Hamster Central - View Single Post - Climbing Rotastak Tubes and Making Friends

Pebbles82 · 09-05-2018, 10:37 AM

Hi there

I'm sure you've got the message that Rotostaks aren't considered suitable for hammies on here! (I made the same mistake when I got our last hamster).

Glad he has something else. In terms of size it goes on floorspace of one unit. Adding the size of all the units together doesn't count (I kidded myself it did when I had one). Although robos are tiny they do need plenty of space to run around - they are very active and fast. So they need the floorspace.

The other main issue with the Rotostak for a robo is - robos have fur under the feet and can't climb vertical tubes. Not easily anyway and they risk falling down them again. They are much better with everything at ground level in a bigger floor area with maybe a shallow ramp up to a shelf.

I know it can be difficult getting cages by mail order to Northern Ireland - postage and delivery etc. If you were looking for something permanent then a bin cage, as suggested above, is a cheap option (Ikea sell the 78cm samla bin for about £10 and that's about the right size). Or another cheap option is the Duna Multy mentioned above - it's about £33 from Porton Aquapet. Some pet shops may also have the Zoozone 1 in stock which is very similar to the Duna Multy - a bit cheaper. The bar spacing on top is too big so it needs a piece of mesh attaching to the bars but that's easier than making a bin cage.

Don't worry - many of us have started out with a cage that was too small or just not suitable. I loved the rotostak - it was such a clever design - but unfortunately not suitable for a pet to live in! Even the largest unit is too small (particularly depthwise) and the ventilation is terrible. I ended up binning mine and losing a load of money.

09-05-2018, 10:37 AM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: Climbing Rotastak Tubes and Making Friends Hi there I'm sure you've got the message that Rotostaks aren't considered suitable for hammies on here! (I made the same mistake when I got our last hamster). Glad he has something else. In terms of size it goes on floorspace of one unit. Adding the size of all the units together doesn't count (I kidded myself it did when I had one). Although robos are tiny they do need plenty of space to run around - they are very active and fast. So they need the floorspace. The other main issue with the Rotostak for a robo is - robos have fur under the feet and can't climb vertical tubes. Not easily anyway and they risk falling down them again. They are much better with everything at ground level in a bigger floor area with maybe a shallow ramp up to a shelf. I know it can be difficult getting cages by mail order to Northern Ireland - postage and delivery etc. If you were looking for something permanent then a bin cage, as suggested above, is a cheap option (Ikea sell the 78cm samla bin for about £10 and that's about the right size). Or another cheap option is the Duna Multy mentioned above - it's about £33 from Porton Aquapet. Some pet shops may also have the Zoozone 1 in stock which is very similar to the Duna Multy - a bit cheaper. The bar spacing on top is too big so it needs a piece of mesh attaching to the bars but that's easier than making a bin cage. Don't worry - many of us have started out with a cage that was too small or just not suitable. I loved the rotostak - it was such a clever design - but unfortunately not suitable for a pet to live in! Even the largest unit is too small (particularly depthwise) and the ventilation is terrible. I ended up binning mine and losing a load of money.