[Happy]

Hi again, Ruby.

I guess technically a Syrian can probably chew through a natural wood cage if (s)he tried hard enough, but I've known so many people with that Ebay cage and have had it myself and nothing ever happened, so I wouldn't worry. The chances of a hamster chewing through a plastic cage base are much higher and plastic is actually dangerous for the hamster, as opposed to wood with pet- or child-safe varnish.

The actual reason that people don't recommend natural wood for a cage is not because of chewing or even peeing (since most hamsters use their toilet), but because if there are ever any parasites and you haven't varnished the wood you can throw away the whole cage as you can never completely clean it.

I've heard that veneered chipboard can be dangerous in the USA, but in Europe there are so many safety standards that this kind of stuff has to adhere to because it's used for everything from kitchen worktops to wardrobes. You know, in case people inhale sawdust from it. Everything has to be pretty much idiot-proof.

I've seen the Mamble cage and it's good, probably one of the best barred cages you can get over there, especially if you put in a full level to double the floor-space.

Originally Posted by RubyDG

I had a look at the site you linked for the pre-made veneered chipboard cages which look great, the site is confusing for me though because of the language even when using google translate.

Sorry. I can imagine how confusing German sites must be. I sometimes look at Spanish sites and that's confusing enough even though I'm learning it in school. LOL.

This one is mine, in case you're interested:



I bought it for my dwarf hamster last year and he's quite content in it. I also have a bigger one with a young, active Syrian in it and there is no way she could ever chew anywhere on the wood. She tried when she first moved in, but quickly gave up because everything is really solid.

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Thanks - yes I'd love a bigger cage. That's the Tectake isn't it. They're great - a couple of people on here have them. When I looked at the Tectake on Amazon though someone had asked a question about what wood they were made from and the Tectake people replied 'cedar'. I thought cedar was bad for hamsters - or is that just the shavings?

There is some truth to things made from cedar or any type of coniferous wood being bad for hamsters, but that's only if there's bark on them. The issue is that some people use these Trixie things, which are always advised against on German boards because they're made from coniferous wood that can exude resin. That is indeed bad for hamsters, but this can usually only happen with these natural conifer wood items that still have bark on them. To be fair, I've seen these things used countless of times and not once have I witnessed any resin coming out of one of them. I personally don't use them, though - not only for that reason, but also because they're usually far too small and therefore useless.

But anyway, back to the Ebay/Tectake cage. From my experience, I can say that when I had this cage there was nothing on the wood that could exude resin. I've had a Hybrid and a Syrian in two of these cages a few years ago and they both lived a very long and healthy live, so if you want that cage, I'd say go for it.

As for the shavings, if you're in Europe then woodshavings from popular brands are generally safe, but in the US some kinds are polluted, hence why they often recommend using other types of bedding like Carefresh or hemp. It's a shame because hamsters can't burrow properly in that, but better safe than sorry.

In the UK, however, I know that woodshavings are perfectly fine because they're mostly the same brands as in Germany and I've been using them myself for the past 6 or so years.