Introducing Victor

[CMB]

Pet shop staff often sell inappropriate cages and give wrong advice.But don't feel bad about it as lots of people would take the advice of pet shop staff thinking they are knowledgeable.

A tall cage is dangerous because the hamster climbs up the bars ok but can't climb down again so jumps/drops down, which can cause injury. A lower height cage is better with more floor space.

[alpacassei]

As others have said, that cage is too small and tall for a hamster. He might be okay with the cage size now as he's just a baby but he'll definitely be needing more space soon. The height is bad because he could easily get injured if he climbed the bars and fell.

My favourite cages for dwarf hamsters are the Ferplast Duna cages. The Duna Multi is a good size for dwarf hamsters and so is the Duna Fun Large (same size as the multy but with platforms and tubes). The Alaska, Barney, Alaxander and Hamster Heaven are really popular too. You can also adapt aquarium tanks and storage bins to make large cages (search DIY bin cage for examples and tutorials).

[AmityvilleHams]

There are luckily some decent dwarf cages available in the US!I know that the Savic Mickey 2XL could work for smaller dwarf hamsters,or something in a similar size(80 x 50,or roughly 32 inches x 20 inches)if not bigger.

If you really don't want to spend a few hundred dollars though,DIY or a bin or bin setup would be best.Building DIY cages does work out cheap when you buy materials in bulk,for example a 4 ft x 8 ft sheet of acrylic at $100 could make front panels for 4 4 ft long x 2 ft high DIY cages of any width.That's $25 per cage,but for dwarf hamsters you could certainly get away with only having the cage be 12 inches tall and save yourself an extra bit of money.Bulk materials and tools and building DIY cages is an investment,but if you make something that is versatile enough to suit most species or be expandable to house other species if necessary it is more than worth it.Remember that DIY sounds expensive upfront,but when you consider the details it is cheaper as long as you don't make it more expensive than you need to!

[LilicaRachels]

Not to be rude, but I have to wonder what part of "upgrading" wasn't understood. Y'all act like I had many choices at the Pet Smart. This happened to be the largest cage they had at this store. I probably should have gone home to actually see and set up a proper cage. But instead I bought this cage. I wasn't going to pay the extra money for a smaller cage, then have to buy all the necessary things. I took my chances with this cage, knowing that I would have to make an upgrade. It's sad when this is their largest cage without going to into rabbit hutch territory (and I'm not stupid enough to get one of those with the wire flooring for a hamster). I did the best I could. I already said I was buying a new and bigger wheel, which I did. But you seem to be jumping to the conclusion that I'm not working on a bigger and better cage. I have plans, but plans take time. I have to go to a hardware store, but I need to be able to work that into my schedule, which is mostly filled by my job. I may not have mentioned that I was working on something bigger, but I definitely didn't say that I wasn't working on something better. And as far as food, I did say I was looking into better foods. It's hard when all your pet store sells is cheap food but I try to make up for it with what I have for now until I can actually find better food. Not a lot of companies will ship to my house because I have a p.o. box. But I'm trying and y'all are acting like I'm not lol. Victor gets fresh veggies and things that aren't high in sugar. I'm doing the best I can at the moment.

[LilicaRachels]

In all seriousness, if you had just asked me properly if I had plans to get a better cage instead of just assuming that I'm stupid and have no idea in the slightest bit of what I am doing, than I would have properly told you. I'm doing the best I can at the moment. I exploded a little there in frustration... And I apologize. But you can't just conclude on your own these things. They didn't have better cages and I probably should have gone home and planned things first, but I didn't and I acted on a whim. But I intended from the very start to improve as I went as soon as I could. Unfortunately, I cannot drive so I mostly wait until I can go out. My pet smart only opened 2 months ago. But you could have actually just asked.

[LilicaRachels]

I mean I appreciate the concern, but holy hamtaro it doesn't hurt to ask first.

[Hamsterita]

Hey! Victor is such a beautiful boy!!

Don't worry and don't be mad.

A lot of us made the same mistake. I also bought a small cage because I didn't know that it was unsuitable, and It was the biggest cage that I had found. I also found out that it was unsuitable here and I had to upgrade it. They don't tell you that trying to be rude or thinking that you're stupid. They tell you because a lot of new users don't know.

What's really important is that you care and that you're trying to solve the problem. It's reasonable to try to defend yourself if you feel attacked, but seriously, they just were trying to help.

I hope we can hear more about Victor in the future!

[LilicaRachels]

I won't lie. I do tend to upset very easily. It's especially hard to tell online the intent. I just still stand on the idea of asking first. I have so many things that I ordered on a few websites that actually ship to my house that I am waiting for. Asking doesn't hurt. I get that maybe a lot of people don't know these things, but instead of just blandly going, "NOPE WRONG" without knowing circumstance because questions weren't asked is a little aggravating. Even if I didn't have actual plans, there is still a better way to go about that without sounding tyrannical or making it sound like said person is idiotic. Questions never hurt. "Hey this is my cage." "hey that looks a little small did you have plans to expand?" "why yes in fact I did, this is just temporary until I can finish."