Hi there - your bin cage sounds good! Technically hamsters are "crepuscular" rather than nocturnal. Crepuscular means twilight. So it is used for animals that are primarily active at dawn and dusk.
But we do tend to think of them as nocturnal in that they are active at night and sleep during the day. But they vary in personality as well. I think crepuscular is right really though. Many Syrians will be out and about in their cages early evening, or first thing in the morning, and although they are very active overnight they will often go for naps during the night as well, in my experience of our Syrian.
They do need a lot of space at night though, when they are active, to get exercise and burn off energy and need a wheel big enough they can run in with a straight back (ie not an arched back). So ideally minimum continuous floorspace size of approximately 80cm by 50cm or bigger. Our Syrian was in an 80 x 50 cage and is now in a 100cm by 50cm cage. I found 80 x 50 a bit cramped with wheel and toys in. But it's still a good size.
The behaviour can also change with their ages as well, or their environment. We used to see our Syrian out in his cage a lot in the evening at first, particular in his wheel as that was new and exciting. Now he tends to not come out much except to nab his bit of fresh veg mid evening. If we get him out he is quite active early evening - 6 to 8pm, but between 8pm and 11pm he'll just curl up and go to sleep somewhere.
Anyway - some are more sociable than others, but one good thing about Syrians is they can usually be hand tamed quite easily, form a bond with you, and be easy to handle when you need to. For some this will happen quite quickly - others can take a few weeks and it needs patience.
It sounds like you have done your research and it's really good to hear someone getting everything organised before getting their hamster
I wouldn't recommend shredded paper as a substrate if you mean paper from a shredder as it can give paper cuts and anything with ink on isn't good. There are a range of suitable substrates - paper based ones, Carefresh (wood pulp), Aspen. For nesting material, torn up strips of plain white toilet paper is best. You put a pile in the cage and they pouch it and take it somewhere to build a nest with.
Are you in the Uk or the US? There are different substrates available depending on where you are. In the Uk Fitch is a good option. It works out cheap and is bought in bulk from the manufacturer, but the smallest 10kg bag is not too bulky to store indoors. It is recycled food paper. Hammies seem to love it.
Where to keep your hamster/cage. Away from direct sunlight from a window or direct draughts from a window eg. Not near a TV. On top of a chest of drawers is an option some people use for a cage. The main thing is the cage location stays the same and you don't keep moving it around as they sense the change of environment and this causes stress. A bin cage could easily be kept on the floor in a bedroom eg, providing it was placed somewhere where it couldn't accidentally get kicked when you walk past - eg far end of bedroom or in an alcove or something.
Wheel - needs to be solid - not rungs or bars. 27cm to 30cm for a Syrian ideally. Some people use a 20cm wheel for a Syrian but they can grow out of this and then you end up having to buy another wheel, so good to start with a big enough one. Our Syrian grew huge and needs a 30cm wheel! The average Syrian is fine with 27cm/28cm wheel, like the Trixie wheel linked below.
They need a good sized house/nesting box that is dark inside, to build a nest in so they have somewhere to retreat to and feel safe and away from light. Ideally open underneath and sat on top of the substrate, so they can bury hoards in the house, plus it makes cleaning and checking easier. A cardboard box or shoebox with a hole cut in for a door would do.
Toys and houses sold for hamsters are often much too small for Syrians and tend to be only big enough for dwarf hamsters, so you need to check any entrance holes are at least 5 to 6cm in diameter to avoid "getting stuck" disasters. Rat sized toys and tubes are a good size for Syrians.
Their nest is their number one most important thing, so it's important to try and preserve it as much as possible. If it gets pee'd in you might need to remove some of it sometimes, but always try and leave part of it behind that still smells familiar.
Cleaning is something that stresses them out. Pet shop advice is usually clean them out every week, but Erin's Hamsters 8 cage cleaning tips 9below) is the method I use and works well with our hamster, avoiding stressing him out.
Food - it needs to be a good hamster mix, ideally without sugars and with a good enough level of protein. In the Uk Harry hamster meets the required nutrients. You can also supplement the protein a bit by a few fresh food "extras" 2 or 3 times a week - eg a piece of cheese, half a walnut or brazil nut, some pumpkin seeds. Just a very small piece about 1cm cubed or equivalent. Also supplement with fresh veg. Similar sized piece - broccoli, carrot, cucumber are my staples and alternate them for variety. Every 2 or 3 days to begin with and then every day when their tummies are used to it.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Exer...s=Trixie+wheel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jVnEjrXbww
Another cage option, if you have the space, and is not expensive, is a detolf
It's a hack from an Ikea glass cabinet, tipped on its side, the door left off and you make two basic lids out of strips of wood and mesh - probably easier than meshing a bin cage, as no panels to cut, but similar amount of diy. Then you get something like these
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ha...vvBecQ_AUIBigB
Can look very nice in a living room too!
Is a Syrian hamster right for me?
so, I am getting a small pet. I have done my research and figured out that I h ink I want a Syrian (short hair) hamster. I know I can take care of it, because I already take good care of a bunch of animals. I'm home schooled, so I will have plenty of time to play with it. I only want one. I am going to make a bin cage, with the big cutout roof and sides covered in wire, and I will get a wheel and some toys. For the bedding, I'm going to shred paper and put it down thickly because they burrow right? Will it be up when I am up? Where should I keep it? 
Is a Syrian hamster right for me?
and we have a paper shredder. Also I heard they liked shredded paper to burrow in. Can I make a homemade food? What about picking one out? I know it should not bite and be friendly and active, and no sickness signs, anything else or any tips 
? I am homeschooled, so I have plenty of spare time to play with it. Anything helps, Thanks!
Re: Is a Syrian hamster right for me?
.so would the end of my bed be okay? I would kind of like it up off the floor because I've heard they don't like the vibrations of footsteps and stuff, but if it's OK to go there then I'm fine. BTW I will put pics up of my room.
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