The natural cage theme thread- questions and suggestions

[Crystalroborovski]

In a couple of months I would love to do a natural cage theme for my boys. I know planning cage themes and getting the items together for them can take awhile, plus I would have to know the cost of everything so I could save up money. In this thread I'll be posting questions and asking for suggestions on the decor. Keep in mind I live in the US, so some things available in Europe won't work for me, though I can order some things off of Amazon.

The first question I have is: reptile moss? Yes or no? I'm talking about the dried stuff, not the plain lush, moist moss from outside. I know this topic is controversial, but I've read up on it and I just wanted to get some opinions on here. If I do use it, could you recommend a brand to me? I know some brands have dyes and chemicals in them and I definitely wouldn't want that in my cage, despite the fact my boys don't chew. I know moss that isn't dry can hold moisture and make the cage all humid and icky so I wouldn't want that. My cage is a glass 40 gal terrarium with a wire mesh lid on top. Would this offer enough ventilation if I used moss? I've seen several cages online using reptile moss, I just wanted to get some opinions and brand recommendations.

The second question is- would the boys get really stressed if I changed the theme? I might leave some of their original white bedding in it but eventually I would change it out. I just wanted to know if completely changing their surroundings would make them stressed.

Third question is- color? I know a lot of natural themes are pretty much all brown. I would like to add some color, but still make it natural. Maybe some green? Any suggestions for those of you who have done a natural theme? I would love to add a natural background- maybe a wooded scene? But I don't know where to get a big enough background for a 40 gal.

I'd love some suggestions for decor for those of you who have done a natural theme. I've got a general plan of what I want to do: really deep shredded aspen, a sand pit, lots of bendy bridges, grapewood branches, a section for paper substrate, (maybe) wooden wheels, polyresin rock caves and stuff like that. I just wanted to know what your hams enjoyed most in their natural cage theme if you've ever done one.

[cypher]

I think moss is fine, I would freeze it though, even dried it can still have bugs or eggs in it.
How stressed hams get by change varies, some don't seem to mind but I have found most of mine really don't like me messing with their set up once I've got it the way they like & with a pair I think you would need to be very careful that changing much at all didn't stress them & cause them to fall out or become territorial over anything.
You might just be able to find a poster about the right size for your tank or find one that you could cut to fit without spoiling the image.
I think you've covered most of the natural items there, cork is another thing that most hams like & that looks good in a natural set up.

[Jennie F]

With regards to the background, maybe you could look in local pet stores or online for aquarium backgrounds. Ive seen it before in a fish store. Its like sticky back plastic that you put on and comes in different themes. Try reptile stores as well. Or, failing that and depending on how cheeky you are, hardware store wallpaper samples. Try to find a natural looking one or an unoffensive pattern you like.

[Drago]

I love natural themes! I'll answer your questions in more of a list form for clarity

1. Moss is definitely controversial. Some people use it no problem and swear by it, but others say it's pretty terrible stuff. I personally have always used it. It looks really nice in the cage, and my hamsters have enjoyed digging around in it. It's safe to be chewed so that's no concern, the only issue that would arise is humidity. However, if it's not peed on or damp, then it's not going to be adding any more humidity than say, damp bedding or wood. Many people disagree with me and that's okay, but I and many others who have created naturals themes enjoy using it I recommend the sphagnum moss that's made specifically for reptiles, in particular, the zoo med block is pretty good. This can usually be found at petco/petsmart. I think your cage would offer plenty of ventilation personally

2. It would be a tough transition, I'd try to slowly change them over to the new theme. Once a week or so remove one or two of their old items and replace it with new ones. They may be so intrigued by the new things that they'll forget the old is missing! The bedding can slowly be removed, but honestly, mixed bedding doesn't look too bad in cages (at least in my opinion) I recommend hemp for natural themes, but this is tough to find in the US unfortunately so shredded or chipped aspen is usually used instead.

3. Honestly, natural cages can still look good with more than just brown! Adding bits of dried herbs and flowers, wheat sprays and millet, and dried grasses all add some color and it can look quite nice. It's your cage so you can add whatever it is you want to it. I'm not sure where you'd get a background of woods to be honest. They make underwater type backgrounds for larger fish tanks, but I assume you probably don't want an underwater scene lol. You could try creating a sort of "rocky" background using foam and painting it over, and then gluing it somehow to the outside, but I'm not sure how that would work. I guess you'll just have to be creative. A solid color may be easier if you're willing to use one

4. Some suggestions for bedding- I would lay down about three inches of bedding, then lie down a layer of soft Timothy hay. Then another layer of bedding, and more hay. Then so on and so forth (you probably get the gist).

For decor, get lots of cork! Cork bark, tunnels, branches everything cork. It looks really great and since it has small holes in it, robos can easily fit in them and explore. Grapevine is also excellent to add in as it's safe and looks very nice. I use grapevine as climbing branches and accent pieces. Driftwood is also good to be used if you can get hold of a safe kind. Any hamster safe wood with bark will look really nice in the cage too so check around Amazon as they have some really nice stuff on there. Grass huts and tunnels are also excellent. Things like Timothy mazes and tunnels as well as sisal and seagrass huts are edible and look really nice. Obviously bendy bridges (the natural bark ones, not the "tropical fiddlesticks") are your best friend and can be used in so many different ways. You can also get hanging bendy bridges as hamsters love climbing these. Just make sure it's not too high as to prevent falls. Sectioning off part of the cage for a sand pit and an area for soil are all excellent additions and many hamsters enjoy burrowing about in them. Caves and rocks are all excellent as well!

Good luck with your set up, if you ever have any more questions, please ask Make sure to share the finished product

[Crystalroborovski]

Originally Posted by Drago

I love natural themes! I'll answer your questions in more of a list form for clarity

1. Moss is definitely controversial. Some people use it no problem and swear by it, but others say it's pretty terrible stuff. I personally have always used it. It looks really nice in the cage, and my hamsters have enjoyed digging around in it. It's safe to be chewed so that's no concern, the only issue that would arise is humidity. However, if it's not peed on or damp, then it's not going to be adding any more humidity than say, damp bedding or wood. Many people disagree with me and that's okay, but I and many others who have created naturals themes enjoy using it I recommend the sphagnum moss that's made specifically for reptiles, in particular, the zoo med block is pretty good. This can usually be found at petco/petsmart. I think your cage would offer plenty of ventilation personally

2. It would be a tough transition, I'd try to slowly change them over to the new theme. Once a week or so remove one or two of their old items and replace it with new ones. They may be so intrigued by the new things that they'll forget the old is missing! The bedding can slowly be removed, but honestly, mixed bedding doesn't look too bad in cages (at least in my opinion) I recommend hemp for natural themes, but this is tough to find in the US unfortunately so shredded or chipped aspen is usually used instead.

3. Honestly, natural cages can still look good with more than just brown! Adding bits of dried herbs and flowers, wheat sprays and millet, and dried grasses all add some color and it can look quite nice. It's your cage so you can add whatever it is you want to it. I'm not sure where you'd get a background of woods to be honest. They make underwater type backgrounds for larger fish tanks, but I assume you probably don't want an underwater scene lol. You could try creating a sort of "rocky" background using foam and painting it over, and then gluing it somehow to the outside, but I'm not sure how that would work. I guess you'll just have to be creative. A solid color may be easier if you're willing to use one

4. Some suggestions for bedding- I would lay down about three inches of bedding, then lie down a layer of soft Timothy hay. Then another layer of bedding, and more hay. Then so on and so forth (you probably get the gist).

For decor, get lots of cork! Cork bark, tunnels, branches everything cork. It looks really great and since it has small holes in it, robos can easily fit in them and explore. Grapevine is also excellent to add in as it's safe and looks very nice. I use grapevine as climbing branches and accent pieces. Driftwood is also good to be used if you can get hold of a safe kind. Any hamster safe wood with bark will look really nice in the cage too so check around Amazon as they have some really nice stuff on there. Grass huts and tunnels are also excellent. Things like Timothy mazes and tunnels as well as sisal and seagrass huts are edible and look really nice. Obviously bendy bridges (the natural bark ones, not the "tropical fiddlesticks") are your best friend and can be used in so many different ways. You can also get hanging bendy bridges as hamsters love climbing these. Just make sure it's not too high as to prevent falls. Sectioning off part of the cage for a sand pit and an area for soil are all excellent additions and many hamsters enjoy burrowing about in them. Caves and rocks are all excellent as well!

Good luck with your set up, if you ever have any more questions, please ask Make sure to share the finished product

Drago- thanks so much for the info for the background- I found two possible options on petsmart's website. The first one is a reptile cage background. It's a mossy, plant and tree scene. The second was an aquarium background. It is more of an underwater scene. It has a bunch of green aquarium plants. I thought it didn't look too underwater-ish.
For dried flowers- are there any that wouldn't be safe? Where could I get real dried flowers without any added scents?
I had a question about wheat/oat sprays. I would love to have these in my cage as decor, however- I originally had a millet spray in the cage when I got the boys and they probably would have eaten the whole thing if I let them, so I had to take it out and just give them small amounts of millet as treats. Would the same thing happen with wheat/oat sprays?
I'll gradually transition to the new cage theme. I thought it might be stressful if I changed the whole thing all at once.
Again, thank you for your wonderful advice, and I'll post pics of the cage on here once it's done

[AmityvilleHams]

Viovet do have some decent dried flowers and herbs that would be suitable for hamsters.Just avoid lavender(natural rodent repellent,very strong and would cause discomfort at the very least)and other plants which are unsafe for hamsters

[Drago]

Originally Posted by Crystalroborovski

Drago- thanks so much for the info for the background- I found two possible options on petsmart's website. The first one is a reptile cage background. It's a mossy, plant and tree scene. The second was an aquarium background. It is more of an underwater scene. It has a bunch of green aquarium plants. I thought it didn't look too underwater-ish.
For dried flowers- are there any that wouldn't be safe? Where could I get real dried flowers without any added scents?
I had a question about wheat/oat sprays. I would love to have these in my cage as decor, however- I originally had a millet spray in the cage when I got the boys and they probably would have eaten the whole thing if I let them, so I had to take it out and just give them small amounts of millet as treats. Would the same thing happen with wheat/oat sprays?
I'll gradually transition to the new cage theme. I thought it might be stressful if I changed the whole thing all at once.
Again, thank you for your wonderful advice, and I'll post pics of the cage on here once it's done

Here is a list of flowers, herbs, and plants that are definitely safe. There may be more, but you'd need to find another confirmed list

"Rosemary
Cornflower
Basil
Hemp
Marigold
Chamomile
Groundsel
Dandelion
Daisy
Parsley
Ribwort
Rose petals/hips
Birch leaves
Hazel tree leaves
Black currant leaves
Alfalfa sprouts
Hibiscus petals
Thyme
Dill
Fennel
Sage
Oregano
Bramble leaves
Dock
Trefoil
Hawthorne leaves
Clover
Cilantro (coriander)
Evening primrose "

You can order packets of herbs/foraging mixes off of an excellent website called "small pet select". More pungent herbs like rosemary, lavender, chamomile, etc should be given sparingly, but are fine in general. I'll link some below

I wouldn't worry over the oat/wheat and millet sprays unless they attempt to devour the entire thing in a few hours, but that's just down to personal preference. None of my hamsters were ever crazy for millet or oat sprays so I never had to worry about it. Just make sure they're eating their main diet.
Good to hear you've found a background, if you think it looks good, go for it! If you have any questions on anything on the list (or unrelated) please ask

https://shop.smallpetselect.com/coll...ucts/plaintain

https://shop.smallpetselect.com/coll...er-berry-blend

https://shop.smallpetselect.com/coll...ous-essentials

Edit: as amity said, viovet has some pretty interesting stuff. You can also find things on websites such as Amazon (make sure to check the sources and ingredients first) and especially websites for chinchillas. Chinchillas should only have very selective dried herbs (or occasional bits of oats or a dried cranberry) as treats so websites dedicated to them will generally sell them

[AmityvilleHams]

The only safe product from Small Pet Select linked would be the plantain.The other two products both have lavender which as mentioned in my previous post cannot be considered safe.They do have dried fruit though which should be safe(I'd have to double check and make sure it's just the pure fruit)!

[Crystalroborovski]

Thank you Amity and Drago I'm so excited for this cage theme, I think it'll turn out great and I'll post pics when I'm done. I'll probably post more questions later if I have them

[Drago]

Looking forward to seeing it! I'm sure your hams will love it