Is this cage ok for a Robo?

ThePiggyRoom · 07-30-2016, 01:04 AM

I am looking for a new rescue hamster, as both my Syrians have now died. I am quite tempted to get a robo that is up for adoption in my local Pets at Home, but I have never had a Robo before and I am trying to find out everything about their needs before making a decision. I sold my Detolf when my first Syrian dies last year, so I was wondering if my remaining cage would be suitable for a Robo?

My Boo was a chewer, but never managed to chew her way out, so hopefully a robo wouldn't be able to either!

cypher · 07-30-2016, 01:39 AM

I think your main issue with that cage would be the potential for falls, it's a long way down even from the top shelf to the first shelf for a tiny robo so you would have to be very careful that if it did fall it would only land on something very soft, even then it might be too far to fall.
If you get a rescue robo that's been used to a small cage it may be a bit intimidated by a larger cage like that too, some of them do upgrade quite well but not all so that's something else to consider.
A robo would probably do better with a cage that's all on one level with maybe just a few low things to climb on.

ThePiggyRoom · 07-30-2016, 02:31 AM

Thanks, that's very helpful. I could remove one, or both shelves, but that still wouldn't help, if it was intimidated by a large cage. Perhaps I had better get another Syrian, Robos are so cute though!

AmityvilleHams · 07-30-2016, 02:37 AM

I prefer Syrians to have an even larger cage though!However,there are lots of cheap DIY options and some can work really well if you need to make them fit just right into for example a corner and have an L shaped cage instead of having a cage that is 100 cm x 100 cm for example.4 Lack units from Ikea would work,or 2 Detolf's,to get a square meter cage

By the way this is a tutorial for a Lack cage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtDdjWtIG58 Substrate borders would need to be higher though(6 inches or 15.24 for a dwarf,12 inches or 30.48 for a Syrian).You could do two extra units as mentioned for a Syrian,but just two units with a DIY lid and the tables upside down would be fine for a dwarf of any species as long as there are lots of hiding spaces and not many open spaces.A tip on substrate borders for wire cages is that you can just use cardboard and replace it as needed!

freyashamsters · 07-30-2016, 02:42 AM

Do you know the dimensions for the cage? In the UK the minimum for a single dwarf hamster is 70x40cm and it looks like that cage exceeds that

I'd be a bit worried about the shelves too, if you took them out it may help

Looking forward to seeing your new ham

ThePiggyRoom · 07-30-2016, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freyashamsters

Do you know the dimensions for the cage? In the UK the minimum for a single dwarf hamster is 70x40cm and it looks like that cage exceeds that

I'd be a bit worried about the shelves too, if you took them out it may help

Looking forward to seeing your new ham

It's 112 x 60 cm and around 53cm tall I think. I can take the shelves out, no problem. I am so looking forward to seeing my new ham too

, I will post a photo him him/her when I get him/her.

AmityvilleHams · 07-30-2016, 02:58 AM

That would be a great size for a dwarf actually once the shelves are removed

Just remember the general tips about cage setup and it should be fine.Post pictures if you'd like and you should also be able to get advice on cage layout as well before you actually get the hamster,since that could help a lot!

ThePiggyRoom · 07-30-2016, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

By the way this is a tutorial for a Lack cage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtDdjWtIG58 Substrate borders would need to be higher though(6 inches or 15.24 for a dwarf,12 inches or 30.48 for a Syrian).You could do two extra units as mentioned for a Syrian,but just two units with a DIY lid and the tables upside down would be fine for a dwarf of any species as long as there are lots of hiding spaces and not many open spaces.A tip on substrate borders for wire cages is that you can just use cardboard and replace it as needed!

Thanks for the link to the tutorial, its a great idea for a cage! I think my husband would freak out if I started talking about making a new cage. He is pretty tolerant of all my animals, but would object at me getting a new cage when I have an empty one

My last Syrian Boo was perfectly happy in it and she also got playpen time every evening.

AmityvilleHams · 07-30-2016, 03:04 AM

How about another dwarf species?Some other species can be a bit less nervous compared to robos so they might be a bit easier to work with than a robo or Chinese

A dwarf species would benefit more than a Syrian from the cage size in general,especially since dwarf sized enrichment would be easier to fit a lot more of into a cage around that size.

Consider cage size before playpen time,as animals do tend to spend the majority of the day in a cage so the cage does have to be quite large regardless of if they get a few hours out of the cage or not.

cypher · 07-30-2016, 03:06 AM

That is a bit on the large size for a dwarf ham, I have kept both Chinese & Russian hams in 100x50cm cages but only after they've become accustomed to a cage around 80x40cm & shown that they're confident with the space, I think robos are even more likely to be intimidated by the space than the other dwarf species, you never know but I always think it's better to start smaller until you have an idea of how confident they are.