Upgrading cage

[Pebbles82]

Sometimes it depends on the branch I think - the one near us doesn't have the Hamster Heaven or Savic Ruffy. The Zoozone is a good upgrade, if she is used to a perspex tank style. The lid needs meshing though - not sure if you're aware of that. It has 2cm gaps between the bars and easy for a hamster to get up there by scaling up a water bottle!

As April Pearl says, if it's the large Duna Fun it's probably fine as long as your hamster seems happy with it. It is smaller than the Alaska and Hamster Heaven and Zoozone, but not ridiculously small. I seem to remember she was bar chewing in it though wasn't she? Which does suggest she needs something a bit bigger.

Ok so here's what I'd do. Write it down and read it over the phone Then you can get the words right and detach from feeling like it's a personal connection and you're just "passing on" a request as if you are your own secretary

Writing it down helps you get clear in your mind what you're going to say and also helps rehearse it and get the words come out right. Be confident. I would write something like:

"Hello. I recently bought a cage from you when I got my hamster, and it really isn't suitable, so I would like to return it for a refund please."

You then need another bit prepared - for the next stage. In the unlikely event that they argue with you (customer service people aren't trained to argue so should be polite and respectful) and they say that the cage is a suitable size for a Syrian - then you just repeat yourself. This is the first thing assertiveness books recommend for dealing with difficult situations/people. Is state what you would like, and then just keep repeating yourself if the salesperson tries to persuade you otherwise.

So next bit (written down) could be "Thank you, I appreciate it is considered to be suitable for a Syrian, but it really isn't suitable for my hamster and I would like to return it for a refund please."

If they do refuse then that's that. Technically the large Duna Fun could be considered suitable for a Syrian, so it really might depend on whether the person you speak to on the day is the most helpful or not. Whereas when they know a cage is too small really (some people have bought the PAH dwarf hamster home for a Syrian! Or their "large" barred cage which isn't large at all).

I definitely thing you should give it a try and that the Zoozone is a good option if you don't mind the meshing. No bars to chew on the side like your current cage and much easier to adapt and set up.

If they do offer you an exchange and they have a hamster heaven, that's not a bad option at all - it has a large front opening door. Most people find taking the tubes and penthouse off and blocking them off works. And to be honest the plastic shelves and contents aren't up to much either! So it would be a bit like starting from scratch with a set up just as with a Zoozone. The Hamster Heaven is quite expensive full price at Pets at Home though. Zooplus sell it for about £50.

The Living world water bottle would be fine in a zoozone. It would probably just fit in a Hamster Heaven but would be too tall to have on a shelf. It's the kind of thing that could do to have something flat and solid under it so it can't be pushed over on the substrate, so something under it on the substrate could be an idea.