downsizing my hamster cage?

[Deanna]

currently my boy is in a large living world eco habitat but due to my relationship breaking down he will have to downsize to an alaska cage, now i posted to a facebooks group and someone said this would be cruel but its my only option or i would have to rehome him as im moving into just a room and the cage wont fit, is it cruel and should i look into rehoming him?
i cant leave him with my ex as he wouldnt get the proper care

[Ria P]

My hamster lives in an Alaska and he seems to like his cage very much. It is a good cage and i don't think it would be cruel to downsize him out of neccessaty. It's a reality of life that things don't always work out according to plan and cut backs have to be made.

You care about him and you will look after him properly and that is more important than a very large habitat.

[LunaTheHamster1]

I don't think it is cruel. Many people have hamsters in Alaska cages, it is above the minimum recommended size. I used to have my Luna in an Alaska Cage and I only went up to the Savic Plaza because I wanted more room for a sand pit and a few other things. From the sounds of it this is far better than leaving him in a bigger cage with someone who will not give him the care that you will.

In an ideal world we would all love massive cages for out hamsters but it isn't always an ideal world/ I personally would recommend getting a cage 100 x 50cm but if cost and room is an issue there is nothing wrong with an Alaska. Hamster rescues would let you adopt with a cage that size. Also if you rehomed him, how would you know what sized cage he would end up in. My advice (for what it is worth) is buy the Alaska and enjoy your hammie. Go delete your post/comment on facebook and don't listen to them.

[AprilPearl]

It wouldn’t be cruel to move him into an Alaska - that’s a great cage. No need to rehome him. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.

Just looked up the dimensions of the relevant cages and although the Alaska would be a downsize it’s not a huge huge downsize. Perhaps if he had been in a 300 X 100 cage or something you might have cause to worry about downsizing him to an Alaska but as it is I think it shouldn’t be a problem.

Large Living world eco habitat: 118.5 x 78.5 x 61 cm
Alaska: 84 x 48.5 x 44 cm

[PurpleKat]

I don't think it's cruel. My hamster lived in an alaska for over a year happily.
It sounds like you really care and love that hamster.
You'll giving him the care that you can at the moment.
I'm sure you'll give him all the extra enrichment he needs.

[flowerfairy]

Good luck with the move and with the downsizing.

As others have said the alaska is a great cage and a perfectly acceptable size.

I love the deep base and large opening door.

I chucked out the plastic shelf and weird house thing!

[Deanna]

thank you all, you have really put my mind at ease he doesnt really use the full cage so dont think he will mind the downsize its just someone said it earlier and thought i would ask, thank you for your responses

[Pebbles82]

All cages have their pros and cons and the Alaska is a good size and has a lot of scope for added enrichment. With it being a barred cage and a good height you could do something like a roof run. I have that in my cage - a rat sputnik in one corner with a large rat tube tied to the roof leading from it and diagonally across to a shelf in the other corner. You can still use the top door but not as easily. Plus an additional shelf possibly. So as well as the floor space your hamster can get from one side of the cage to the other via the shelf/tube sputnik - like a circular route :-)

I think it will be absolutely fine also. You can also give more out of cage time in a playpen area. You might even find your hamster prefers it. I prefer barred cages because you can attach things to the bars and the Alaska has that nice big front door which makes it easier to interact with the hamster, and for them to come to the door to come out.

Some people have very large cages with not enough enrichment in, so focus on having the most enrichment you can in the Alaska, that is the key, plus out of cage time.

[Lokitheham]

The BARE MINIMUM size for a hamster cage is 450 sq inches in my opinion.
I don't think it is cruel to downsize, just make sure that the cage is still 450 sq inches or more.