This is a review for a cage freely available in the United States that I've owned for 2 months now and find very good. There seems to be a dearth of good quality cages here, compared to Europe, so I thought I'd recommend this WARE cage for those who can't get Savics or Ferplasts or other great cages easily. (It might be available in Europe too, in some stores, I'm not certain). It's pretty cheap here, around $35 for a real gem!
Manufacturer's image of the cage:
General description:
This cage itself has the following dimensions: 24.5"L x 14"W x 14.5"H (~62.5cm x 35.5cm x 37cm) (measuring from the outside points of the teal tray).
Combined with the optional wooden base tray holder, the dimensions are:
~27"L x 17"H x 17.5"W (~68.5cm x 43cm x 44.5cm)
The tray is just under 5" deep.
There are two doors, one on the top and one on the front side. The doors are very large and allow easy access to your hamster(s) and furnishing pieces.
You do not need to use the wooden base -- it is just for decorative purposes and has no bottom (4 trapezoidal sides).
Cage colors: Teal green plastic, light wood details, metallic brown wire (which is great, because dark wire color makes it easier to see through it).
Experience with the cage:
This cage holds my two dwarf WW hybrids, 2 6.5" wheels, the wooden house that came with the cage, and some toys quite well, although depending on how big your toys are, it could get crowded. If you use smaller size toys, like toilet paper rolls, it's very roomy.
I removed the ramp to the second floor shelf, because I read that pairs need a single level. I kept the shelf in for some added shade.
The wooden base decoration is made from plywood, I think, and is not really that strong, so I'm generally careful with it. The rest of the cage is very well made. Being a wire cage, it has great ventilation, and my hamsters love the wooden house that came with it.
Here are a few pictures of my current set-up:
(The see-saw and playground wooden toys are by Hagen Living World Tiny Treasures. The two wheels are by SAM and are 5.5", as my dwarfies were falling out of the 6.5" Silent Spinners. I'll put the Spinners back in when the hams grow up).
The small wooden "shelf" is pretty useless on its own, as it wobbles up and down when a weight is added on top of it. However, if attached with more vertical bars around or with another supporting piece underneath, it could be of some use.
The house doubles up as a food dish holder to save space. I have a paper roll near it to help my hams climb up.
A Note about attaching Wheels to the cage:
If your wheels end up hitting the tray, here is what I did with both, the Silent Spinners and the current wheels:
I inserted an eraser behind one wheel to dampen vibrations, and a lego piece behind another. This pushes the wire cage away from the plastic tray side, thus moving the wheel away from the tray that it rubs against otherwise.
I'd say it's a fairly good minimal size for one syrian or a couple of dwarves. I am OCD about toys and such and might be getting a Zoo Zone1, but the price, quality, and ventilation (and accessibility in the U.S.) of this cage are hard to beat!
P.S.: the bedding on my pictures is pretty shallow, as I'm out of it, and expecting a delivery for more any day now
Normally I'd fill it up much higher.
Let me know if you have any questions!
WARE Natural Wood Cage for Hamsters
Linear Mode
