RSPCA guidelines?

[Rodent Fan]

When I've been doing my research for my little dwarf hammy, I've seen people (on forums, websites, youtube etc) quoting RSPCA guidelines for cage sizes.

What I'm wondering is... where are these guidelines?! I've tried to find them on RSPCA pages and they're not there, so I'm a bit confused as to what people are actually referring to, or where they are getting this information from.

Also, the recommended cage sizes people quote sometimes vary? The one I hear the most is 70cm x 40cm. Sometimes people also quote different sizes for syrians or dwarfs.

Anyone know?

[AmityvilleHams]

Not sure on the actual RSPCA guidelines as they are difficult to find up to date ones.Up to date resources have no minimum,but you can certainly go with the half square meter German size for dwarfs.The (out of date)minimum was 70 x 40 apparently,but for Syrians it was only 80 x 50 which could be good for a dwarf as well if you can't find anything larger or make your own cage.

Cage sizes vary because different countries have different views,but overall the sizing that has the most research behind it would be the German sizes.The US minimum had no researching behind it at all other than what was convenient and easy to find,while the UK minimum I'm not sure on.RSPCA sizing may not be the most reliable though,since they seem to have the view that the cage has to be "large" but were unwilling to specify exactly what "large" is which is very dangerous as it can lead to someone getting an undersized cage thinking it is absolutely massive.

Overall though,the best minimum to go by would be the German one as it actually at least has some research behind it.There are some lovely German points though that others need to actually think about though,such as the importance of deep substrate and also the importance of setting up a cage in a way that space can be utilized for hiding and other stimulation to prevent boredom that would arise in any cage size if there were no stimulation or very little stimulation!

[Fluffagrams]

I think it's worth mentioning that there are actually two guidelines within the UK and they are the minimum cage size, which is the absolute minimum a hamster should be kept in under any circumstance and there's the ideal minimum which is the one most frequently quoted. This was 70x40 for dwarf hamsters or 80x50 for syrian hamsters. However the RSPCA have now removed it from their literature going with the approach of 'as large as possible'. I don't know exactly why they have done this. Maybe they've finally realised that every hamster is different and it does give owners some leeway if their hamster does not fit with the ideal.

Which size you go for depends on your hamster, if they are lively, easily bored and need lots of stimulation then they're going to potentially need more space within their cage than one who is exceptionally lazy.

What species of hamster do you have or are you planning to get? A good starting cage is something like a Zoozone or a Duna Multy for a dwarf and something like a Barney for a syrian.

[Pebbles82]

You're right - the old guidelines used to be 70 x 40 for a dwarf and 80 x 50 for a Syrian - it changed a couple of times - at one time it was 75 by 45, then 80 x 50. On their updated literature they don't quote a minimum recommended size and say they need a lot of space, especially at night, and should have plenty of floorspace after adding wheels, houses and toys, which take up floorspace.

It did influence things for the better when they had an actual quoted minimum recommended size, which is why there are so many 80cm by 50cm cages! The German minimum recommended size is 100cm by 50cm and the ASPA in the US say "no smaller than" a 10 gallon tank but ideally bigger.

One of the problems with saying an 80cm by 50cm cage is one I came across! I bought one and then found we had a very large syrian who needed a 12" wheel. The wheel took up a third of the cage virtually! I then got him a large house because he wouldn't use the small one. He loved that and built a huge nest and moved his wee corner inside the house. The house took up another third of the cage! That left very little actual substrate area for opportunities to dig or bury hoards.

With more space you can fill it or have a digging area. I now have a 100cm cage for our Syrian and it works well. Dwarf hamsters can be very active and energetic and need space too, but some also need lots of cover and hidey places. Our Syrian also likes "head cover" and doesn't like too much exposed space over his head and tends to sit underneath something - like a shelf or his sputnik. Some Syrians are a bit bolder. Their personalities vary.

At night when we're asleep is when they're most active, so the opportunity to dig and roam and be active is needed then really, when you can't let them out of the cage.

I think it's a shame they don't quote a minimum recommended size now as if it hadn't been for that I wouldn't have known what size cage to buy - 80 x 50 seemed huge at the time, but almost as soon as I had got it I wished I had bought a 100cm cage like the Alexander. Syrians often need rat sized toys and they take up a lot of space in a cage.

So in some ways having a minimum size meant people limited themselves to that (although the RSPCA book I had said most commercial cages aren't big enough and building a diy cage might be the best option). But maybe they didn't know about Zooplus! (Zooplus has the Barney, Alexander, Alaska and Hamster Heaven - and the Living World Eco Habitat - all good sized cages).

As Fluffagrams says, there are some hamsters who don't like a lot of space and an older or sick hamster or particularly nervous hamster might need a smaller hospital cage or a lot more "cover" in a cage without too much exposed space. But generally they are very active and need space to run around in and do hamstery things. They do need a wheel for exercise, but it doesn't make up for having cage space and enrichment in a cage.

The RSPCA seem to focus more on "enrichment" now and say that includes space, depth of substrate for digging, a house or hide to build a suitable nest, ideally that is dark inside (they suggest an angled entrance to make it dark inside). Toys and things to chew on, a level to climb on (but not too high as they have a habit of falling).

German recommendations include things like 30cm depth of substrate! So they can dig tunnels and burrows - but they tend to use large tanks and diy cages. Barred cages are limited on how much substrate you can fit in but I think they can give a different level of enrichment - I have a kind of roof run attached to the roof of our cage, and you can attach things to bars and hang things, to make it interesting. Also access is sometimes better for interacting with a hamster with a cage with a door on the front.

We got our hamster about 2 years ago and at that time the minimum recommended size by the RSPCA was 80cm by 50cm. I had two cage upgrades. Our first one wasn't suitable - it was a rotostak 3 tier thing with virtually no ventilation. I didn't think to look up about suitable cages until our hamster grew large and got stuck in the tubes, but even before that he had a kind of cage agression and seemed lethargic. Once I did a bit of research I bought a bigger cage. And I have since upgraded him again.

If I knew then what I did now, I would start out with the biggest cage possible - at least 100cm. Because I really don't think they adjust well to change afterwards. Some do, some don't. They seem to like things staying more or less the same, and although our hamster loves his larger cage, it always takes time to adjust. I guess they're like people in that way - the older you are, the harder it can be to accept change. Although some changes are for the better they still throw your routines up in the air and feel strange and you miss old familiar things.

So when upgrading, people try and keep a similar layout usually and move all the familiar smelling things over.

I think that's why some hamsters (although I'd say this was a low percentage) after being used to a smaller cage, don't take to a bigger one that well. I also think cage layout makes a huge difference - lots of tunnels and hidey places mean more places for them to go and things to do.

[AmityvilleHams]

It's important to remember that a large cage with little enrichment is just as useless as a tiny cage!I think there are tons of great cages actually,but they're just more narrow which does limit you more in terms of just how much enrichment you can offer,such as issues with Syrian sized accessories taking up so much space that burrowing just isn't possible.

Has anyone considered reusing the Detolf to make it twice as wide but the same length?If so,that could be a really affordable DIY cage but it would have twice the width of just one Detolf and all you'd need to do is find a way to line the bottom like linoleum!I think it would work really well and be a fairly simple DIY,but that's just in theory.

The dimensions of two Detolf's would be roughly 163 cm x 74 cm x 43 cm(keeps the same length and height,just gets wider)but it comes to over one square meter with those dimensions when you put them side by side if you could have a way to make that work.I think it would be a really good cage too,especially if you got a cheap stand and found an affordable way to make a lid!

[Pebbles82]

That's a good point (a large cage with no enrichment isn't much good!). And partly why the RSPCA say they are focusing on "enrichment" rather than just quoting sizes (I asked them!)

[Amber_x]

I think I remember someone doing that but I can't remember where I saw it

[Pebbles82]

I guess you can have size without enrichment, but it's hard to have enough enrichment without enough size.

[AmityvilleHams]

I think the two go hand in hand,to be honest.

As for the double Detolf idea,it should be possible but so far I've seen no evidence of it but it might exist if I dig deep.It seems like a really good idea,around £80 without including the cost of a stand or lid for UK hamster owners or $140 for US hamster owners without the cost of a stand.Considering it's over a square meter or around 2,000 square inches with minimal labor,that's not bad at all.

It would probably cost $150 to build a cage that size,not sure about UK cost considering materials and such vary.Plus,if you get a Detolf secondhand,it can be even cheaper!

[Pebbles82]

Rodent fan - I seem to remember you just adopted a little runt hammy, is that right? In which case, cage size may be only part of the scenario and set up is a bit different possibly.