I decided to get the largest of these tanks for my Roborovkis, (I wouldn't recommend the smallest one for any animal to live in permanently) it has 3 shelves. I found that in the cage I had them in I couldn't watch them unless I looked down on the cage (it was a gabber cage but not a rex) I was originally worried about the height of the tank as I know that Robos have a tendancy to bounce off things without judging the fall, I was also worried that they would struggle to climb up & down the levels, but I have not had any of these problems.
It is perfect for dwarf hamsters but although my robos have no problem whatsoever with climbing I have been told that some robos do. This is easily remedied by some creative use of cage accessories.
In this picture you can see that I have used a wooden barrel, stick bridges, a tree branch & drift wood, which my boys climb up very well.
There is plenty of space for creative cage layouts & I love rearranging it. It also has the added bonus of being large enough to accomodate several different sleeping areas, bowls, water bottles & even wheels for territorial dwarf hammies. The smallest Silent Spinner (& possibly the next one up) will fit on the shelf to the right of the cage.
The packaging of the cage boasts that this tank is recommended by the national hamster council - although in my opinion it would not be suitable for a syrian hamster, due to the lack of free climbing space. However if you had an extreme bar chewer the largest of these tanks would be great.
The lid of the cage is venitalated & slides in & has a catch at the back to prevent little Houdini's
As my roborovskis claws were getting over grown I lined the top 2 shelves with bird sand paper & now their claws stay nice & trimmed
This avoids unsightly bricks taking up space.
The space in between the bottom of the cage & the 1st shelf is ideal, it is not so large that it is wasteful but it is large enough to bury rotastak tubing, placed stick bridges, a nice sized wheel, drift wood, a sand bath etc
There are no holes for a water bottle so the only option is a 'sippy' water bottle which attaches to the side (I think it's made by Ferplast) or a free standing one.
The only down side to this cage would be that it could be difficult to clean due to it's size & weight. For me it is not difficult as I give it a spot clean every few days & the base substrate rarely needs changing. When I do a full clean I put it in the bath & shower it - or a hose down in the garden would be ideal.
There is no way of extending the cage (unless you were really good at DIY) & it would not be easy to hang things up due to there being no bars - I suppose if you really wanted to you could use suction hooks or thread fine string through the mesh top.
I would NOT recommend this cage to young children (or clumsy people
) due to the fact that it is heavy & because it is glass. Please also be aware that as it is glass you will need to place it OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT (or it will get too hot inside) & on a stable, strong surface.
The tank cost £50 from Pets At Home & came with a ladder, A kidney shaped ceramic bowl & a large 'chube' (the pink & turquoise one). It does seem like a lot of money but it is not if you consider that there are no bars to go rusty & looked after properly you could have it a very long time. I have also seen the same tank in a large pet shop for £70 so I believe P@H is the cheapest place to get it. I did order the smaller one for my friend over the internet which was about £7 cheaper but it arrived broken & then we had such confusion over getting another one that in the end I opted for a refund & went & bought her one instead (which I should've done in the 1st place!) There are other varieties of the perfecto tank that I cannot find pictures of online but I asked at an independent pet shop & they were happy to order one in for me if I wanted it. I have also seen this tank & some other varities of it at 'The Range' superstore (but I can't remember the price
)
So to some up....
Pros:
No mess!
Ample space for dwarf hammies
Larger size Suitable for bar chewing syrians
Provides excellent viewing of hammies
Looks neat & 'grown up' in my flat & has even become a bit of a feature!
Has shelves, unlike normal tanks
Long lasting if looked after
Not just for hammies (for gerbils, mice & even small repltiles too)
Losts of space for creative layouts
Good for litters/babies (you could take away the ladder to the top 2 shelves)
Fits into any colour scheme
Cons:
Could be hard to clean out
Heavy to move (need to make sure you put it on a strong cupboard/table)
No way of extending it (unless you know a glass cutter
)
Hard to hang things
You may have to adapt ladders for robos
Access is from the top only
Not good for travelling/holidaying (I have kept my gabber cage for this)
My overall opinion is that I absolutely love this cage & I'm very, very glad I got it!
How you liked my review
Perfecto Hamster Tank
Hybrid Mode
