Cage advice

**ImoT** · 05-29-2016, 12:55 PM

Hiya. So I have had Shirley for just over a month now. She is a Syrian hamster I got from the RSPCA. She is fantastic in every way except...bar chewing!! It has drastically decreased which is great, but she is still doing it and it's driving us a little bit mad and i'm worried she is going to hurt herself. She is in an Alaska, her wheel is fine, water bottle is fine, she has a large house and a fantastic nest and hoard she has built up. She has levels, a rat sized sputnik, lots of cardboard and willow/rush ball type things to chew and a hay tunnel...you get the idea!!

I am thinking of re-housing her. I have contemplated a ferplast duna maxi and a zoozone but they both have bars on the top so I can see she might still find a way to chew. Also they don't have front access and I really like having front access. When she comes out she crawls out the front door onto my hand and it's just really lovely. It's useful for checking her litter tray and cleaning the wheel without moving it and things. Can anyone recommend a tank style cage with front access?! And preferably no bars? (And preferably not too extortionately priced!!) I'm struggling so far to find anything that matches my list of requirements! So if anyone has any ideas that would be lovely. I'm in the UK if that helps.

PinkStarburst · 05-29-2016, 01:31 PM

When our Everest goes on a mission to bite bars we change the cage around and keep it exciting. This can sometimes happen pretty regular but she seems at her happiest exploring the new adventure

Pebbles82 · 05-29-2016, 01:36 PM

Ooh that's a tall order! I was looking for something like that for a while and only came up with a couple of options, other than diy. One was a custom built tank. Custom Aquaria make them - but it was going to cost almost £200. In some ways it would be worth it as it would go on for a very long time, but I just couldn't pay that.

The other was the Exo Terra Terrarium - but that wouldn't really be suitable for a chewer as it has plastic round the vents and doors and would get wrecked and not be escape proof - plus the mesh was very fine on the lid and could be chewed through.

I think it just ends up having to be a compromise. With a tank style you can't have the front access unless you do a diy cage, or possibly get a Vivarium (which is kind of diy as it needs mesh panels cutting and putting in for ventilation).

You could try a bigger cage with small bar spacing, like the Borneo L - it's very high so could do with a full level - but it has a big front opening door.

But that's a bit risky in case she still bar chews.

Best option is probably a 4 ft fish tank if you can find one second hand - some people have picked them up quite cheap.

Or possibly a Vivarium. On the recent post about diy cages I came across the Ikea Malm idea again. That could be quite easy diy. The Chest of drawers is about 100 x 80 x 45. I guess you'd use the frame without the drawers, tip it on it's back and then make a hinged lid from wood and mesh. The back might need strengthening, but it would probably be ok.

I know it looks like a chest of drawers lol - but if you tip it on it's back and leave the drawers out you'd have a 100cm by 80cm and a height of 48cm. There's a smaller one that is about 78cm by 80cm

MALM Chest of 4 drawers - oak veneer - IKEA

She wouldn't be able to chew melamine and if she had a go at the corners these could be strenghened with metal corner pieces.

The Kerry Terrarium isn't much smaller than the cage she's in now - it is a bit lower though so she might miss the space.

I think top access isn't so bad when it's a large cage or long tank - your arm can kind of go in at an angle so it's not like you're coming from the top.

freyashamsters · 05-29-2016, 01:36 PM

With the Zoozones and Dunas, the big opening door goes across the full length and width of the cage meaning that you can put your arm in at an angle anyway

If she is a really determined bar chewer, it might be worth looking into something like a four foot fish tank second-hand on EBay

Pebbles82 · 05-29-2016, 01:40 PM

I think a Maxi Duna Multy would be good too actually. It has narrow bar spacing so it would be more difficult to chew - and it would be harder for her to get up there and do it for too long. She'd have more floor space than now as it's 100cm. It might be safer going for glass though in case she decided to try and chew through the plastic base.

freyashamsters · 05-29-2016, 01:49 PM

Unless Shirley just happens to be a very very cheeky ham, I doubt she'd chew out of a Maxi - bar spacing is 7mm by the way

I moved Willow from a cage slightly smaller than the Alaska, which she chewed the bars a lot in, to a Maxi Duna a couple of months ago. Because of the rim running round the inside (to hold the top in place) I was concerned that she'd start chewing it but she hasn't and she seems very content

Pebbles82 · 05-29-2016, 01:50 PM

This is expensive but would do the job - although the end panels are wood I don't think she'd be able to get her teeth into them as it's smooth - the wood is coated to be waterproof and the front, base, and back are glass. The mesh on the lid is 3mm mesh so probably impossible to chew. It's bigger than the Kerry Terrarium and slightly bigger than the Alaska (the 100cm version is about 92cm internally).

It's £130 though - but a good size and no diy

Skyline Small Pet Terrarium Marrakesh | Free P&P £29+ at zooplus!

I seriously thought about getting it instead of the Barney cage. I worked out it is basically about the same size as the Maxi Duna Multy except square corners instead of a curved base. So although a bit less deep, you get the full depth into the corners etc.

**ImoT** · 05-29-2016, 02:58 PM

I'll try and reply to everyone all in one go....

PinkStarburst I do change things around/add new things so I don't think that's an issue.

Serendipity I do like the glass tank idea and I love the skyline terrarium! I've been eyeing that up but it's a little bit more than I was thinking of spending :/ It's a shame the £100 one isn't a little bigger! The Alaska she is in is 84cm wide, although when I measured the actual base (it slopes in) it was nearer the 77cm mark, but it would be nice to give her a little bit more space.

Freyashamsters her chewing seems very bar focused. She doesn't chew any plastic that is in the cage. Also that's good the bar spacing is 7mm, so it doesn't need to be meshed. Do you have a photo of your current set up? It would be nice to see the cage all set up

The thing I'm concerned about with the Duna maxi is that it has 2 water bottle holes and I'm worried that she could chew through these? I would probably get a free standing water bottle so not even sure if I would have even one of these holes covered up by a water bottle! What have people down about these holes?

Pebbles82 · 05-29-2016, 03:10 PM

You can put a nut and bolt through them, or you can put a screw in chew or lava ledge through them

Or something like this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pixnor-Parr...r+screw+in+toy

I've seen things like wood carrots that and teeth grinding things that screw in like that too. They just block off the holes. You could use velcro to attach the bottle maybe, or a bottle stand.

I think the Maxi Duna Multy would be good too

good that she doesn't chew plastic.

freyashamsters · 05-29-2016, 11:11 PM

With the water bottle holes, I just use two 75ml bottles and attach them with this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/VELCRO-Bran...+and+loop+tape

Here is a picture of my setup: