Habitrail Ovo

[Cheeky]

I had heard many scathing things said about Habitrail Ovo, and I never would have dreamed of buying one of those setups because of what I heard--but then, I went to pick up my newest hamster from the breeder. The breeder had aquariums with Ovo setups inside them and, to my surprise, the hamsters seemed very happy. I was also intrigued at how easily the pieces came apart and went back together. She was able to simply reach in and twist apart a tube to remove a hiding hamster - and without any loud popping sounds to startle them. Brilliant!! The Ovo wheels were also much larger than I had thought. I was enamored and I immediately went home to online-shop!

I went to Pet Planet and ordered the 'Ovo Suite' and 'Mini Maze'. It came with very detailed instructions and was easy to assemble. It took me a minute to figure out how the twist-and-lock connectors worked, but once I figured it out it was really great. Honestly it was great fun to put together.

IMPORTANT: If you have a dwarf hamster, you will need to set this cage up horizontally, not vertically as shown (because the tubes are too wide for them to climb vertically). There is a dwarf version of it with smaller tubes but I have not tested that one.

Here is my review:

SIZE: In my opinion, the Ovo Suite and Mini Maze put together would be the minimum acceptable size for a dwarf hamster if he also spends time outside the cage each day. More attachments are always better, of course! The pieces are larger than you might think though, and there is quite a bit of space to be had. For a Syrian, I would definitely recommend attaching another Suite or the Ovo Loft living area to give them more space. Also keep an eye on them as they grow - my hamster Pippa is so gigantic now that the tubes of this system (or any system, including Ferplast!) are a tight squeeze. The suitability of this system also depends on your hamster's personality. If they are a homebody and a nester, I think they would love this. If Pippa weren't so chubby I know she would enjoy it.

WHEEL: You be the judge. I have taken some nice comparison photos for you to help with this. On the left is a Junior Wodent Wheel. On the far right is a horrible yellow disgrace which comes prepackaged with a hamster cage.. you know, the ones we all throw into the bin. In the middle is the orange Ovo wheel. I measured it at between 7 1/4" and 7 1/2". I personally think that any hamster which is petite enough to fit through the Ovo tubes in the first place is also petite enough to use the wheel comfortably.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/fizgig58/Habitrail%20Ovo/DSC02773.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/fizgig58/Habitrail%20Ovo/DSC02775.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/fizgig58/Habitrail%20Ovo/DSC02777.jpg

TUBES: I can't say enough good things about these. For once you can actually disassemble a tube *without* struggling and ending up flinging half of it across the room while scaring your hamster. You put the tubes where you want them, then hold the tube you're tightening with one hand while using the other hand to firmly twist the locking ring. They seal tightly and are very stable. If this setup is on the ground and you accidentally shift it with your foot while walking by, the tubes stay put and the entire structure stays stable. Yay!!

CLEANING: I can imagine that it would be annoying having to take all the tubes apart if you have a large setup. But at the same time, it's only once a week and it's such a gorgeous cage. I found the tubes easy enough to assemble right out of the package, so I don't imagine cleaning it will be very different. The large living areas are 100% plastic and can be washed out in the tub. The mini maze's cardboard insert simply pops out. There are also easy to use plastic endcaps for covering unused connective holes. So if you want, you can wash out the main living area first, put the hamster back with a couple of endcaps plugging the holes, and then proceed to disassemble the rest of the cage and replace it all around him.

CONCLUSION: I really love the Ovo system and I think it would be a wonderfully fun addition to put inside a large bin cage or wire cage as well. Right now it is a play area for my smaller Syrian and a place for her to relax and play while I'm cleaning her larger wire cage. It makes a lovely play area and it would be a fun living area for a petite hamster. Like I mentioned before, add as many of the living area pods as you possibly can to give your hamster lots of space. ;) In the summer I think it would be best used inside a wire cage so if you don't have air conditioning, and the hamster gets hot, it can come out to get a breeze.

[fluffymunchkins]

I am surprised at the size of the wheel! Looks like it would be fine for a syrian to me :)
I agree with the ovo bring great for adding on to other cages and you've done good suggestions with the spacing.

I just don't like how they are advertised indevidually to be suitable and many people are fooled by this. Its the same with rotastak and many others.

In my opnion until you have owned on of these you cannot fully judge how good or bad they are. And any oener who truly loves there ham can works any cage somehow to be more suitable.
Sometimes it just takes an optimist :D

[Cheeky]

Fluffy, I totally agree - they should NOT be marketed they way they are. Uninformed people will think one living 'pod' is enough space for a hamster and that's just not true! Thanks for reminding us! :) :)

[Hope]

Wow! Thanks for the great review Fiz. I will now think a bit differently about this cage! I t could be great added on to a bin cage as you suggested! :-)

[Cheeky]

It wouldn't let me edit my original post, but here are some photos of my setup right now. Usually Lila has more tubes but we were in a hurry this week.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/fizgig58/Lila%20Adventure/DSC02957.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/fizgig58/Lila%20Adventure/DSC02958.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/fizgig58/Lila%20Adventure/DSC02951.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/fizgig58/Lila%20Adventure/DSC02960.jpg

[Fidgetthefirst]

I actually, think that set up is great! I would prefer a larger part, that has a bit bigger floor space but other then that, i like it!:D

Your review has made change my mind about these. But i do also agree that they shouldnt be advertised the way they are.

[fluffymunchkins]

This has turned out to be a great review! It's opened many eyes :)

[allie_freedie]

Personally I found this cage really really hard, we had a set up quite similar to yours and cleaning we found very difficult. I think this can be down to the individual hamster as well however! Ours packed all her bedding/sawdust/food into the tubes causing them to open too easily, and she also got it quite stuffy and smelly in there. Again this could just be her! However, we did find the waterbottle awful; it leaked all the time, and was very difficult to stop the hamster from getting wet!

Thank you for a great review though! I think cages are hard to review as its whatever suits your own fussy hamster! =)

[Cheeky]

Allie -- I have found with the gravity bottles that they leak if they aren't kept full all the time. The gravity system works by the weight of the water pressing down, so the less full the bottle is, the more it will leak. Ours still leaks if the cage is jarred (such as someone kicking it) and I reach in with some tissue to soak it up quickly. But overall ours has not leaked if I fill it each day to the brim.

Our ham also packs a lot of things into the tubes but I have never found them to open, with the exception of the little green pods you see in the air. If she packs enough food into them that they get heavy, then they will tilt slightly wherever the food is and become less tightly closed. I had to manage this by cleaning out her food store each day and putting only what she'd eat in one day in her food bowl, so if she carried it to her pod-nest it wouldn't weight it down. I also put a bit of tape on the opening to each pod just in case, because I am paranoid. I clean it all out once per week. She is definitely a hoarder so I would need to do this anyway if she were in a regular cage.

I agree-- It does get stuffy in there now that it's warmer, because we have no air conditioning. I leave a fan blowing on the setup during the day and that seems to help because it forces air through the air venilation holes and generally keeps the entire hamster room cool for the others as well. For the summer I have ordered one of the little habitrail Playground attachments so she will have an airy spot if she gets hot.

It is obviously not as much a breeze to clean as a Duna Multy would be, that's for sure! I fill the tub with hot water and cage cleaner, then just dump all the plastic bits in and let them soak for a half hour or so while she plays in another cage. I think the thing that takes the most time is drying each piece. That is what's annoying for me, not really the assembly. Thankfully the tubes split in half easily so you can wash and dry them.

I think another drawback to this would be that it doesn't fit conveniently on a standard shelf. The best place for it would really be some kind of long piece of furniture, like a TV stand or a long chest of drawers. Our flat is tiny so she has to go on the floor. :)

It is definitely a matter of each person's hamster... they all do such different things and enjoy different setups. For us the Ovo is great because it makes Lila so happy and out of the tube systems I've used, it has the best design in my opinion. But I'm sure some other people have hamsters who really want open space and for them something like a Criceti is much better.

[allie_freedie]

Thats a good point, I actually used to not fill up the water bottle to full thinking that it would leak more, i'd never thought of that! lol! I am actually considering getting it out of the loft, giving it a good clean, and then attaching it to one of my other cages to give them more room, and giving it another go! Do you think it could be attached easy enough? x

[Cheeky]

I think it depends on the type of cage, how you want to do it. Say you have a cage made by Ferplast that has a tube hole but it fits only Ferplast tubes. You can have a Ferplast tube coming out of the cage, then using packaging tape, make a join between a ferplast tube and an Ovo tube which could then be used to attach to the Ovo Loft.

Or say you have a hole cut into the mesh top of a bin cage, you could feed the Ovo tubes through quite a ways into the cage directly through that mesh so there would be no need to tape from the outside. They key with any join like that is just to make sure there is no room for the ham to squeeze through and that the join can't be broken just by the hamster digging at it.

I think adding it to another cage is a great way to use the Ovo stuff - since it's annoying for you to clean it as an entire cage, it would give you some flexibility without all the work. :)

[SnickersTheFirst]

The three largest pods are actually a decent size. I like this cage because you can keep adding more bits to extend the home. :) I dont actually own one as my ham is in a hamster heaven, but i think the ovo is a good size too.

[Cheeky]

I can't edit my original review, so I thought I would add a reply.

I noticed as the weather has gotten warmer that condensation inside the cage is more likely - namely in the small 'Den' pieces (green pods) that Lila chose to sleep in. I have been changing the bedding (just plain toilet tissue) every day, which takes about 5 minutes. People with no air conditioning should be aware of this and always replace damp bedding.

[eye of the divine]

I bought an orange pod today so if you like I can add another post later and let you know what I think when it gets to my house. If its good I plan to add more to it once I can afford it.

Personally I bought it because its one of the bigger dwarf hamster cages you can get in stores these days without making your own.

[Cheeky]

I read a review of someone who had a dwarf in it and they said the dwarf's feet kept falling through the vent in the middle of the wheel. If you see this happening, it seems like it could be easily fixed by just lining the gap with clear tape on both sides so that it forms a seal.

[SammytheSyrian]

That looks like a great cage. When I have enough money to buy Habitrail Ovo, I would save it since I only have 1 hamster at a time. Seems like it fits one Russian, or any other kind of smaller hamster great.

[eye of the divine]

I must admit with the wheel in it the pod isn't that big! Theres enough room for two hamsters to run around in lol thats it. SO I will have to add more to it to make it bigger I think.

[wofunny]

Great reveiw :) I love your setup!! X

[HamstersAreHardcore]

Welldone with revie might add the transport unit and den into the bin cage when i start making it , would it be simple

[abie3]

i love your setup, it looks great !

i was wondering, what things have you used to make it?

[fluffymunchkins]

I'm actually starting to fall in love with this cage! Since i found its compatible with crittertrail i'm even more tempted :D
I'd love to have a crittertrail discovery + habi ovo loft + habi suite and some maze and mini maze compartments + habi playground!
When i make my next bin cage i'll have some attached too :)

How do you find it to clean?

[Snowman]

I have the habitrail loft that came with the e-tower, my two dwarfies are in it and they seem to love it! I took the wheel and the food tray out since their feet does get stuck in the habitrail wheel vents. I find the the wheel & food tray takes up a lot of space as well.

Its really easy to clean, with the tubes slicing apart so you won't need to clean it in a circular way (am I making sense?). The lid comes off the base so those two bits are the main place that needs cleaning really.

I know lots of people complain about habitrail, but me & my hammies got no trouble so far. The last few weeks have been humid and I haven't seen any signs of condensation yet, even in the green den - I place food in it, so they don't sleep there.

[Jewlz]

I love the Habitrail Ovo! I have been using the Ovo for just under 2 years..I brought Buttercup home a week ago and I placed her into the Habitrail Ovo and she really enjoyed it, I also put together a "natural" bin for her to play in and actually wanted her to choose which home she was happier in and although she loves to run around in her bin, she loves it when I put her back into her Habitrail, so the choice was made, the Habitrail is home and the bin is the playground..maybe its all the tubes and hideaways that she has in the Habitrail that makes her happy..

Some things I've learned:

For a dwarf hamster, you have to arrange the tubes differently because they're so small they usually can't climb straight up and if they fall down an upright tube they can injure themself..
Even for a dwarf hamster you need to connect more than 1 unit, I combined the Suite and Studio..for large hamsters you'll need to connect several Habitrail's to provide enough room..
The wheel is so quite, it's great!
It's really easy to clean, the tubes snap apart in no time, I usually only clean parts of the cage that need it, if she goes potty in a tube I just disconnect, wash and re-attach..
There are endless ways to change the design of the Habitrail with additional tubes and attachments so your hamster doesn't get bored..
I have never had a problem with the water bottle leaking and both the dwarfs that have lived in this Habitrail had no issues drinking water..
Ventilation has never been an issue for me either, I keep my home temperature regulated during all seasons..


http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x223/califjewls/Pets/IMG_8048.jpg

Just my thoughts about the Habitrail Ovo..

[Evangeline]

I actually have the Habitrail Dwarf Ovo. I actually really like it, the only problem is the hamsters block up the tubes on both side. In one case they actually killed one litter as it stopped the mum getting to them and feeding them.
So now they only have the main unit with the water part on one side.
If I give them more tubes they just block them up so they dont use them anyway.
My water bottle didn't leak at first as I used to shake it a few times up and down but now it leaks if its not full.
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/6465/1000537k.jpg

[29jonesem]

evangeline , my honest opinion is that your cage is too small, even for a dwarf x unless you let them have a run around in your bath or somthing :)

[fluffymunchkins]

i have to say i agree with the above ^^^
although even with lots of run around time its not big enough, like jewlz said its best to have more than one compartment. Or even a big cage attached!

[Evangeline]

I know its too small, hence the reason why only one hamster lives in it at the moment. I have mums and babies in a mini duna but will be transferred into a 2ft glass tank tomorrow, was meant to do it today, I took them to the petshop to help me sex the babies and they didnt even look just said you cant sex them at that age, its impossible so just picked the tank up and went as the cage they went in was very small but was all I had. I am going to be getting the loft extention soon then I can put the 2 females in there and take the male out.
They are robo hamsters too just not sure if everyone knows what I have. The hamster in that cage comes out daily and goes in his ball and that.

[fluffymunchkins]

ok that sounds a good idea :)
I understand not everyone has cages availible!

[Evangeline]

I do try my best with my little friends lol, and do put them first alot of the time. But I am looking for a car, saving for a mortgage/elec bills/water/gas/tv and everything. I know it wont put a hole in my bank account but it will set me back quite a bit as would also need to buy a table for when I get the loft suit as the cairn terrier would rip the cage apart to get to the hamster.
But trust me lol I really am trying.

[fluffymunchkins]

oh gosh yes, my dog lunged for peggys and dots cage the first day she came home!
I was holding her back for my life :shock:
I know you care for them very much and all the love and attention they get i'm sure they'll forgive you if you need to wait a bit to get the money :)

[Lily]

We have the ovo for the dwarf hamster, and find the size is fine for a dwarf, they have lots of tunnels to explore, and pods etc and this is mentally more stimulating to a hamster than a square cage, although bigger a square metal cage must be boring for a hamster.

The ovo simulates it's natural living spaces, and as long as you have a ball etc and handle the hamster then the space should be fine.

Alot of the negative things written about this ovo are people error, e.g the hamster escapes this is beacuse the pod lids and connectors are not being locked properly, if you make sure the lids are clicked down and connectors are locked then it shouldn't escape.

Our baby hamster had difficultly at first climbing the tubes but if you aline the plastic rungs to where the walk and slope them they soon learn.

She uses one pod for sleeping, one for toliet and we have an extra one for a dust tray and also a mini maze.

Personally I love this design, water bottle needs to be filled right up to allow the suction method so it doesn't leak that is how it works

[Oxymoron]

I'm planning on buying the Habitrail Ovo cages, and I have a question: Can you combine the setup for dwarf hamsters with the regular ones? I can't find an answer to this on Habitrail Ovo's website or anywhere else.

[princess-rhi89]

I dont think hamsters find the square cages boring, as long as you have plenty of toys for them, Maisie loves exploring in her cage. I personally dont like the ovo however as with every cage its is personal preference, the 2 main reasons are that there is not a great deal of floor space for running around and I prefer my hamsters to have a lot more ventalation in their cage.
Im sure they are ok for dwarfs, preferable robo's due to their size. :)

[Lily]

Yes I think you can combine the dwarf ovo set up with the normal one I think the connections are all the same:D

Personally I found the wheel is too big in the dwarf ovo cage so we took it out and the steps and food bowl and replaced it with a silent spinner for dwarf hamsters a food bowl so she has more space in the main pod:D

The beauty of the ovo is you can add more things to expand the space, I suppose in the wild hamsters live in confined spaces with tube type runways. As long as your hamster has time out the cage, runs in a hamster pen etc I think the ovo is fine.

I have also seen some great metal cage set ups which look good too:D

[Snowman]

I agree with you Lily, thats exactly what I've done with the wheel & steps! I found that after taking them out the space became a LOT bigger!

And yes you definitely can combine dwarf habitat with normal ones, the tube connections are the same size, its just that the tube 'squishes inwards' so dwarfs can climb in it. I'm planning to get the dwarf to extend from my loft :)

[eye of the divine]

If I'm honest I bought one of these cages and to be honest I'm gonna throw it away. When you first get it its great but after a while you start to see where the faults are for example the hood door doesn't fit properly I spet three hours trying to get it on properly and failed. After about a three to four weeks shirley hated the cage I ended up moving her back into her old cage.

This is just my experiance of the brand with a dwarf hamster but to be honest I think these cages if they were built to a higher quality would be much more effective.

[HamstersAreHardcore]

Fan of habitrail i also totally agree theyy shouldnt be marketed n the way they are

[fuzzycritters88]

how can you add a bigger cage on to a habitrail ovo?

[fluffymunchkins]

Hi fuzzycritters88,
the easiest way to extend the habitrail ovo is by making a bin cage :)
Theres lots of threads on making bin cages if you need help on that x

[STLHamsters]

I know this is kind of an old thread, but I wanted to say that I didn't like this product at all... it was WAY to small for even my smallest Syrian, and I didn't like the condensation on the inside if it got too warm. I would just rather use bin cages :)

[thelittleteacup]

i have two pods and a loft for my dwarf and he loves it! although it all needs to be put flat :) xx

[Jasmine]

Yes I must admit I thought they were fine for dwarfs although I wouldn't keep a Syrian in one. I've got two Habitrail lofts and all the extensions just sitting in the shed.:mad:

[maxmillan]

Lucky Louie lives in the Habittrail Ovo Suite, which is bigger than the smaller version (meant for the dwarfs.) He seems to like it moreso than the cage style. I had initially put him in the cage style and I didn't like it when he started gnawing on the wire. I was told that this meant they are bored. In fact, I tried two different cage style and both times he gnawed.

I've attached two more pods on this Suite but he always spends time in one. I've placed chewing things in the other pods and he goes there when he has the munchies.

The pamphlets shows three suites joined together with tubes and other pods. I would like to get him this allowing him more space to run. I am also in the process of making him an agility playground in a large plastic bin.

Initially, Lucky Louie had been separated from his siblings and stayed alone in an Ovo Suite so I think that's why he prefers this now.

[Gizmodo ^_^]

I think these cages are pretty awful tbh
i wouldnt even put a dwarf in one

[Teal]

I used to use one of these. Until Teal escaped from it because the locks on the tubes are rubbish and they just fell to the floor

Teal/Phil.

[S& J]

I used to use one of these. Until Teal escaped from it because the locks on the tubes are rubbish and they just fell to the floor

Teal/Phil.

Put together right these are great cages. We have multiple sets connected together. They are also conected to a large bin cage so our hamster has much space and places to hide and play about. The tubes although a little tricky to attach sometimes with one person , lock together very securley. I would not recomend using the ovo units as their only means of living space but once incorperated into another cage they provide a very nice looking cage. Now these setups can run you some money but I feel a couple hundred dollars is not too much to spend on a good working/looking cage.

[atrixa]

My friend had one of these for his hamster Frenchie who was a syrian. She managed to escape from it multiple times so he replaced it with a ferplast. The wheel on the ovo is pretty noisy too. I can't recommend a wodent wheel enough!

[newham]

I would not use a pod cage system for love nor money, being claustrophobic they make me feel sick to just look at them and imagine being trapped inside but then I am daft.

[newham]

I would not use a pod cage system for love nor money, being claustrophobic they make me feel sick to just look at them and imagine being trapped inside but then I am daft.


That was then .....
Button my Syrian has become a bar chewer, a hamster owning friend *Stacey what up!* gave me her old Ovo I was reluctant but tried it....well I have never seen Buttons so active, in and out running round, I am hooked getting a loft and maze to expand it but I love it and Buttons is pretty small so not worried about her getting stuck and I am not using all the tubes.

[WrexTheDragon]

I have a OVO suite and it is attached to a maze. Hamster loves it, but does not like climbing up the tubes so I have these going horizontal and it moves happily between the different chambers. He prefers to nest in the maze, but it only takes two weeks for it to eat the cardboard maze.
Never had a problem attaching the tubes with the connectors.

[newham]

I have a OVO suite and it is attached to a maze. Hamster loves it, but does not like climbing up the tubes so I have these going horizontal and it moves happily between the different chambers. He prefers to nest in the maze, but it only takes two weeks for it to eat the cardboard maze.
Never had a problem attaching the tubes with the connectors.


they are awesome have you seen the Ovo loft? Its huge and awesome I am adding it to my suite

[maxmillan]

People should not slam the Ovo as I think different hamsters prefer different habitats.

Lucky Louie was traumatized by his mother, almost chewing him alive, and he feels safer in the Ovo than in a cage. In a cage he would gnaw on the bars and I didn't want his teeth to be malformed. Plus this is a sign of distress.

I've tried three different types of habitats and he now sleeps in the Ovo and plays in what is initially a bird/hamster 3-storey cage. I take him out of the cage for his bedtime and he never gnaws on the bars anymore. His Ovo has all the possible attachments in which he can and does choose to sleep in 4 different compartments. He loves the pipes, sometimes just hanging out in it or dozing off in it.

He is one happy hammy now, hardly the twitching nervous little guy he first was.

[Elliriyanna]

Love It :D For cage aggresive dwarfs it makes life SO much easier

[newham]

yay Ovo lovers unite!!!
Got the loft and suite.

[Eleanor]

My Bubble is in a habitrail cage. She loves it as she's quite acrobatic and even goes up the vertical tubes :)

[MeandMyHammies]

I love the Ovo line, as does my Syrian Linny. When I had my Russian dwarfs in the cage, I could tell they didn't care for it because it didn't have bars to climb on. However, Linny doesn't like to climb and even seems to not be so skittish in these cages. (Most of the time, anyway!)

[KatiePillow]

I think the main reason people don't agree with the habitrail ovo is because it's very expensive for not very much room, and most people wouldn't be inclined to add extra compartments (that and it's not big enough for an 8" wheel,)

[Mikayla]

I think the main reason people don't agree with the habitrail ovo is because it's very expensive for not very much room, and most people wouldn't be inclined to add extra compartments (that and it's not big enough for an 8" wheel,)

I agree with this. It's bad for UNEDUCATED owners. but If you can pay a ton for it, and have enough room, all the power to ya.

[WrexTheDragon]

Just bought another Maze in Home Bargains for £4.99 for the complete unit and cardboard. The local pet shop charge that for the cardboard maze alone.
Now will make cleaning a doddle.

[newham]

Well for Buttons the Ovo has made her brighter, she's more active she doesnt chew it and I got in a good size Karlie wheel, also anyone with a Ovo if you can get a loft do it cause its HUGE!
This is my set up now I tried to minimise tunnels and maximise pods.
http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy77/gpiggies/pets/P14-11-11_1837.jpg

[maxmillan]

to laurarodentfink, I had no idea that the loft could be connected in this way. I didn't even know that you could connect that large side room on the left. Thanks for the picture. I'll be off to the pet store to enlarge Louie's living quarters.

[newham]

to laurarodentfink, I had no idea that the loft could be connected in this way. I didn't even know that you could connect that large side room on the left. Thanks for the picture. I'll be off to the pet store to enlarge Louie's living quarters.

your welcome and here is another pic showing the size difference of a loft to a zoozone one not much at all...
Also check ebay there has been a fair few second hand ones on there as of late.

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy77/gpiggies/pets/P15-11-11_2014.jpg

[linford27]

i dont think its good enough for a syrian alone, charlies is connected with a duna fun and its great.

i'd house a dwarf in it as long as there was plenty flat space

[Emma&Bee]

I dont dislike these cages. Years ago I had something similar for my robo with all the add ons. But I hate to think how much money they make on these cages. I think with the money you would spend on the extras you could get something that is better value for money. If I came across someone selling one second hand I would buy one. But would not buy one brand new.

[CoolcatNatNat44]

I wouldnt use habitrail either, if i happened to have one i would use it as a travel cage and i would only use the loft part

[newham]

I think different cages suit different hamsters and different people.

[galaxymouse]

I had my mice in this and at first I thought it was great. However the air circulation isn't great and in the den and the carry case there was a continual problem with condensation.

[WrexTheDragon]

Never had a problem with my OVO with air circulation and never had any condensation inside the tubes. Both the Den's and carry case have good ventilation holes.
My hamster sleeps in the carry case all the time now and plays in the den with the wheel.

[maxmillan]

Never had a problem with condensation either. Maybe mousy is a heavier breather. I only had condensation when Louie slept in a smaller compartment which I've attached. This one has much smaller breathing holes and this only happens when he really stuffs it with bedding.

[p_anda]

I thought the lack of corners was distressing to hamsters? As these have none

[Ritsa]

I've never heard anything about corners and hamsters. Seeing as in the wild they wouldn't be able to make corners?

Either way I am grateful for the cage review here. Seeing as most other options are either much smaller or a huge chunk of money that I need to save up for. when it comes to the cost of shipping.
I was planning on getting the Ovo Suite and attach the loft to it as well as multi tubes and addons to go with them.

[The Hamster's family]

I thought the lack of corners was distressing to hamsters? As these have none

Mignon has one and before I connected it to a Hamster Heaven, he wasn't too well in it : locking himself in tubes, running t get out of the round cage as fast as possible. SInce then, he still has one, but connected to a HH and he's much more calm and affectionnate !

[Colleen]

I just thought I'd share my ovo habitat, I love this product and so does Ralph

http://i54.tinypic.com/6qy8mf.jpg

[hamsftw]

These all look so cool!

[Colleen]

Mine has a wheel that attaches outside also. It was in the dish rack drying

[maxmillan]

Just make sure to put something in it for them to file their nails. Lucky Louie's nails were getting so long because there is nothing in the Ovo for him to scratch on. I put in a couple of flat rocks. I offer Loo Loo a choice of a cage, plastic box or Ovo and he much prefers his Ovo. He fills his ball room with so much stuffing I can't see him. He's snug as a bug.

[maxmillan]

I just thought I'd share my ovo habitat, I love this product and so does Ralph

http://i54.tinypic.com/6qy8mf.jpg

I love the way you set this up. I'm giving Loo Loo a redecoration. But no wheel?

[Colleen]

The wheel was in the dish tray at the time of the pic. It hooks on outside :)

I will find some rocks for him in the spring :)

[HollyHamster]

Here is my Ovo setup. Its for my robo, Kousagi. Even though I've added on additional module sets, she ironically looks large in it. Or it seems small with her in it. Either way, I wouldn't dream of keeping anything larger than a robo in it with any fewer modules than what I've used.

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s83/oceanblue28/100_0623.jpg

[DrKMcK]

You know, they look cute and so did all the habitrail things when they came out. I have a tremendous Christmas tree box that is filled with all kinds of tubes and hidey houses and puzzels, etc. What I finally discovered was that they are a pain to take apart, clean and put back together. Nowadays I've been happier with Tanks connected by tubes. I have been considering getting some new rescue hammies in a few weeks and I may get 4 of those huge Sterilite storage bins and making 4 homes for 4 new furries. I just use all the old tubes and things just as playgrounds for the hammies during out of cage time.

[strawberrysmom]

I have to admit that I think those Ovos are really cute. My friend has one which is hooked up to a ton of other modular cages. She uses a pink one as a travel cage when she brings her hamster over and I really love how well made it seems. I want to get the pink edition one to hook up to the tank topper I'm going to be making DIY for my gerbils. Connect it to the topper as a 3rd level ...like a look out tower. LOL. I can't imagine it being the actual cage for my hamsters or gerbils though. It's nice as an attachment to something much bigger.

[kjwc92]

I hate the ovo. We had one for our syrian Tigatig and he spent all his time in the tubes that he was so antisocial! We swapped him to a ferplast barred cage and he's now tame.
The only good thing about them is the wheels, they're such a good size for a syrian, much better than most, and quiet too!