Hi De hi!

[Spot]

Hiya! after finding out hamsters arent ever lasting (when i was a child my hamster Thomas lasted 10years little did i know it was 4 hamsters called Thomas ) i have finally overcome the deception and heading back into being a hamster owner to educate my son on being responsible, or maybe thats an excuse and i just want a hamster

Anyways i feel some sort of pressure as i look around for a lovely home for new hamster, we have found a lovely petshop who handles the hamsters daily is super kind and very sweet so we are awaiting a new batch to be born

sooo google has baffled me i found 4 different cages but not sure whats best or other cages might be better for a Syrian hamster ive looked briefly at the cage recommendations , but i want to provide the best and have a happy hamster so any tips/ links would be super awesome!

• Barney Pet Cage
• Savic Hamster Heaven Metro Cage
• Fun Area Leon Small Pet Home

Are the front runners i have found from reviews ect, i tried to link but wasnt allowed!



do they need levels? or better to have one and large surface area to put toys ect? ive read the reviews and i thought its best to ask people who have super hamsters already!

Sorry if this is such a common post! but any help would be awesome!

[cypher]

Hi & welcome to the forum

The Barney & Hamster Heaven are both good cages, I don't really know the other one tbh, you really don't need levels if you have a good size cage with plenty of floor space for your ham, you may want some kind of shelf to put things like food, water bottles etc on but there are plenty of ways of doing it, you can either use the shelves that come with the cages or use small free standing shelves or use houses with flat tops to double as shelves.
The most important thing really is the floor space & enough height for a big wheel, some cages don't allow for that.
Hope that helps a bit.

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi Spot and welcome to HC.

[Niblenible]

You sound just like me...'a hamster for my son'

I believe you!

Ive a hamster for my daughter, even thou come bedtime for my girls at half past 6..our hamster is still fast asleep! Hes entirely nocturnal!

So I have all the playtime once he crawls from his nest at about 9pm!

[Spot]

Originally Posted by Niblenible

You sound just like me...'a hamster for my son'

I believe you!

Ive a hamster for my daughter, even thou come bedtime for my girls at half past 6..our hamster is still fast asleep! Hes entirely nocturnal!

So I have all the playtime once he crawls from his nest at about 9pm!

So glad we are awesome mothers hahha i think this might happen with us


And thanks all for replying/welcoming

[racinghamster]

Hi spot, welcome. The cages you listed are all good for a Syrian. My personal choice would be the Barney. Why? Because it has the narrowest bars, it`s not tall so if the hamster was to try and climb (as they often do in barred cages) its not a long drop. But then, it doesn`t have to be for a hamster to land awkwardly. The other option would be the Zoozone 2 Perspex cage or the Ferplast Duna Maxi. Both are very easy access. he Barney has smaller doors, but the whole lid can be lifted off also if you need proper access.

Hamsters, as you may already know, like their daytime sleep and I can`t speak for all hamsters because they are all different, but woe betide anyone who wakes up a sleeping hamster! So consideration is needed if the child needs/wants to play with him or her. Kids get bitten and that leads to them becoming fearful of the hamster and mum ends up as the caretaker!

So if the hamster is going to be yours then that`s the first step! Enjoy the forum. x

[SinNyx]

I would personally go for a Barney. I find it's the best value for money of the cages you suggested, also offering the most space for you...I mean, your son...to spoil the hamster with toys.

It's also better to have a flat out cage, instead of one on multiple levels, as this can make it harder to fit in toys and a decent sizes wheel.

The Barney also has a nice, large door on the top which is great for your son being able to get to the hamster, I prefer these cages myself as there are some hamsters that are more scared and it's easier to use a large door.

The fact that the Barney also has smaller bar spacing can also help against bar chewing, as Syrians will find it harder to get their noses through. Plus, if you wanted a Chinese or dwarf hamster, it would also be okay for them as they are smaller and some may be able to fit through larger spacing.

[Spot]

Thats very helpful points from you both, i forgot to add to my first rambling post its a Syrian we are getting , i have found a good price on zooplas so going to go for the barney i think , now comes the what the heck am i putting into it and feeding the hamster, 20years ago when i had thomas it was woodchips and generic hamster food! and is soap and water still ok to clean cages with! , Thankgoodness i found you clever people to help guide us!

And Racing hamster thats a good point about sleeping hamster/children , he wont be touching / waking up the hamster without my supervision so hopefully over time we can make a lovely relationship and provide a lovely life for 'spot the hamster'

forgot to say we from Essex (can you tell with all the questions)

[racinghamster]

I`m sure you will catch up on all your old skills by reading through the various sections on the forum spot. Diet for a Syrian....well there are good choices and bad choices so if you look in the appropriate section and read about many of the mixes on the market, this will give you a better understanding of what`s available. If you prefer to shop local for your hamster food, then look no further than Burgess Supahamster. Remember, you can buy more than one mix as hamsters do love variety, so combining a few mixes and adding in small amounts of safe raw vegetables like broccoli, carrot, cucumber etc.... a e times a week until the hamster is used to them. Syrians can suffer from wet tail if they are young and stressed, so to avoid this, it`s best to always have the cage and diet prepared well in advance of the new hamster arriving and then given a good few days to settle. You don`t need to do full cage cleans either as this itself can cause stress, especially to a new hamster. They make scent marks and trails around their cage and become familiar with their habitat, so this all helps the hamster to feel secure. x

[Spot]

Thanks for another post, i have been looking through the forums in all the sections now im more confused as the barney cage from what i can see has the wood shelfs/stairs and on the forum it says i should paint it with plastikote just incase hamster wees on them. Also is bedding and substrate different? im guessing it is as bedding could be for the house? and the substrate for the floor! im sure as i read further ill work all this out if we want toiletroll or sawdust ect thank goodness for you guys