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mangoandmimi · 07-22-2019, 11:22 AM

The imac fantasy is high on my list of unsuitable cages - each level is too small, there is barely room for 1-2 inches of bedding, no proper ventilation in the top level, the tubes are too small for Syrians, it was clearly designed to save space for the owners benefit etc etc. The floorspace does have to be unbroken you’re right. I will say be a bit careful with which people on online platforms you take hamster care info from as they are not all experts, and there is a lot of misinformation being spread even now. A large following does by no means validate the information someone is giving out!

I think the Alaska is alright. It is in my local pet shop and I wasn’t thrilled with it as the quality didn’t seem brilliant and yes some parts around the top have larger spacing. But you should be ok for a Russian. It would need ‘vertical’ enrichment in the form of levels and things to break the height up as it is relatively tall, and dwarfs can be rather clumsy. It is also easier said than done to make a tall cage safe. The best thing about it is its low price tag but tbh a decision on which hamster cage to purchase shouldn’t be made based on the price (within reason). To me it doesn’t make sense to think about a £30 price difference when a cage should be an investment. So I would recommend the Barney/Alexander or something like the maxi duna, over the Alaska as you get a lot more floor space.

07-22-2019, 11:22 AM
mangoandmimi Little Miss Tinytoes Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: UK Posts: 7,036	Re: Is my hamster cage okay? The imac fantasy is high on my list of unsuitable cages - each level is too small, there is barely room for 1-2 inches of bedding, no proper ventilation in the top level, the tubes are too small for Syrians, it was clearly designed to save space for the owners benefit etc etc. The floorspace does have to be unbroken you’re right. I will say be a bit careful with which people on online platforms you take hamster care info from as they are not all experts, and there is a lot of misinformation being spread even now. A large following does by no means validate the information someone is giving out! I think the Alaska is alright. It is in my local pet shop and I wasn’t thrilled with it as the quality didn’t seem brilliant and yes some parts around the top have larger spacing. But you should be ok for a Russian. It would need ‘vertical’ enrichment in the form of levels and things to break the height up as it is relatively tall, and dwarfs can be rather clumsy. It is also easier said than done to make a tall cage safe. The best thing about it is its low price tag but tbh a decision on which hamster cage to purchase shouldn’t be made based on the price (within reason). To me it doesn’t make sense to think about a £30 price difference when a cage should be an investment. So I would recommend the Barney/Alexander or something like the maxi duna, over the Alaska as you get a lot more floor space.