Hi there,
I own a male Syrian hamster called Remy, I got a wheel (the TRIXIE wooden wheel) two days ago which fits lovely in his enclosure but had to take a fair bit of substrate out so it can fit well.
Although, I'm not overly happy with how much I had to take out since I want to be able to give my hamster a nice big substrate depth throughout and be able to place the wheel on one of those wooden chamber boxes but can't as it's too shallow for that.
My nan (who I live with) isn't overly happy with the idea of me purchasing an ikea detolf shelving unit to flip on it's side just for "one" hamster.
And because of her age, she thinks it's still ok to keep a hamster in a critter trail like cage because she doesn't want to "give in" and accept that we now know more about hamsters and that they need a good size enclosure to be happy. She doesn't even like the big bin box which is 709 sq inch that I have now. She thinks it's overboard and stupidly big for such a tiny creature.
Anyway, is there any other kind of thing I can get to make a good size enclosure? It's mostly to make me feel satisfied over the wheel being able to fit in nicely and still give my hammy a lot of room for toys and burrowing.
The IKEA detolf shelving is COMPLETELY out of the option, she just is not ok with it: "it's too heavy" "it's too much glass" "it's not needed for a hamster" etc.
I need something that isn't more expensive than the detolf shelving unit (£60), if cheaper that'd be great. I'm not good at the DIY stuff and would need a lot of help and advice on knowing how to make a DIY wooden cage such as good and safe glues, as well as what type of wood to use that's safe for hamsters and more.
Does anyone have any good ideas for how to make a wooden enclosure? Obviously the front can have glass, I wouldn't like mesh since I wouldn't be able to put a deep substrate due to all those holes.
The bin box I have now will probably be used for a dwarf hamster since their wheels are a bit smaller than a Syrian, therefore it would be great to be able to add a new family member to my home.
Many thanks!
Here's the enclosure I like by Victoria:
Here's my hamsters enclosure now (slightly outdated since the wheel is different and the green "box" has been replaced with an actual hamster toilet):
