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Pebbles82 · 08-17-2022, 07:34 AM

You could get something cheap from Ikea - any kind of cabinet or table or even a kallax unit. But I think the main thing is the weight of the aquarium isn't it? If the Barney is easier to get, it could make a good cage for a dwarf hamster but you need to reduce the height. The easiest way (and it's not diy exactly but does involve some hassle) is to put about 8" of cardboard round the inside bars (fix it on with cable ties) and have very deep bedding up to about 10" - which effectively reduces the height of the cage by about 4". The downside to that is, if you take the cage top off, the bedding all falls out.

Having had the Barney I can say it is incredibly difficult and cumbersome to take the cage bar top off anyway - as it's so deep as well as wide and so I never used to do that but used the top door for spot clean etc - and only took the top off if I was doing a big cage clean (which was very rarely).

Doesn't look great the cardboard but it's ok. Unless you have a hamster that chews all the cardboard away as my syrian did! But I've never had that happened before and I think a dwarf hamster is unlikely to do that. That alternative is perspex which then gets expensive and does involve diy.

It would have advantages over the tank in that it still has top opening but also has a couple of small front doors.

08-17-2022, 07:34 AM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: Duna maxi multy You could get something cheap from Ikea - any kind of cabinet or table or even a kallax unit. But I think the main thing is the weight of the aquarium isn't it? If the Barney is easier to get, it could make a good cage for a dwarf hamster but you need to reduce the height. The easiest way (and it's not diy exactly but does involve some hassle) is to put about 8" of cardboard round the inside bars (fix it on with cable ties) and have very deep bedding up to about 10" - which effectively reduces the height of the cage by about 4". The downside to that is, if you take the cage top off, the bedding all falls out. Having had the Barney I can say it is incredibly difficult and cumbersome to take the cage bar top off anyway - as it's so deep as well as wide and so I never used to do that but used the top door for spot clean etc - and only took the top off if I was doing a big cage clean (which was very rarely). Doesn't look great the cardboard but it's ok. Unless you have a hamster that chews all the cardboard away as my syrian did! But I've never had that happened before and I think a dwarf hamster is unlikely to do that. That alternative is perspex which then gets expensive and does involve diy. It would have advantages over the tank in that it still has top opening but also has a couple of small front doors.