Suitable cages that can be found in Canada

[taquitos_]

I'm a total fail with DIY stuff (I tried to make a bin cage for my hedgie and it turned out horribly so I made a C&C which is much easier, with the help of my boyfriend >_<) so I wanted to purchase a large enough cage for my future syrian...

In North America it's very difficult to find big enough cages (I actually didn't even know hamsters needed that much space! But thank you HC for educating me :D) so I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions for cages available here?

I was browsing through the petsmart website, and I think maybe even rat cages could work for hammies.

What exactly should I be looking for when I'm looking into cages?

Thank you!

[KatiePillow]

A syrians cage should be wider than it is high, have no huge drops in it (For example if you find a rat cage with a large base, but which is also high, you'd need to break up the height with shelves, hammocks etc)
The bar spacing should be about 0.4inch maximum (I think, I just converted 1cm and rounded up.. 1.2cm should be ok too, though I'd wait for somebody to comment on it)
Deepish base for bedding, and I think that's about it >.<
I'd say 70x40cm was minimum for a syrian too, although bigger is obviously better :) ((and you obviously get some hamsters who aren't great with lots of space etc, but in general this would work))

[mangoandmimi]

i think its difficult to find decent cages in most places around america :P but i think a bin cage or 20 - 30 gallon fish tank would work well :) its far cheaper and easier to find a cage that is pricey and not even half decent :/
my personal minimum for syrians is 80x50cm although i like a meter ;D
Dwarfs 70x40cm.
with bins all you have to do is find a big enough one which wont cost a lot, then get some mesh and either use nuts and bolts, or just use duct tape to hold it ontop of the lid ^_^ x

[kobrinfamily]

I got the OVO cage from petsmart (Im in Canada) and its huge!! I have the Loft one for the base check out E-bay too see what it looks like, I find it really nice and really easy too clean as well as you can put your hammys in another area of the system as you clean too keep them safe.....But deffently check out the OVO systems there by Habitral....Spelling might be off :)

[cheekycheeks]

Yea I was just gonna also say, I live in canada and got my syrian a rat cage, it actually says it is meant for two rats (although its totally too small for two rats). I got it from petsmart. it is called a rat pet home, form the company all living thing (i think it is a no name brand specifically for petsmart). It was about $40, and way bigger then any of the other cages there, including the habatrail ovo. So if your main concern is space I'd get this. It comes with a shelf but i also added more shelves so he can not really fall off. Though you can change the height of the shelf so it won't be that high of the ground. Below is what it looks like. Good luck no matter what you decide.
P.s- this water bottle and the food bowl it comes with are really large for a hamster (as it is meant for rats) so the cage is bigger then it looks. The basin is also about 6 inches deep, so there is a ton of depth to burrow, if you'd think he'd like that

[mangoandmimi]

Eermm... i dont agree with the habitrail ovo part but hhahemm...

[Pomegranate]

Bin cages or tanks (20 gallon+) seem to be the best options for you guys across the pond. :)

Eermm... i dont agree with the habitrail ovo part but hhahemm...

Agreed, steer clear. Very expensive to get a large enough setup, and by the time you've got one large enough, it's generally going to be difficult and fiddly to clean. That's without the worries about ventilation. :( Really, it's designed for people to enjoying looking at - not for hamsters to enjoy living in.

[taquitos_]

I got the OVO cage from petsmart (Im in Canada) and its huge!! I have the Loft one for the base check out E-bay too see what it looks like, I find it really nice and really easy too clean as well as you can put your hammys in another area of the system as you clean too keep them safe.....But deffently check out the OVO systems there by Habitral....Spelling might be off :)

I don't like how the Habitrail OVOs look... they don't look like they have a lot of ventilation, and I want a cage that is highly customizable (I'd like to fill it with toys and what not).

Yea I was just gonna also say, I live in canada and got my syrian a rat cage, it actually says it is meant for two rats (although its totally too small for two rats). I got it from petsmart. it is called a rat pet home, form the company all living thing (i think it is a no name brand specifically for petsmart). It was about $40, and way bigger then any of the other cages there, including the habatrail ovo. So if your main concern is space I'd get this. It comes with a shelf but i also added more shelves so he can not really fall off. Though you can change the height of the shelf so it won't be that high of the ground. Below is what it looks like. Good luck no matter what you decide.
P.s- this water bottle and the food bowl it comes with are really large for a hamster (as it is meant for rats) so the cage is bigger then it looks. The basin is also about 6 inches deep, so there is a ton of depth to burrow, if you'd think he'd like that

I was actually wondering about that cage! How big is it exactly?

[CoolcatNatNat44]

agreed i dont like habitrail ovo's either, no ventilation, expensive and not that big ohhh and the water bottle is rubbish x

[cheekycheeks]

I was actually wondering about that cage! How big is it exactly?
I beleive it is about 60 x 40 cm. I mean it could be bigger, but around here it is it is about twice the size of the cages they try to sell for hamsters. On the box it ACTUALLY said it was for chinchillas, a pair of rats, or a sugar glider, which is rediculous lol. It it so hard to find a locally based cage, and if your not buying overseas and don't want a tank or bin cage, it really is the best option. My cage actually though has double the floorspace as it has two shelving units, a rat sputnick and a hammock. Its funny because here everyone comments how massive my cage is, when I odn't think it even fits the requirments most people set for their cages here. To me if you go any bigger in cages size also the bar spacing is to big, as this only has a 1cm gap.

[Gizmodo ^_^]

I think a bin cage would be your best bet :D

[cheekycheeks]

I think a bin cage would be your best bet :D

Yea, Im getting the inclination that taquitos doesn't want a bin cage, as people have already mentioned it and taquitos has spoken no interest in it yet. That is why I am telling him about my cage, not because it is the best, but maybe the best for his circumstances.

[taquitos_]

I want to stay away from bin cages just because I have attempted making them (for my hedgehog) in the past and it turned out horribly >_<

[HamstersAreHardcore]

i dont like habitrails , too small :L . And 60x40 looks to small to ! :L

[cheekycheeks]

i dont like habitrails , too small :L . And 60x40 looks to small to ! :L

I htought it was being talked about that telling other members their cages were to small ect shouldn't really be happening anymore. In canada the cages are almost twice as small as the 60x 40 one, a lot of the time. So it is quite possible that if I did not mention this size of cage taquitos would be stuck getting a one story 40 x 30 cage as which many of the "well liked" hamster cages here seem to be. I think calling another persons cage "too small" when the person has done the very best considering where they live is quite insulting. I also have tried the bin cage, and as I am not very hands on or creative I ended up with a mess, that was unsafe for my hamster. I have also stated that it is not really 60 x 40 anymore as he has twice the floor space from having two shelves, a rat sputnik and hammock taking up most of the second level. This cage is larger then 99% of other hamsters living in cages around here, trust me. Once again I am telling him this not because it is the best, but maybe the best for his circumstances.
I am planning on getting a zoozone 2 very soon once i have the money and can find one that ships to canada and has reasonable shipping, but until then I think this does very nicely, and it is because of the nice information I have read on my own on this very helpful forum that I even have this cage now, not from people telling me my current cage is to small.

[kobrinfamily]

I dont have the OVO small cage but the VERY large loft one....But as usuall Im wrong sometimes I even wonder why I go into fourms, I never would put my hamsters in any sourt of harm in anyway.

[kobrinfamily]

If you look at this page its my hole set up and takes a hole coffee table up so not small by any means and every area has holes they can breath threw Jarred And His Hamsters | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kobrinfamily/5641807842/in/photostream) I would never hurt a animal by any means.

[KatiePillow]

i dont like habitrails , too small :L . And 60x40 looks to small to ! :L

In addition to what cheeks said, it's about the same size as a cambridge, which you until recently had?

[Breezy]

I live in North America as well, and it's so difficult to find a large cage, let alone make one myself. @_@
It's even harder to find a large cage suitable for Robo's because of the bar spacing.

[taquitos_]

I htought it was being talked about that telling other members their cages were to small ect shouldn't really be happening anymore. In canada the cages are almost twice as small as the 60x 40 one, a lot of the time. So it is quite possible that if I did not mention this size of cage taquitos would be stuck getting a one story 40 x 30 cage as which many of the "well liked" hamster cages here seem to be. I think calling another persons cage "too small" when the person has done the very best considering where they live is quite insulting. I also have tried the bin cage, and as I am not very hands on or creative I ended up with a mess, that was unsafe for my hamster. I have also stated that it is not really 60 x 40 anymore as he has twice the floor space from having two shelves, a rat sputnik and hammock taking up most of the second level. This cage is larger then 99% of other hamsters living in cages around here, trust me. Once again I am telling him this not because it is the best, but maybe the best for his circumstances.
I am planning on getting a zoozone 2 very soon once i have the money and can find one that ships to canada and has reasonable shipping, but until then I think this does very nicely, and it is because of the nice information I have read on my own on this very helpful forum that I even have this cage now, not from people telling me my current cage is to small.

I *think* I might be able to get my hands on zoozones here (are they Hagen brand)? But they will probably cost me like $80?? @_@ I should probably have a gander at the pet store by my house... but yeah. Very well put, thank you! ^_^

I dont have the OVO small cage but the VERY large loft one....But as usuall Im wrong sometimes I even wonder why I go into fourms, I never would put my hamsters in any sourt of harm in anyway.

I don't like OVOs, mainly because I think they are pricey for no reason and I am not a fan of acrylic cages. It comes from my large prejudice against tanks from having my hedgehog (they need lots of ventilation)... and since hammies are even smaller, and more delicate animals, I guess I just feel more inclined to get them wire cages for ventilation. It may not be true, but it's just a personal preference. I wouldn't feel comfortable keeping a small animal in a tank, or a confined space with limited ventilation.

I live in North America as well, and it's so difficult to find a large cage, let alone make one myself. @_@
It's even harder to find a large cage suitable for Robo's because of the bar spacing.

I can imagine! They are such tiny things :mad: I really enjoyed your thread on the tub review, btw. Almost converted me to getting a tub... but then I remembered that since I want a syrian, I'd have to cut ventilation on top >_<

[juliedn]

Taquitos I believe I was the one that did the review on the Plastic Bin xD

[taquitos_]

Taquitos I believe I was the one that did the review on the Plastic Bin xD

Oh, my mistake!

At any rate, it was a great review!

[juliedn]

It's alright. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you reconsider though. I really really like it. :)

[Hope]

A reminder to keep this nice and civil please, as most of you have. Please think about what you are saying before you click the post button. We are all aware how hard it is to find decent cages especially over the pond and at the end of the day members are here to find out more and try and improve their hamsters homes if they can. Dont say silly things like 'thats too small' its really not helpful at all.

Taquitos, seems like you have had several good suggestions already and understand why you dont want to use a tank. The hagen living world zoozone cages are fantastic if you can get hold of one. The zoozone 2 is a really lovely size for an active syrian, but the zoozone 1 is also suitable too. I have a zoozone 2 myself I really love it. There is a tiny bit of DIY involved inthese cage though, as the lid bar spacing is so wide it needs to be covered using some wire mesh (or I used pannels from a small animal play pen) and cable/ zip ties.

The Ware natural cage is one the some US members have, that is a nice size too not sure if its availible where you are though - heres a link Ware Natural Wood Cage for Hamsters - Habitats & Cages - Small Pet - PetSmart (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4470991)

[cheekycheeks]

I *think* I might be able to get my hands on zoozones here (are they Hagen brand)? But they will probably cost me like $80?? @_@ I should probably have a gander at the pet store by my house... but yeah. Very well put, thank you! ^_^

I have not been able to find anything resembling a duna cage or zoozone in Canada, I beleive about 10 years ago hagen made cages like those as I used to have one, but have since stopped production, I don't know though just haven't been able to find them anywhere, and have literally been everywhere, but there are a few pet shops in bigger cities I want to check out maybe they have more of a selection. If you find one though please let me know where! :)

A reminder to keep this nice and civil please, as most of you have. Please think about what you are saying before you click the post button. We are all aware how hard it is to find decent cages especially over the pond and at the end of the day members are here to find out more and try and improve their hamsters homes if they can. Dont say silly things like 'thats too small' its really not helpful at all.

Taquitos, seems like you have had several good suggestions already and understand why you dont want to use a tank. The hagen living world zoozone cages are fantastic if you can get hold of one. The zoozone 2 is a really lovely size for an active syrian, but the zoozone 1 is also suitable too. I have a zoozone 2 myself I really love it. There is a tiny bit of DIY involved inthese cage though, as the lid bar spacing is so wide it needs to be covered using some wire mesh (or I used pannels from a small animal play pen) and cable/ zip ties.

The Ware natural cage is one the some US members have, that is a nice size too not sure if its availible where you are though - heres a link Ware Natural Wood Cage for Hamsters - Habitats & Cages - Small Pet - PetSmart (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4470991)

Hope, I just read what you put about the hagen cage, ,I will definitely be looking around for one myself! And thanks for the reminder, at least on my end much appreciated! :)

[fsrv]

There's zoozone1 in the pet store I normally go to, I haven't seen zz2 anywhere and I think I've checked all pet stores in qc-city. I agree, zz1 is pricey, about $90. I was initially thinking of getting one but then I thought I will make a bincage at some point. Right now I am in the ovo, but I have a loft+ a pad and a lot of extra compartments to make it more interesting for them; but I am worried that when it gets hot they will not have enough ventilation. Having said that, it doesn't seem it will ever get hot this year. It's almost may and it's still -1C. And yes, the ovo is expensive for no reason, designed having the kids in mind rather than the hamster and if you have a complex set-up like mine, it takes an hour each week to clean. But they are the second best commercially available cages (after the zz1) in my town.