What's in your cage? Recommendations?

[Cashew1992]

I'm buying all my Syrian bits and boys on Friday and I'm looking for inspiration

I'm hoping to get a Saucer wheel, a few huts/hides, bridge or two, tunnels and rattan balls etc

But what would you recommend?

I have a L77cmxW77cmxH30cm diy hack cage with mesh top for those that did not see my last post

[Scarlett Empress]

Mine has one of those expanding crinkly tubes - not in her cage, not enough room, but you will have loads of room in yours! - anyway it seems to be a favourite thing.

She also loves hanging chew toys - like those wood/loofah bunches of grapes or cherries - but she does destroy them in no time...

[barley]

My Syrian really likes the Trixie wooden platforms - his cage is 100 x 50cm and he has two of the Trixie platforms which are 30 x 20cm I believe, so it gives him virtually half as much space again. I have bridges between the two and he loves going between them etc.

He also has a kritter keeper plastic tank half filled with chinchilla sand which he likes too.

I find the cage photo threads really good for inspiration

[Shannonmcn]

Mesh top would be good for hanging some hammocks off! I have one of the big expandable tunnels too and it's definitely Cc's favourite thing. I have a bit of driftwood and a cardboard tube that she climbs over and under quite a bit too.

Sandbaths are good too, I have sand in a big mug and in a baking dish if she wants to use a small one or a big one.

[Cashew1992]

Brilliant! Thanks for he suggestions, I'm so excited like a kid in a sweet shop lol.

I was thinking about making a corner of chin sand for me/Mrs ham but only if I can find a mini poop scoop or sieve otherwise I'll use a tupper ware lunchbox half filled to make it easier to change

I'll definitely be looking for the expandable and crinkle tunnels I'd never have thought of hammocks!

Thanks all

[peasypea]

Both of my hams have loved this hanging bridge. Nelly loves her sand bath too

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Act...bridge+hamster

[peasypea]

Oh and this thread here is great, I made one of these when Nelly had a tank and she slept underneath it, and it was a great platform for the wheel to go on so it didn't fall over in the substrate.

Project IKEA - Platform/Level

[Scarlett Empress]

Originally Posted by Cashew1992

I was thinking about making a corner of chin sand for me/Mrs ham but only if I can find a mini poop scoop or sieve otherwise I'll use a tupper ware lunchbox half filled to make it easier to change

I got a mini poop scoop with the hamster potty I bought - but the potty was too small so it ended up being an expensive poop scoop! But I tend to use a Hamster Pee Removal Spoon (otherwise known as a teaspoon kept soley for the purpose)

I use a Carte D'or ice cream tub for Smokey's sand - it's good to have several handy, but does mean you have to eat a lot of ice cream.

Enjoy your hamster shopping!

[Robodwarfs18]

I get inspiration off of YouTube! I look up "hamster cage themes" and there are always a good range of toys in people's cages and most of the time they tell about how they like them and where they got them etc. Also there are a lot of great threads on here like barley said, that have loads of photos of people's cages and they are really good too. My Syrian personally liked plastic hideaways and I'd recommend them as they are easier to clean than wooden ones but all hamsters like different things

[Pebbles82]

I wasted a lot of money on toys that either weren't safe, fell apart or were too small for a Syrian. Rat sized things are good for a Syrian. Charlie likes his rat sized sputnik. I have a 10cm boredom breaker tube (strong cardboard) tied to the roof with sisal string which leads between his sputnik and his flat house roof which acts as a shelf. He's not interested in toys generally unless they are food related lol. He likes his kabob which you can attach food to. I wasn't keen on the hanging ladder due to the chains and metal rings - Charlie nearly got his foot caught jumping off it - so you need to watch out for toys that could cause feet or toenails to get trapped. I did get him a fuzzbutts hammock once but had to take it out again because he started chewing it. If they don't chew it hammocks are ok but if they start chewing it, it can cause blockages. You can get a grass hammock from zooplus which is ok though.

Have attached a pic of Charlie's cage to show the sputnik and tube and added links

Rat sized sputnik
Nobby Sputnik, Extra-Large, 29 x 26 x 19 cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

He has the smaller sputnik too but only just fits in it! He prefers the bigger one and sits in that for ages sometimes.

Rat sized medium boredom breaker tube

Rosewood (Small Animal Toys) Boredom Breaker Hamster Chew Tube

Grass hammock (I don't have this but would like one!)
Natural Grass Hammock for Pets at zooplus

Bendy stick bridges are popular too. Setting the cage up is the thing that takes some thinking, making sure there is no height to fall from and any falls have a soft landing on lots of deep substrate. One of the best toys is deep substrate so they can dig.

I have Charlie's tube going over the top of his bendy stick bridge as the bridge would be hard to fall on if he climbed up to the roof and fell on it, and his sand bath is underneath the sputnik for the same reason.

These are good too - a hidey place and something to stand on/chew on (I put mine in the freezer for 48 hours first due to the hay on it as I worry about hay having mites!). The entrance is on the small side for a syrian but it's ok if it's on top of substrate as they can dig down under the entrance a bit to get in.

Carrot topped hay house
Rosewood Naturals Carrot Cottage Hamster House, Small: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

I have a sandblasted vine branch (similar to Shannon's driftwood) on the other side of his sputnik which makes the front corner darker and with a hidey place underneath and gives him something to climb onto from the sputnik instead of jumping out.

These chews are popular too - Charlie spent hours chewing the bark off this and trying to get the carrot out of the middle

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Bor...ds=carrot+roll

You can add things later - start with a few things, see what kind of things he seems to like. Also by the time you have a wheel in, space can be limited! Most hamsters like tubes and things to dig in. They like somewhere to build a nice big nest too, so leave space for a good sized house. Labyrinth houses are really popular with hamsters. I haven't got space for one, but have a big guinea pig house with a bendy stick bridge over the front and that makes a shelf as well.

Have a look at the 'Lets see your cages' thread for ideas too.

Here's Charlie demonstrating some toys! (For in and out of the cage)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAZYfMZEzeY

Move mouse over photos and they get bigger