatbelt and with all the bedding/substrate in there, the hide does not move. The only chance of it moving is if we are in a car accident and flung about, but then that would happen to us as humans too.

I think people have to weigh up for themselves what they consider their priority, on the one hand potential harm if in a car accident, or keeping my hamster feeling safe and secure. If it is at a time when my hamster is very poorly and/or dying I don't think taking it out of his hide is a very nice thing to do. I want it to feel comfortable and as safe as possible and not scared in it's potential last moments.

I will add at one time when I had to take 2 hamsters to the vets at short notice I used the pets at home cage for one of them and a converted storage bin which was just big enough to fit the hide/house in, with no movement whatsoever, so that is always a possibility if people want to try it. I had been thinking of adding better ventilation to that setup, so I may do that.
__________________
Cosmic Hamsters YouTube Channel
LunaTheHamster1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-14-2020, 05:48 AM   #10
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Best travel carriers

The general advice has usually been to use a pet carrier and not a cage - sorry Luna - don’t mean to be disagreeing. It’s the safest way as a hamster can be thrown in the cage in the event if sharp braking/emergency stop eg and hit the sides with force- and any items also thrown and hit them. I wouldn’t use anything bigger than a medium sized pet carrier for that reason. They are secure inside that, especially with a house in it. I carry it on my knee (as a passenger) so I can hold onto it. With our Robo I also took a shallow plastic bin set up with substrate, a wheel and house so I could put him in that once we arrived at the vets so he could feel more at home in it and run around and so easier to get him in and out for the vet to examine.

There are ways of getting them in and out of the pet carrier so it doesn’t stress them - either in a tube they have walked into or I use a fleece house (snooze cube). They go in the cube and you then just put that in the pet carrier. And easy to lift them out that way as well. I only use the fleece house with hamsters that wouldn’t chew it - none of them ever have- but you could also get them to walk into a normal house upside down and pop them in that way (then turn the house the right way up again).
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
carrier, trips, home, vet, pet, thinking, medium, animal, guinea, minimals, links, ferplast, rodent, pig, bigger, smaller, suggestions, grateful, bringing, height, ideally, occasional, ferry, hour, 2-3

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:59 AM.