Has anyone looked at NHC cage information recently?

[slatted]

I just found myself on the NHC site where it gives details of the different types of cage and must say I was surprised by some of the ones shown as having "adequate" floor space, as well as the comments about dwarfs sharing and modular cages like Rotastak.

Given what an emotive subject cage size seems to be I am conscious that anyone who is a Prefix holding member of NHC may need to bear in mind what they say on their site if discussing cage matters with prospective owners of their hamsters (i.e. can hamsteries go against what NHC site implies?)

Does anyone have any insight into this?

[racinghamster]

I think your right to point this out slatted because most of us know that `modular` set up`s mirror a burrow setting, rather than a cage/range and is a no-go for pairs of hamsters. That`s what I mean about some websites either giving information that may be outdated, or has not been updated to reflect the views of habitats in the 21st century. Who knows....

[Amys_Mum]

I was looking at it yesterday, when there was a thread about the hamster care book and how people can seek out more thorough and up to date information on the internet, including the NHC. So I went off to have a look, and found their minimum cage size is a recommended 1000cm2. Well, that's smaller than the Ferplast Laura I first got for Harvey, which I realised was too small within a month of buying it.

Sounds at odds with this statement at the bottom of their website - "The NHC promotes a high standard of hamster care and welfare. The NHC expects ALL its members to keep their hamsters in suitable housing, with some type of enrichment."

I almost wondered if they meant to use the German standard of 1m2 and incorrectly converted it to cms, but they say a height of 19cm is ok - that certainly won't fit a 12" wheel, and even an 8" would struggle to fit on top of any substrate.

[Bertiebobbins]

I saw that a while ago - a shame they aren't promoting the bigger cage sizes. But then again the way the minimum size quoted is different for different countries, when people say 360sq inches is fine because the person is in the USA but a UK hamster needs bigger - they're the same animal aren't they, so it doesn't matter what country they're in, their needs are the same! So the same kind of confusing information is all over the Internet isn't it.

[Pebbles82]

I found some of the information on that site confusing too when I was first researching - some of the suggestions are good and helpful and the pros and cons given of various cages and wheels are helpful. But I went with the RSPCA recommendation for cage size. I think it could do with updating a bit.