Hamster Central - View Single Post

**AlbysMum** · 12-12-2017, 06:16 AM

Hi Kirsty! Welcome to Hamster Central. I'm quite new here too and would love to give you advice on the cage. I think just to be on the safe side it would be a good idea to make a lid. Because Alby's cage is a bit higher than yours I am quite confident that he would not escape, but in the future we will be either purchasing or making a tree house for him and he'll definitely need a lid at some point.

I think a mesh lid would be fine. If you are wondering how you could achieve that, here are some recommendations:

I would look at this video. You can alter the measurements for the plank by doing (cage width x 2) + (cage length x 2). So... you'd be doing 60 + 200 cm = 260 cm converted to metres which is 2.6m. I think VanillaHamHam added an extra 57cm to the length of her plank (I can't figure out where she got her measurement from, but maybe I'm just missing something!). I would add on another 50-60cm ish to be on the safe side so I would get about a 3.2 metre wooden plank. The video goes into a lot of detail. I find her DIYs quite easy to follow.

The only thing is you would probably not be able to fit the hinges to open and shut it like a door. I also don't know if that would be enough wood to fit on top of the cage safely. I'm trying to think of a way it could be more secure instead of a lid that just balances on the cage. Unless it overhangs. I just hate to think of it falling into the cage and hurting your hamsters. I wish I could advise you more on that. This post by Emma will be how a lid like that would look on your tank. I'm not sure how she's secured it mind. I could be missing something really obvious here.

I had a good experience using Amazon for some of the materials that I used for the cage. It was a good price and the items were delivered really quickly. Plus the reviews are always good to go by. The wooden plank will be easy to get cut from a hardware store like B&Q - assuming that you are in the UK.

Alternatively, if you still have the lid for the tank and depending on its shape, you could cut through the plastic in squares to make room for the mesh that you'll secure underneath. It would look a little something like the second picture on this page. Another option instead of mesh would be to get your hands on a plastic lid that would have ventilation holes in. But I just don't know where you would find one of them/how you'd make it.

In terms of bedding/substrate, I firstly would recommend Kaytee Clean and Fresh in 13.9L. It is £5.99 on Amazon with prime delivery (again assuming UK, sorry if you aren't!). The amount you get is huge. We've got some for Alby now and emptied nearly the whole thing just because we wanted him to have loads to burrow in. It's soft and smells nice. He was ecstatic when we put it in haha. For the bedding stuff that the hamsters like to sleep in - don't use fluffy as it's unsafe. Get paper flakes such as Petlife Safebed. Or unscented, clean white toilet paper usually does the trick and is inexpensive. You are right - you don't need to clean the cage every week. You'll just need to spot clean once a day or so. That just involves removing poops and bits with wee, tidying it a little bit, and providing fresh water. Of course when you first get them you need to leave them alone for a little bit until they settle. I tend to change out the bedding once a month, though leaving small bits of the old bedding amongst the new so it doesn't smell so scary and different.

Sorry that this post is long, but I hope it could be of some use/gave you some ideas, even if it might be only slightly helpful! It could be a good idea to post a topic in this sub forum as you will get a lot more experts on DIY and cages/lids to help you. Good luck with everything, and hope to see your hamsters on this forum soon!

12-12-2017, 06:16 AM
AlbysMum Banned Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: London Posts: 21	Re: DIY Linnmon Cage Update Hi Kirsty! Welcome to Hamster Central. I'm quite new here too and would love to give you advice on the cage. I think just to be on the safe side it would be a good idea to make a lid. Because Alby's cage is a bit higher than yours I am quite confident that he would not escape, but in the future we will be either purchasing or making a tree house for him and he'll definitely need a lid at some point. I think a mesh lid would be fine. If you are wondering how you could achieve that, here are some recommendations: I would look at this video. You can alter the measurements for the plank by doing (cage width x 2) + (cage length x 2). So... you'd be doing 60 + 200 cm = 260 cm converted to metres which is 2.6m. I think VanillaHamHam added an extra 57cm to the length of her plank (I can't figure out where she got her measurement from, but maybe I'm just missing something!). I would add on another 50-60cm ish to be on the safe side so I would get about a 3.2 metre wooden plank. The video goes into a lot of detail. I find her DIYs quite easy to follow. The only thing is you would probably not be able to fit the hinges to open and shut it like a door. I also don't know if that would be enough wood to fit on top of the cage safely. I'm trying to think of a way it could be more secure instead of a lid that just balances on the cage. Unless it overhangs. I just hate to think of it falling into the cage and hurting your hamsters. I wish I could advise you more on that. This post by Emma will be how a lid like that would look on your tank. I'm not sure how she's secured it mind. I could be missing something really obvious here. I had a good experience using Amazon for some of the materials that I used for the cage. It was a good price and the items were delivered really quickly. Plus the reviews are always good to go by. The wooden plank will be easy to get cut from a hardware store like B&Q - assuming that you are in the UK. Alternatively, if you still have the lid for the tank and depending on its shape, you could cut through the plastic in squares to make room for the mesh that you'll secure underneath. It would look a little something like the second picture on this page. Another option instead of mesh would be to get your hands on a plastic lid that would have ventilation holes in. But I just don't know where you would find one of them/how you'd make it. In terms of bedding/substrate, I firstly would recommend Kaytee Clean and Fresh in 13.9L. It is £5.99 on Amazon with prime delivery (again assuming UK, sorry if you aren't!). The amount you get is huge. We've got some for Alby now and emptied nearly the whole thing just because we wanted him to have loads to burrow in. It's soft and smells nice. He was ecstatic when we put it in haha. For the bedding stuff that the hamsters like to sleep in - don't use fluffy as it's unsafe. Get paper flakes such as Petlife Safebed. Or unscented, clean white toilet paper usually does the trick and is inexpensive. You are right - you don't need to clean the cage every week. You'll just need to spot clean once a day or so. That just involves removing poops and bits with wee, tidying it a little bit, and providing fresh water. Of course when you first get them you need to leave them alone for a little bit until they settle. I tend to change out the bedding once a month, though leaving small bits of the old bedding amongst the new so it doesn't smell so scary and different. Sorry that this post is long, but I hope it could be of some use/gave you some ideas, even if it might be only slightly helpful! It could be a good idea to post a topic in this sub forum as you will get a lot more experts on DIY and cages/lids to help you. Good luck with everything, and hope to see your hamsters on this forum soon!