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Old 01-29-2021, 11:36 AM   #1
Zedrobber
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Default Ex-owner looking for cage advice

Hello! I haven't been active in the hamster world for a long while - I used to keep hamsters and had them in a Gabber Rex which, at the time, was considered an excellent size/cage for a Syrian at 71cm by 43cm and was very much sought after.
But that was years ago, and coming back, I've seen that now the general recommendation is around 80cm by 50cm or more.

I've been looking at various cage threads here to get a rough feel for what's good - but there's a lot of information and I'm still not really any closer to figuring out what's the best Syrian cage these days for a relatively inexpensive budget (Or one I can find secondhand online!) If anyone has like, two or three top brand/name recommendations that are perhaps similar to the Rex, that would be brilliant. I'm not really able to get materials to build a cage myself.

I should add that I haven't even considered actually getting a hamster again yet, haha - I was thinking about it and still have some decent toys/a wheel etc, but hadn't realised that my gabber rex would now be considered too small so want to be prepared as to what I'd need to re-start my hamster-keeping

EDITED to add: I'm in the UK.

Last edited by Zedrobber; 01-29-2021 at 11:53 AM.
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Old 01-29-2021, 12:01 PM   #2
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Ex-owner looking for cage advice

It's quite hard at the moment to find a brand new cheap cage for syrians, Brexit and Covid seem to have had a bit of an impact on the market.

You may still be able to pick up something 2nd hand at a good price.
I would look out for the Alaska, (this is the minimum I would ever go for a syrian, but you still might need to upgrade)
Then there is the Savic Plaza (£75 at pets@home, normally 20% off at Easter/black friday/sometimes Xmas)

I think the other ones are Hamster Heaven, Sky Metro, you will need to upgrade the wheels to 11-12 inch for a syrian.

Living World Eco Habitat - medium or large - expensive but occasionally come up on the 2nd hand market

Other alternative is to look out for 2nd hand aquarium/terrariums but you will need to add a mesh lid.
Sometimes you can even find 2nd hand detolf cages that have been adapted for hamsters/rodents.
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Old 01-29-2021, 12:13 PM   #3
Ria P
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Default Re: Ex-owner looking for cage advice

Check out Gumtree. There have been some excellent bargains lately, possibly because petshops don't always have hamsters available. I bought a number of Hamster Heavens for my dwarfs and an Alaska for one of my Syrians. Also saw a couple of bargain detolfs and Savic Plazas within a reasonable radius but don't have the space.

You can also have a look at the thread "Let's see your cages" in the Forum under Housing in the meantime to see different set ups.
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Old 01-29-2021, 12:28 PM   #4
Zedrobber
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Default Re: Ex-owner looking for cage advice

Brilliant, thank you both - I have looked at the cage threads but it's difficult to judge size properly sometimes!
I'll have a look for the cages you've mentioned - it was just knowing what search terms to be looking for really that I was struggling with, I have noticed a lack of cages but didn't connect it to Brexit/Covid for some reason!
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Old 01-29-2021, 06:05 PM   #5
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Ex-owner looking for cage advice

I’m sure if you’ve had happy Syrians in the Gabber Rex before it would at least be a good starter cage and possibly upgrade later. I wouldn’t go any smaller than that with a Syrian and it’s fine for a dwarf hamster. I remember reading they were much sought after cages!

The main thing is the larger wheels have become more the norm and the gabber wouldn’t have the height for an 11” wheel. It’s even a squeeze in the hamster heaven.

I still don’t think there is an ideal cage! I would like a 90cm hamster heaven or 100 cm hamster heaven if it existed.

The equivalent is the Savic plaza but it is on the tall side and our current Syrian didn’t like a lot of space above so it took quite a bit of careful setting up. It is a good cage for a Syrian though. He is now back in a Savic Mickey 2XL (same as the HH but narrow bar spacing ) due to an unpleasant moth outbreak and I had to disinfect everything.

80 x 50 is fine if you can get a big space saving house for it I find. Like the long built in one in the Alexander cage. The Alexander is still a great option for a Syrian as well.

But Zooplus hardly have anything in stock since the lockdown this year.

If you like the Perspex tank style there is the maxi duna multy which is 100 cm, fits and 11” wheel and similar to the gabber Rex. Loads of room for enrichment, larger toys and tunnels and houses. But it’s expensive- about £90 on Amazon usually.

I’d second an Alaska cage- if you can find one. Normally it costs about £32 and good for a Syrian- a bit taller than the hamster heaven and still has a nice big front opening door.

A second hand Hamster heaven may be the cheapest option though and set it up from scratch as an empty cage - although the solid platform can be useful.
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Old 01-29-2021, 06:21 PM   #7
Zedrobber
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Default Re: Ex-owner looking for cage advice

Thank you so much, that's great advice. I'll check the wheel I have and get a bigger one if it's not 11" - I recall it was a narrow fit in the Gabber but that would make me think it's not big enough. I'm struggling to find anything in stock at the moment, as you and other people have said - but I'm not in a rush, so I'll bookmark some pages for the plaza and the alaska I think, and keep an eye out for a secondhand hamster heaven at the same time. I really appreciate the help!
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Old 01-29-2021, 06:38 PM   #8
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Ex-owner looking for cage advice

There isn’t a huge range of wheel sizes. In the US the Carolina storm bucket wheel is popular which is 10”. Wodent wheels don’t exist any more. The Trixie wood wheel 28cm is popular and silent but needs plastikoting really to make it silent. It needs to be at least an 8” wheel really but most people go with 11” as they run better in the bigger wheels. The 12” silent runner is a great wheel - bigger than needed but compact depthwise - looks a bit like the wodent wheels but it’s not cheap. The silent spinner isn’t popular any more - too many issues after a manufacturing change (as in it won’t spin well!).

The trixie 28cm plastic wheel is also v popular and only about £9. Also looks a bit like the wodent wheels.

Ria also has a wheel recommendation for some she found that are lesser known brand. And there’s the Savic rolly but that’s big and noisy.

If you were using the gabber as a starter cage an 8” wheel would be ok and fit. There are still varying opinions on wheel size as long as they can run with a straight back but 11” is the usual.
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Old 01-30-2021, 05:15 AM   #9
Zedrobber
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Default Re: Ex-owner looking for cage advice

Thank you - that's really helpful to know. I had no idea wodent wheels weren't around any more! I'll go hunting for a decent one on your recommendations
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Old 01-30-2021, 06:31 AM   #10
Zedrobber
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Default Re: Ex-owner looking for cage advice

Can I ask - is the sky metro cage essentially the hamster heaven with no top igloo thing?
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