Tubes

[Ellie85]

Can Robos go through tubes ok?

Bit of back story: My Robo Sam started off in an all plastic cage with a barred door on the top so never had any tubes. My Syrian Digger was in the new Rotostax. I ended up having to swap them over cause Digger kept chewing the bars. So now Sam is in the Rotastax, but I'm worried that he can't climb the tubes as I've never seen him in the next level

Also(even though I know this would be better in the behaviour area) Digger has all of a sudden taken to chewing on his water bottle even though he's never done it before. I worried he's going to hurt himself as its a metal spout. He's got plenty to chew on though

[Jeir]

Rotastak tubes are best for small-medium Syrians, really. Dwarfs, especially tiny Robos, will struggle to get up them, if they find it at all possible.

If a Rotastak cage is your only option for him (e.g. you can't make a bincage, or can't get a Zoozone or similar cage), then it's probably best you lay out all the Rotastak levels out so it's all one level. It does mean it'll take up more floorspace, but it will help him get around and give him as much space as possible.

As for Digger, it could be the lack of bars to chew on has made him go after the next 'best' thing, as the spouts are metal as well. Normally the cause of bar chewing is due to boredom (cage is too small? Not enough variety with toys?) or they want to come out to play for a while (a little bit lonely?) and are trying to get your attention.

[Pebbles82]

Syrians need good sized cages and plenty of floor space. I'm not too keen on the Rotostaks having had one and upgrading to a larger cage - the ventilation isn't very good apart from anything else. You'd need all the units on one level for the dwarf to use the tubes, but Dwarf hamsters also need a lot of floor space, like Syrians, so I think you'd do well to invest in a new cage (or two?).

These would be good cages for a syrian or a dwarf hamster:

Cage Maxi Duna Multy

Cage Maxi Duna Multy

This one would be the absolute minimum size suitable for a Syrian or Dwarf hamster

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Riviera-Vara...0+x+40+x+40+cm

This one is a budget option for a syrian - meets minimum recommended size. It wouldn't be good for a dwarf hamster as the bar spacing isn't narrow enough.

Alaska Hamster Cage | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!

And this one would be about the best you can get for either a Syrian or Dwarf Hamster - loads of room and two levels. You could still use some of your Rotostak tubes inside the cage as toys for the Dwarf Hamster. Our Syrian got stuck in Rotostak tubes, but the curved ones are a bit better than the straight up and down internal ones.

Great deals on small pet cages at zooplus: Alexander Small Pet Cage

If your other cage (non Rotostak) meets the minimum recommended requirements of 70 x 40 cm floor space (I think it's actually 80 x 50 now) then I would keep that one for your Dwarf Hamster and get a new cage for the Syrian. You could sell the Rotostak units on ebay maybe (apparently they're ok for mice), or keep it as a temporary cage or digging bin for when you are cage cleaning.

I can't see a Dwarf Hamster being happy in a rotostak - they are very active creatures and need lots of space. And I definitely wouldn't put a Syrian hamster in a Rotostak.

We made an expensive mistake getting one but it's the fault of manufacturers marketing these things as suitable for hamsters. They'd be a great idea if they were 3 times bigger and had better ventilation.

Have you got a pic of the non rotostak cage and we might be able to advise.