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Originally Posted by Hammy_Newbie
Thanks Serendipity- I bet your hammie is very happy living there! On the hamster heaven cage, if you remove the penthouse, does it not leave a hole? How would you block it? Same question with the tubes?
The wheel I have is smaller than 28cm but she is happy in it and doesn’t arch her back. I think she’s on the small size for a Syrian - I expected her to grow bigger but she never did.
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I have repeatedly found with Syrian hamsters I pet sit that they bar chew less and run more with a bigger wheel and when given a choice of wheels in a playpen they always go for the biggest one (11 inches). I looked after a really small, young Syrian who could fit on an 8.5 inch with a perfectly straight back and neck, but he was still so much happier on the 11 inch. I think bigger wheels allow them to stretch out more and run more comfortably. Particularly as your hamster is having problems with bar chewing, I think a bigger wheel might be a good idea.
It's a bit tricky with the Hamster Heaven/Sky Metro because it's a low cage and the wheel has to go on the cage base. The Alaska is a better choice among cages of that size because the extra height allows you to put the wheel on a low platform and you can also put a large shelf in. It's also quite a bit cheaper from Zooplus.
You also need to look out for the neck as well as the back. On a smaller wheel the back may be straight but the head may be held upwards - you ideally want a completely straight back and neck for optimal comfort for the hamster. To illustrate this, the two photos attached show a hamster I looked after this summer on an 8.5 inch and an 11 inch wheel. If you imagine having your neck bent backwards for long periods of time, it's not very comfortable and hurts after a while.