Advice?

[Erin Loves Dwarf Hamsters]

I used to have the Habitrail OVO when I first joined this forum but soon changed when I realised the problems of keeping pairs in it along with everything else.
The Ovo doesnt create much more space than a duna, its expensive to buy enough add-ons to make it a good size, you would have to lay it flat for a dwarf to use it as they dont climb so it would take up a lot of room for not much, its poorly ventelated so come summer time you may find your hammy getting too hot and worst of all hamsters seem to love nesting in the tubes so the whole system stinks off wee >.< Its down to you really but after experience with them I would say its a lot of trouble and expense and just not worth it.

[Stranger]

Thanks once again guys - Its just because I thought that it would be bigger, plus I could attach on to it once my hammie was tame. Other sites have given them good reviews, plus they do look quite nice!

My main concern was the wheel being too big for a dwarf - is this the case?

[kyrilliondaemon]

Only just noticed this thread again, and Stranger this is the "yellow cube" ours all love
Small Animal Hide and Seek Cube by Pets At Home | Pets at Home

Oh and our robos are in mini dunas, and if any of our russians ever need to be separated from the others they'll probably find themselves in our spare cage which is about the same size as a mini duna too (we just switched Skip to the duna because we hated the shelf).
Easily cleaned, just not as spacious as they could be.

Be warned that things like the ovo are way harder to clean than normal cages. Our syrian has a mix of rotastak and a bin cage and her rotastak is good, but is harder and more time consuming to clean than the robo duna cages.
I wouldn't say to not get it, just be aware of the downsides before buying.

[Stranger]

Thanks once again kyrilliondaemon, so much help everyone's been giving me! I'll definitely consider all the pros and cons and discuss them with my mum, and we can jointly see which is better - thanks once again!

[Erin Loves Dwarf Hamsters]

My main concern was the wheel being too big for a dwarf - is this the case

No such thing Some RCs get big enough to need an 8" wheel but this isnt hugely common 6" wheel is the minimum you need

[emilyweb]

I've given Tessa a 8 inch wheel her old one wasn't to small but I was getting Mia (come Home sweetie <3) a new wheel so I thought I'd treat Tess <3

[TheFeldhamster]

Stranger, considering how expensive these cages are and how small they are for that price - why don't you consider making a bin cage? It's much cheaper and will give your dwarf a lot more room that he'd really appreciate. They are not hard to make either.

Think about it, the mini duna is only slightly larger than a Makrolon T4 lab cage (which is 57cm x 37cm x 20cm = 2109cm²). Shouldn't a beloved pet live in something that's significantly larger than a lab cage? Now I know some people really don't have the space but you said you had the space only your mum was not so thrilled. Maybe if you told her about the lab cage sizes she'd allow you a bigger cage? Because I think it's great that you do your research before getting a hamster - many people just don't care. And I think it's a pity that some people made the mini duna look overly good. Take Katie's experience that her hamster developed a very bad stereotypy and that many people end up having to upgrade later anyway serious. It's usually cheaper to get a big cage in the first place than buying a small one and then upgrading later so you really could be wasting your money.

I don't know if you have an IKEA near you but if you could get the biggest 130liter "Samla" bin + lid + lid clips for only 15.80 pounds. Then you cut a big hole into the lid and glue on some wire mesh / hardware cloth with eg. hot glue. That'd be a much better cage for way less money. Or you can get a similar bin from other stores.

I've put up an album with my temporary(*) Samla setups HERE how about showing those to your mum?

(*) I only used the Samlas as temp cages because where I live the minimum requirements are slightly bigger than even a Samla so I can't use them for permanent housing.

[Elliriyanna]

Cage: mini duna hamster cage by ferplast - Will fit nicely in the space I have, wheel will be replaced by flying saucer wheel


Seems very small Can you try for at least 360 sq inches? Even a bin cage would be a good option

Bedding: now this is where I've been struggling, I had a syrian hamster 6 years ago and I had the wood shavings from pets at home, however I'm not sure if they're safe? I was thinking about Carefresh but it is very expensive considering how long it lasts for

Do not use any soft wood shavings.Megazorb paper cat litter carefresh all good options I personally use aspen and have never had a problem.

Food: Supa Hamster Dwarf Hamster Harvest 700g by Burgess - pets at home, good reviews, contains mealworms, not really a problem

I would try to find Harry/Hazel Hamster its actually a decent food highly recommended.

Treats: Occasional lettuce/carrot, drops from pets at home - not really a problem

RC really shouldnt have anything with a lot of sugar I would just do dark greens and of course protein

Toys: This is where I'm open to offers, I was going to get a log with holes in (pets at home) but then I'm stuck

Tubes , Puzzle Playgrounds, Critter baths, Critter castles

Thats all I can think of at the moment - any help is greatly appreciated!

[Stranger]

Thanks once again guys - I'm going to talk to my mum and show her all of this - I didn't realise that you couldn't have a wheel too big, very good information - Thanks again!