Soon to be hamster mommy!

LilDumpling · 04-13-2016, 02:00 AM

Hello everyone!

I am student who lives alone, so I decided to get a friend hamster! I grew up surrounded with animals: we had a few cats, dogs, a rabbit. When I was little, my brother had a few hamsters, but I don't remember much about them since it was quite long ago. But I educated myself by watching tons of videos and reading various articles. My friend suggested me to join some kind of forum for hamsters since they can help a lot. So I did!

I am picking up my hamster on Friday. Actually I am thinking about getting two of them, because I've been told that dwarf hamsters are happier when they have company.
Also, I have a question, so I will go ahead and ask here. Are rabbit cages okay for hamsters? It is quite big, but I am worried that spaces between cage bars are bigger than in the hamster cages. Would that even be a problem?
Anyway, I am very excited! I am not sure what I will name my hamster/s but it will be two girls. If you have any suggestions feel free to share! :P I will make sure to share the pictures once I get them. :3

pinkneon · 04-13-2016, 05:28 AM

Hi and welcome to HC and the world of hamsters! I think for rabbit cages you'd need to mesh them to make sure the hamster couldn't escape? Also, most dwarf hamsters can live in pairs BUT there is always a possibility that they will ight and need to be separated. I also believe you need 2 of everything if you keep a pair, though may be wrong

AmityvilleHams · 04-13-2016, 05:35 AM

2 of everything is correct.Dwarf hams can live in pairs,but one is perfectly fine and much less of a risk overall and they will not be any worse off by being alone!As for cages,rabbit cages tend to have fairly shallow trays and the bar spacing is quite large so I would say no.Of course then there is the problem that there is no cage on the market that truly suits every single need of a hamster

You need to guage what your hammy needs and work with what you can find

cypher · 04-13-2016, 05:40 AM

Hi & welcome to HC

As the others have said rabbit cages would need to be meshed, hamsters can squeeze through surprisingly small spaces so do be careful!
Dwarf hamster should have spacing of no more than 1cm max, preferably less.

Sadly it is a bit of a myth that hamsters, even dwarf hams, are happier in pairs or groups, more often than not they do fall out & need to be separated so you would have to have a second cage ready just in case.
If you're completely new to hamsters I'd really recommend just starting with one, they do live very happily alone & a single ham will probably enjoy interacting with you more than a pair would.

LilDumpling · 04-13-2016, 06:24 AM

Thanks everyone for tips! I might start off by having one then and see how it goes. I already have like a small starter kit waiting for her. ^.^

**Cinnamon Bear** · 04-13-2016, 06:26 AM

As the above posts said most pairs have a fall-out & need seperating anyways. You would have to always keep an eye on them for fighting/ drawing of blood or one aggressively chasing the other around the cage.

Then if you need to seperate you would need to have a spare cage set-up ready at all times as fall-out can happen even in the middle of the night. As a first time hammie owner it might be better to adopt just one hamster. Consider vet bills too or even death if they do fight & you don't catch it in time? They can fight months down the road after happily living together for a long time.

AmityvilleHams · 04-13-2016, 06:27 AM

Pet store cages in general are not thought to be large enough for permanent housing for any species. If that's what you're talking about I'd recommend at the very least a bin cage or Detolf but bigger is usually better

In fact,there is quite a bit of research out there on that topic and it is definitely something to look into especially German hamster care!

LilDumpling · 04-13-2016, 06:54 AM

Oh really? The cage that I got is actually quite small, but mostly I bought it so I could transport her easily. The cashier at the pet store said that that cage is okay to have for a short period of time, so I will keep her in there until I get a bigger one. I was thinking about doing the bin cage but certainly did not think it's better option than pet store cages! Thanks.
Also, about the fighting.. The ones that I could get are sisters and already live together I think. Could they start fighting when they grow older?

CMB · 04-13-2016, 07:00 AM

There are some nice big cages on the zooplus website at reasonably costs. Bin cages can make setting up a nice layout hard. You also have to do everything from the top which can scare hamsters and make taming them more difficult.

7mm bar spacing is ok for dwarf species or you could get a tank style cage. Have a look at the cages thread and see if you find a particular one you like.

Pebbles82 · 04-13-2016, 07:02 AM

Hello and welcome. I think one ham to start with might be good as well

As Cypher said, cages with smaller bar spacing are best, or tanks or tank style cages are good as well. It would be possible to mesh the rabbit cage, if you don't mind doing that kind of job - I would hate to mesh a cage!

Are you in the Uk? Location makes a difference as to what kind of cageing is available affordably. In the US people often have glass tanks or make bin cages or diy cages because there are very few suitable sized cages available.

In the Uk glass tanks are very expensive and not easy to find second hand, but we have a good choice of cages, perspex tank style cages, and some people also make bin cages. The detolf mentioned earlier is great. If you have the space. It's 166cm long (it's a glass cabinet from Ikea turned on it's side with the door left off, to make a tank). There is a bit of diy involved in making a lid from wood and mesh.

As it is Friday the day after tomorrow, you'll need to sort a cage before then

Zooplus have a good range of hamster cages at reasonable prices (although there are some that are expensive, usually the glass or tank style ones). But they do take up to a week to deliver.

Amazon sells a few and they have next day delivery, but tend to be expensive compared to zooplus.

A bin cage might take a few days to get ready and even meshing the rabbit cage could take some time. You'd need something minimum 70cm by 40cm minimum really as well - the bigger the better. A baby hamster might even try to get through 1cm bar spacing so I reckon 7mm or 8mm would be good maybe (although dwarf hamster owners feel free to chip in there!)

I had the Savic Mickey 2XL as our first cage and it's a great cage - sturdy and with a big front opening door. Only meets the minimum size though and is not cheap on amazon, but it does have 7mm bar spacing and a fairly deep base.

The maxi duna multy is good too (perspex tank style) it has narrow bar spacing on top, but isn't cheap either.

Savic Mickey 2xl Navy Blue Mice And Dwarf Hamster Cage 80 X 50 X 38 Cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

Ferplast Maxi Duna Multy Guinea Pig and Rabbit Cage, 99 x 51.5 x 36 cm, Grey: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

There is a standard Duna Multy that's not a bad price with Porton Aquatics - it's a bit on the small side at 71cm x 40cm but plenty of people have one for a single dwarf hamster. It's the most reasonably priced I can think of at short notice - costs £33.69 and postage is £2.95 on top. They tend to do 24 hour delivery or whether they charge extra for next day or not I don't know.

Cage Duna Multy