Habitrail Ovo

Cheeky · 04-01-2010, 03:28 AM

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.

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 · 04-01-2010, 03:35 AM

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

Cheeky · 04-01-2010, 03:40 AM

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** · 04-01-2010, 04:05 AM

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 · 04-10-2010, 03:04 PM

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.

Fidgetthefirst · 04-11-2010, 01:52 AM

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!

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

fluffymunchkins · 04-11-2010, 02:50 PM

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

allie_freedie · 04-11-2010, 02:57 PM

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 · 04-13-2010, 04:02 AM

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 · 04-13-2010, 04:08 AM

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