New to Hamster Central

[CTS1016]

Hello Everyone, I just wanted say hello and let you know I am knew to Hamster Central. I just happen to find this site while I was looking for information on Hamsters. I am about to adopt a hamster from my local SPCA and had a few questions. I was wondering if there is a preference of male versus female. By reading all the different opinions I guess it really boils down to your own personal preference. But, I would like to know if a glass tank is better than a wire cage or does it not really matter. Can anyone help me with this?

[Pebbles82]

Hello and welcome You'll find lots of useful info and advice on here - some of the members are experienced breeders. It's also a fun friendly forum. It's a big question male versus female. You can never really tell what personality your hammy will have (unless you get it by instinct when meeting them!). Generally males are known to be a bit more laid back - even lazy and possibly a bit easier, with females having a reputation for being a bit more active and maverick - they come on heat every 4 days and apparently smell a bit sometimes then. But - those are huge generalisations - you can get quiet females and wild males and they all have their own individual personalities, based on genetics and former life experiences mostly! Some people say the hamster chooses you - so if you go to the ASPCA and a hamster chooses you, I shouldn't worry about whether it is male or female. I'm only talking about Syrians there - I don't know about dwarf hamsters, but someone else will.

[AmityvilleHams]

Gender doesn't really matter when it comes to hamsters.There are lots of stereotypes,but nothing is set in stone in terms of personality being better than another hamster based on gender.

Glass tanks vs wire cages comes down to personal opinion.However,these are not the only housing options you have and you can go with things like bin cages or DIY cages.Bin cages for example are particularly good as they're cheap,simple,lightweight,easy to work with,and are expandable if expanded properly.You could make something with bins that has more than the space of the Ikea Detolf for much less which would fit better in the space you have to fit it in,and that is just one example of a housing option which can be very good.

[Pebbles82]

I missed the bit about glass tank or wire cages If you're in the US glass tanks or bin cages tend to work out a heck of a lot cheaper than wire cages. There are only a handful of wire cages that are big enough and you're talking $100 to $150 for one - although they are good cages. A lot of people in the US use a 40 gallon breeder tank, which is a good size for a Syrian - and no need for diy as you can buy a zilla lid to fit. Petco have dollar per gallon sales on regularly which is a good way to get a glass tank. Both tanks/bins and cages have their pros and cons as Amity says. With a tank though you have scope for a really good depth of substrate (20 to 30 cm) so the hamster can dig tunnels and burrow.

Christmas tree bins make large bin cages and tend to be on sale at this time of year. This Iris one is popular. It means using a hot knife I think, to cut out panels and mesh them, on the sides and lid, for ventilation. So if you don't mind a bit of diy it's an option. Or you can make diy cages as well, or get a detolf glass tank (Ikea glass cabinet - you tip it on its side, leave the door off and make a lid out of strips of wood and mesh.

This is a good cage - Marchioro Goran 82. I wouldn't go any smaller than that.

Marchioro Products Marchioro Goran Rat Cage Small Pet Cages

This is the Iris Christmas Tree bin

https://www.farmandfleet.com/product...l#.UrlS0LR0lmI

And some examples of it as a bin cage

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Ir...AGBjUQ_AUIBigB

The detolf costs about $60 from Ikea - here are some examples of hamster detolfs

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Ir...hamster+detolf

[AmityvilleHams]

And the Detolf can be expanded with melamine for around $30 in the US if you really want something with glass.This is not the most cost effective option,but having it wider makes it more appropriate for Syrians as you'd be extremely limited with what can fit into the Detolf.It's a great dwarf hamster cage if you gradually expand and have lots of hiding places in it,but for Syrians it just isn't the greatest option.The cost doesn't consider if you need to buy a stand as well,which can be very expensive(at least $60 from Target in the US,so the cost will be no less than $120 plus the cost of a lid).Its size and shape make it a bit of a pain for some spaces though,hence why bin cages can be a better choice.

Tanks are,again,incredibly expensive.Even with the dollar per gallon sale at Petco if you have to buy a lid there(not a Zilla lid,they won't really work well with Aqueon aquariums or at least the clips do not which is what Petco sell)you're going to end up spending no less than $80 on a 40 gallon tank and lid.This again is not a very good deal compared to bins or DIY,and that doesn't include the stand if necessary,so prepare for a deal that isn't quite so nice in reality Also larger aquariums which are more suitable tend to be extremely heavy and shouldn't be moved by one person.Even a 20 gallon long(unsuitable size for anything but a smaller robo,but can be used as a transition tank into a larger cage)is a bit of an awkward size so it can't be moved easily by one person.

[cypher]

Welcome to HC

I agree that all hams have their own individual personalities regardless of gender but males are often the more laid back (or even lazy) females are often more active & maybe less inclined to be held or cuddled but you never really know!

The choice between tanks & wire cages is another personal choice really, there is no better or worse imo, I prefer wire cages for interaction, ventilation & ease of set up, I think it's a lot easier to make a creative & stimulating environment in a wire cage.
As you say SPCA I'm guessing Scotland?
If you are in the UK Zooplus do a great range of cages, the Barney, Alexander & Alaska are all really good.

[Pebbles82]

Oh good point Cypher! It's the ASPCA in the US, not the SPCA. Yes have a look at Zooplus. I'd go for a Barney or Alexander cage. I have the Barney cage. The Alaska cage is also good and has a big front opening door which is good for access and taming. Although with the Barney or Alexander you're not likely to be wishing you'd bought bigger or want to upgrade later. I upgraded our Syrian from an 80 x 50 cage to the Barney cage and it works well. However, a big front opening door is a real help on a cage - and depending on your budget, there is a new Savic cage available that is about the same size as the Barney and Alexander cages, but has the big front opening door like the Alaska. It needs some extra shelves and a house and wheel though. Whereas the Barney comes with a good sized house for a Syrian and an 8" wheel which is ok as a starter wheel, so it's more or less set up and ready to go apart from a few toys, for less than £50. The Alaska is a bit cheaper at £33 but needs a house and a wheel for starters, which bumps the cost up a bit, so in my opinion the Barney is better value. And you can't go wrong with an Alexander cage either as it has a lovely big built in house good for nesting and hoarding and three shelves to make another level.

Cages from Zooplus can take about a week to arrive so you'd need to plan that and get it set up before getting your hammy.

Hamster Cages | great selection at zooplus

This is the new Savic Hamster Plaza. It's not cheap. But it does have a big front opening door for good access, and is also a knock-down cage (ie it can fold flat if you ever wanted to transport it/your hamster). It's also quite tall, like the Alexander cage, so would need extra shelves adding to prevent fall risks.

Hamster Cages – Next Day Delivery Hamster Cages

Cages are probably your best bet in the Uk as glass tanks are hugely expensive in the Uk unless you happen to find a second hand 4 foot fish tank going cheap.

Again these are recommendations for Syrians - there are other options for dwarf hamsters, although the Barney and Alexander are also suitable for dwarf hamsters as they have narrow 7mm bar spacing - but would need setting up to avoid falls from a height for a smaller dwarf hamster.

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi and Welcome to HC. Cypher & Serendipity have given great advice.

[Cavebear]

Hey,

I'm new to this forum, but have had hamsters since I was 5, in my experience gender isn't a big factor in hamster personalities, I have had calm boys and girls and crazies of both genders too... I find the temperament is mostly dependent on space, and how much there is to do in your hammy's cage.

Because of this I would say a bin cage is the best option for me; as hamsters need a lot of floor space rather than vertical space bins offer a large area to create an environment, I find them easier to access and clean, and enjoy being able to fill them quite deep( when I can afford it) so the hammy's get to burrow a lot. I think it's easier to create a more complex or interesting environment but it all depends on how you plan to decorate and what materials you have available to you. Saying all of this I have found great wire cages in the past, with a lot of space to be creative, it's all personal opinion and money.

I found that with enough space in their habitat, most hamsters become very, very affectionate and interactive. My last hamster Holly was able to free range in the living room most nights till I went to bed and often came to find me and returned ready to go into her cage when I called her name.

I agree zooplus is the best option for pretty much everything, with a large selection of bedding, toys and food and reasonable postage. Some things are unbelievaby priced on there, like 150l siccofloor/hemparade substrate for £15.99.
I hope this is helpful for you, sorry if I have rambled on a bit

[PumpKinSpiceLatte]

Welcome! I'm quite new too! But I'll just tell you if you need anything else, just check some different threads on the topic you're looking for!

1. Gender doesn't matter, but I'd ask a worker first if the cage had females AND males in it, you might come home 8 more hams than you bargained for

2.Im personally getting a tanks because hams are less likely to escape or chew on bars, but not all hams chew on bars, I just suggest getting a barred cage with small bar spacing if you are getting a barred cage because they are cheaper