[AmityvilleHams]

The current US minimum is not 360.It was changed to 450 in terms of forums,and even that was acknowledged as small and not actually a good size and that you should always go above that.

Furthermore,the UK minimum is around 600 or so square inches,which honestly is more appropriate for a dwarf hamster than a Syrian.

Yes,100 x 100 is daunting,but it doesn't have to be exactly those dimensions!Some cages are actually longer and more narrow and go to 1 square meter,which is very good.For Syrians the big issue with a lot of cages is that they are narrow and a bit short and especially with barred cages they just don't allow for proper burrowing so they are certainly not entirely suitable and therefore shouldn't be considered for Syrians.

Bigger cages are cheaper in the end by the way,especially those which allow for deep substrate.This is simple science actually!More surface area and less substrate getting thrown away,which leads to less waste and as a result less money being spent on substrate.

Another thing big cages give that is very good is the ability to have large enriching toys that wouldn't be suitable for small cages,which means that boredom and bar chewing would be less likely.Some may argue that this is somehow not an issue with aquariums,but there is still the issue of sealant being chewed which is equally concerning and yet again a potential sign of boredom.