View Single Post
Old 02-21-2015, 04:56 PM  
RubyDG
PM Fluffy for custom title
 
RubyDG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Scotland
Posts: 1,661
Default Re: German minimum cage size

Quote:
Originally Posted by Happy View Post
Hello,

German hamster owner here to hopefully clarify this a little bit.

First of all, here in Germany most informed hamster owners don't use store-bought barred cages because they're usually far too small and compared to the prices of big enough barred cages it's much cheaper to build your hamster a DIY cage or use aquariums (or terrariums, but only with enough ventilation).

The general minimum size for a Syrian hamster habitat in Germany is 100x50 cm.
However, most German hamster owners exceed the minimum size by far with their hamster homes.
Our federal ministry of agriculture and the veterinarian association for animal welfare views this as the absolute minimum, too.
Since 2014, it's also required by law that pet shops inform customers about this minimum of 100x50.
Of course I would prefer that they didn't sell animals at all, but at least it's a start in the right direction.


The 1 mē (one square metre) recommendation stems from a study in which it was scientifically proven that from 1 mē of floor-space onwards, Syrian hamsters begin to show natural behaviour and stereotypical behaviour patterns begin to lessen or disappear entirely. One square metre can be, for example, 100x100 or 200x50 cm.
I think this is around 1550 inē (square inches), but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Many German people do have hamster homes with at least 1 mē of floor-space, myself included, because they've realised from experience that especially female Syrians are very active and need the space, otherwise they'll act like what we call a "Randaleweib".

However, the best recommendation you would get on a German hamster board or forum is to build as big as possible. Even if you have to move a bit of furniture around, in my opinion it's definitely worth it to give your hamster an adequate home.

This means basically, if there is enough space for 250x50 cm or something like that then that's great, but if they can only spare 100 or 120 cm of ground space then it's still possible to put together a decent habitat.

For example, if someone only has very little space in the room in which they want to put the habitat, they can use the height to their advantage and build a higher DIY-cage with many additional floors (as long as the floor area is at least 100x50 cm).
For examples of this, you can google "Hamster Pax" to see some converted IKEA Pax wardrobes.


I hope this helps.

Have a good day.
Thanks for clarifying that for us Happy! I do agree that it's always best to make the biggest cage/habitat you can afford and fit in your space. I've seen some beautiful German cages and really feel that the laws in Germany are headed in the right direction with animal care, the UK and the rest of the world could certainly stand to follow suit.

I've also googled "Hamster Pax" and seen some fantastic DIY cages. I had looked at wooden cages when I was first shopping around for a hamster cage but didn't buy one in the end because I felt that a hamster would just chew through it because it's wood and it would be a waste of money. But what I have noticed is that the majority of the German cages are wood or at least partially wood. Are there methods used to make them chew proof?
__________________
Hamster Mom to Axel McFluffypants who wears his Scottish kilt proudly.
Forever Hamster Mom to a Syrian Fluff Monster called Spike - now laying siege to all the radiators over the Rainbow Bridge
RubyDG is offline   Reply With Quote