Omg I got the call he's almost ready

[Pebbles82]

Back left corner where the sand dish is - I'd put a lot more substrate there and raise the dish. Although I'm guessing it's lower to avoid the sand being kicked out? The cage is quite tall so it's quite a long drop from the top (if they happen to climb to the top at night or monkey bar) down to the bottom so the deeper the substrate is, the more cushioning there is for them to land on and it's not so far to fall.

If you're worried about sand getting kicked out of the cage, maybe that dish could go on top of the digging box and have much deeper substrate in that back corner (and another hidey place there eg).

Sorry - not pulling your set up to bits! Just looking at safety aspects really.

[Pebbles82]

No sand dish wouldn't fit on top of the digging box - it has a hole on top.

What you could do is - have the food bowl on top of the digging box and the sand bath on top of the house in the corner - and put cardboard inside the bars in that corner to stop the sand being kicked out (and to make it more sheltered in that corner).

[Pebbles82]

Access again - you might need something like a bendy bridge ramp or similar at the side of the corner house as well - so the hamster can get onto the house roof easily and get at the cork log to use it. He might be able to pull himself up on top of the house, but it's nice for them to have the option! Of an easy run up there or a pull up exercise if he's in the mood.

So basically a couple more bendy bridge ramps could be useful (or a rainbow bridge and a bendy bridge - rainbow bridges are always popular!). And perhaps another hidey place at floor area. In that corner where the sand dish is at the moment maybe with much deeper substrate it could be pushed down into. Coconut huts are popular or just home made ones made from a square tissue box or something.

Amazon.co.uk

I have this coconut hut - the hole is definitely big enough for syrians on this one (you have to watch that).

Happy Pet Nature First Coconut Hut for Hamsters & Mice | Barks & Bu... - Barks & Bunnies

Bendy bridges can be a pain as some do have gaps that feet can get caught in so best you can see before you buy. One good place to put a bendy bridge for a ramp up to a house roof is - over the entrance door. This makes a tunnel entrance and makes the house dark inside and hamsters like that - plus it makes a good ramp onto the house roof.

[Pebbles82]

I have an egg box hammock in my plaza Your little one might enjoy making that. It doesn't get used much but it is some overhead cover so they can feel more secure and it's also something to break a fall if they do climb to the top and fall. I just used sisal rope to tie that up but it's quite short so less likely to cause an issue with getting caught in the rope etc.

I'm very conscious about height in that cage. If they fall onto soft substrate it's fine, but if they fall onto something hard at floor level they can get injured. So I tend to have another shelf or something hanging things over hard things to avoid that happening.

You can see the egg box hammock on this photo. Raffy's set up is a bit messy though!

Attachment 53702

[Pebbles82]

Also - is he going to have a wheel? Couldn't see a wheel but maybe it's out of sight. And agree about the pencil!

[crystalsangel]

Thanks all for the great advice so iv ordered a 28cm trixie wheel for now and also the acrylic sides so I can put deeper bedding and so I don't have to worry about bar chewing or climbing plus be able to see him better ��
The wheel will go on the left side of the cage as there's not enough gap on the other side
It will most likely be completely changed again before Thursday haha
Iv swapped my other cage around 4or5 times trying to get it right and it was so much easier because it has strait sides ��

[crystalsangel]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Access again - you might need something like a bendy bridge ramp or similar at the side of the corner house as well - so the hamster can get onto the house roof easily and get at the cork log to use it. He might be able to pull himself up on top of the house, but it's nice for them to have the option! Of an easy run up there or a pull up exercise if he's in the mood.

So basically a couple more bendy bridge ramps could be useful (or a rainbow bridge and a bendy bridge - rainbow bridges are always popular!). And perhaps another hidey place at floor area. In that corner where the sand dish is at the moment maybe with much deeper substrate it could be pushed down into. Coconut huts are popular or just home made ones made from a square tissue box or something.

Amazon.co.uk

I have this coconut hut - the hole is definitely big enough for syrians on this one (you have to watch that).

Happy Pet Nature First Coconut Hut for Hamsters & Mice | Barks & Bu... - Barks & Bunnies

Bendy bridges can be a pain as some do have gaps that feet can get caught in so best you can see before you buy. One good place to put a bendy bridge for a ramp up to a house roof is - over the entrance door. This makes a tunnel entrance and makes the house dark inside and hamsters like that - plus it makes a good ramp onto the house roof.

I will definitely be getting more bendy bridges but the ones in the p&h near me have all had big gaps and the 6 iv got are being used in the other cages 🤦

[crystalsangel]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

No sand dish wouldn't fit on top of the digging box - it has a hole on top.

What you could do is - have the food bowl on top of the digging box and the sand bath on top of the house in the corner - and put cardboard inside the bars in that corner to stop the sand being kicked out (and to make it more sheltered in that corner).

It's for water and I was worried it would slide off the other box 🤔

[Ria P]

You can get these multicoloured bendy bridges. They don't have gaps like the stick ones.

[Ria P]

This type. You can get them in different sizes.