Help me figure this out! :)

[Shymarienez]

Hi all! I took in a male dwarf hamster from a friend a month ago. He came with a CritterTrail cage, and I feel as though it is too small. I'm considering making a bin cage, but have a few questions.

Is it acceptable to poke a lot of holes (not low enough for him to chew) within the lid and bin itself versus installing mesh? How often *do you replace the bedding? How about installing a water bottle? Do they make water bottles with suction cups? It seems like a simple project but all the little details are a bit confusing. Thanks in advance!

[wiggle'smommy]

Poking holes wouldn't be sufficient I don't think because it doesn't allow for proper air flow, while meshing creates a large open space. Bedding would be your normal cleaning routine though people with larger cages (I know with the 100x50 zoozone I have) it seems such a waste to replace bedding every week, especially if your hamster uses its sand bath as a potty instead of a pee corner. In this case you could spot clean the pee corner and the house and do a full substrate change every 2 weeks. For water bottle there are a lot of solutions. You could cut/drill 3 holes in the side, 1 for the spout and 2 for the wire holding it to go through. Alternatively, Nagrom had an idea of taking a bottle and weighing it down with sand/rocks and poking a hole in the side for the spout to go through, then putting the bottle in there. Here (http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/housing/18129-tips-hints.html) are details.

[Nagrom]

I thought I heard someone say my name :-) Sorry to disagree with you Wiggles,I believe that drilling holes in the lid would be enough,Reason bieng I have tried this before and it seemed to work well,as for the water bottle,Wiggles is spot on.

[SnickersTheFirst]

I think mesh is alot better for airflow than holes are, plus the holes could be used for the hamster to chew; resulting in escapes etc.

[$hAzZa]

I suggest you read this, at the bottom of the page it tells you how to install a water bottle
How to make a custom bin cage! - Hamster Central WIKI (http://www.hamstercentral.com/wiki/How_to_make_a_custom_bin_cage%21)

It's not too hard to install mesh, and it's necessary for proper air circulation.

And you change the bedding weekly, and be sure to pick out uneaten veggies and fruit :)