Fish tank conversion

[Mortiana]

So I've purchased a fish tank to replace my current set up. No matter what I do hammy is just not happy in her cages - so relentless bar chewing ensues! Just wondered if anyone had any advice on setting the fish tank up for her? Ordered some wooden steps and shelves and stuff like that to pad it out with a bit.

Think it's a minimum of 40 inches long so she's got a good metre to make use of

[Cinnamon Bear]

With an aquarium you want to multiply the length and width and see if you get at least 360 sq inches. The height doesn't do anything for the hamster. I have three 20 gal long tanks that meets my dwarf hamster needs, wish they could have bigger cages but they seem to be happy with what they have now. I agree that it's nice to not have to worry about bar chewing and you can see your hamster well through the glass vs plastic bin cage (although I really like my bin cage too).

I don't have levels in my tanks so I can't give you advice there. Hope it all turns out nice!

[CMB]

Nice depth of substrate for digging, even it it is just in part of the tank. Hides, chubes and chew toys are appreciated in cages or tanks.

Have a look in the cages thread as there are some nice tank setups. YouTube and image search on the Internet can give lots of ideas to.

Once setup watch how well your hamster uses what is in the tank and make adjustments to the setup.

[Pebbles82]

Have a look at some of these detolf set ups for ideas! Obviously the detolf is a lot longer, but it still gives ideas for what you can do with a tank. An area of deep substrate is always good - or even all deep substrate It doesn't have to cost more in substrate as the pee doesn't soak right down and you can spot clean mainly.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ha...WAA3sQ_AUIBigB

The first thing I'd get is a good big house, and work around that. Rodipet has some good labyrinth houses and also slightly smaller ones with flat lift-off roofs if you click the haus link to see the others. Or you could make one out of a shoe box - or I have this Ferplast Sin Rabbit house which is one big open space. You can have it partly submerged in substrate to make it lower, and I have a bendy bridge over the door because the door is big and the bridge makes it darker inside.

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/haeuser/rodipet-labyrinth/

Ferplast 84646099 Wooden House for Rabbits SIN 4646 Total Size Approx. 34.5 x 24 x 16.5 cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

A flat roofed house is good for standing a wheel on as well (for a dwarf anyway) and if the roof lifts off you can leave the house in place and spot clean through the top.

I also think cork tunnels are good - they add lots of texture and can act as a tunnel and as something to climb over or used partly as a ramp next to something else. You can use a medium or large bendy stick bridge as a fence to fence off a lower or higher area of substrate. If you need a syrian sized wheel you could have a lower area of substrate at one end for the wheel, fenced off.

As the others say, tubes, tunnels and hides are all good toys. Ours likes his coconut shell hide and this hyacinth tunnel

Rosewood Boredom Breaker Small Animal Activity Hyacinth Tunnel, Small: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

I got this cork tunnel - which isn't as massive as some - but big enough that it gives plenty of roof cover in an open part of the cage, and another 'level' as it's something to climb over

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/zubehoer...a-6-10-cm.html

You could also have a different substrate in the wheel area to the rest of the cage maybe. Or even have that end as a sand area instead of having a sand bath.

[Mortiana]

Those are some good ideas! Ordered a corner cabin and some steps and stuff yesterday to give her a range to climb on, suppose it's just trial and error in moving things around and seeing what works

[CMB]

If you have a secure wire lid you can add hanging toys and other taller toys too.

[velma]

I have a glass tank called a kerry terrarium. It's not as big as loomed of the lovely fish tanks out there and mine isn't deep enough to have the wheel stood on a house but I really like it. The inky downside I can think of easy is no front door for your ham to come to but you can fill it deeply with substrate. As mine isn't quite so deep, I have one end shallower that i have her wheel, bottle and sand jar in. Cleo doesnt really use houses as houses, they're more of a roof for her nest so that end I fill with loads of substrate and she makes a lovely nest/burrow in it. Spending in what bowl I use, I might that on top of a flat top house or, recently, I used a resin bridge designed for a reptile tank and put her bowl on that and it gave her something to go over and under plus it helps keep her nails down.

[sully]

I have used many different types of cages over the years,now I have decided just to use Fish tanks for my rescue hamsters.

[Mortiana]

Well I set it up, she's got a good 4 inches of substrate to play with as it was all I had left! Sprinkled some of her old stuff over the fresh stuff and mixed her old bedding in with some new bedding. She seems to be settling in OK, kept trying to climb the glass walls but she gave up after about ten mins. Got all her normal toys in, not introduced any new ones just yet - they haven't arrived yet and figure getting her used to the tank first would be better before all new steps and bridges and stuff! Only thing I need to do asap is to find some kind of water bottle for her. She's got a bowl at the minute and she's already tipped it up once!

[CMB]

Sticky back Velcro can work with a tank setup or a wood block with holes can hold a bottle.

Someone used a toilet roll with a hole for the bottle spout. A thick cardboard hamster chube may work too and a bendy bridge with a hole for the spout could possibly work to.

Some bottles have a clip with suction cups on to use in a tank.

A bottle guard may be able to be adapted to work in a tank.