Keeping cages in close proximity

**Serena_jayne98** · 10-31-2016, 07:48 AM

Currently my Syrian is in a mini duna cage. I didn't know it was too small for a Syrian when I got him. I should have an Alaska cage for him by next week. However lot of people think the mini duna is okay for a single dwarf hamster, so in December I'm going to get a female dwarf hamster and give her the mini duna!

So my question is, with my syrian being male and the dwarf going to be female, is it okay to have the cages close together? My plan is to get a coffee table that'll fit the duna underneath, and the alaska on top. Would that be okay? I don't want either to be stressed out by smelling the other

cypher · 10-31-2016, 08:12 AM

Personally unless you get a dwarf that is afraid of lots of space (some are but most aren't) I think the mini duna is too small for a dwarf ham, they may be small but they are generally very active & need lots to do so think about what you might be able to fit in there, a good size wheel, house, lots of hideouts & things to play with etc.

Males & females are fine in close proximity, once they get used to each other they probably won't take much notice.
I'm not sure about putting a plastic tank type cage which only has ventilation on top underneath anything though.

**Serena_jayne98** · 10-31-2016, 08:46 AM

I've read a lot of posts on here from people who think the mini duna is fine for dwarfs. All down to opinion I guess. If I think it's too small when I actually have a dwarf in there I'll upgrade it.

and oh yeah I didn't think of that, silly me >.< could I just put the duna directly on top of the alaska?

cypher · 10-31-2016, 09:00 AM

The bars on the alaska aren't the strongest so I'm not sure it would take the weight of a cage on top plus it's fairly high so unless you had the alaska almost at floor level you wouldn't see much of the ham on top!

Opinions do vary on cage sizes for all species & it is something we all have to make our own minds up about but I would give it some careful thought before you get your dwarf ham, maybe try some layouts with things you would need inside to see how it works, I have a mini duna which is meant to be a hospital cage if I ever need one but at the moment I use it for Zeki when I'm cleaning his cage & I can just get a wheel in there but only with substrate about an inch deep so you need to think about those kinds of things when you decide which cages to use.

**Serena_jayne98** · 10-31-2016, 09:06 AM

Hmmm okay..my flat is so small it's hard to come up with something, I'm sure I'll make it work, even if both cages just end up on the floor. We barely use the living room anyway so it won't matter :')

I'll get a suitable wheel and toys etc first (duh) and have a play around with layouts, and if I don't think it'll work I will definitely get a bigger cage. But honestly I see it being fine, I've seen come cool layout ideas on here already

AmityvilleHams · 10-31-2016, 01:39 PM

If all else fails stacking wire cages is an option!Or,you could have a bit of DIY work involved and make some sort of rack system possibly with storage underneath.

A lot of people find certain cages appropriate for some species,but that doesn't mean it will work for all hamsters.A good example of this is that previously a 20 gallon long tank was considered the minimum in the US(roughly 390 square inches,sometimes 360 depending on aquarium manufacturer)however that did not actually suit the majority of hamsters.