Yay! Thanks for all that info Happy! That's actually cleared up a bunch of questions and concerns I've had
. Your cage looks lovely - I can definitely see a hamster being really happy in it!
What I'm thinking about doing for the Mamble is getting/making a custom wooden top shelf that would cover most of the area of the cage except for a gap running across the front - so the same length of the cage but a bit smaller in width. However my big problem with the Mamble is that there is no cage door or access from the roof. Putting things in and cleaning the top shelves I have there now are problematic as I have an arm that doesn't work properly and even with my other one I struggle getting to the top left side of the cage. I'm going to start a thread today about if there are any ways to add in roof access to barred cages. The only other thing I can think of is buying another cage, which I'm not ruling out, but it would be a pity due to the money and effort I've put into the Mamble. Still, I'm not totally satisfied with it and I definitely think the German cages I've seen are by far much better. I love my little guy so much I just want to give him the best home I can manage. You've given me lots to think about so thanks for taking the time to post all that information!