New cage, which one?

Rashy · 08-31-2020, 04:59 AM

Hi, I`m looking for a new cage for a syrian hamster:

- skyline barney
- savic hamster plaza knock down.

What do you think?

LunaTheHamster1 · 08-31-2020, 05:45 AM

Hi Rashy, Either is a good size, you will need to replace the wheel with a proper sized wheel 11-12 inches.
I have only ever had the savic plaza and not the barney. The reason why I went for the savic plaza in the end was because of the bigger front opening. The downside is that it doesn't have an opening on the top so can make it tricky to attach a wheel (especially if you are on your own), but one way around that is to just flip the barred top bit upside down and attach the wheel where you want it.

The Barney is obviously a lot cheaper too. So I guess it is up to you and what you are looking for in a cage, I just don't like small door openings.

Ria P · 08-31-2020, 06:07 AM

I'd go for the Plaza because of the big front door.

Pebbles82 · 08-31-2020, 08:13 AM

I have had both and both are good cages but I prefer the plaza for the big front door. However it does cost more and on top of that it needs things buying to make it work well. The Barney comes with a good shelf and a good house for a Syrian and all that’s needed is wheel and floor toys etc. And the wheel it comes with is 8” so would do as a stop gap. The plaza big corner shelf takes up a lot of room in the cage plus it’s big ladder and doesn’t leave much scope for a good set up and enrichment so I don’t use thss as t shelf. Which means you need to buy a shelf or two and a good house for a Syrian as well as the wheel.

The Barney is deeper and more bulky but does have a lot of floorspace for setting things up - but the plaza has plenty I find also. The Barney worked well for our previous Syrian who was quite active and would come to one of the little doors to come out but didn’t work at all for our current Syrian who was more shy and I ended up having to take the bars off to get him out which was a pain and also a risk they may jump out when the bars are off.

So basically if cost is the main issue go for the Barney. And hope you me Hamster is fairly gregarious (they vary in personality).

The Plaza is a safer bet as access and interaction with the hamster are so much easier with the big front door and easier for them to want to come out with that big open space at the front when the door is open.

I think it’s worth paying the extra if you don’t mind forking our for more items for the cage so it actually works well.

But the Barney is also a very good less expensive option that comes with virtually everything you need - I found it a pain getting a shelf to fit the plaza (similar to the Barney shelf).

Fixing things to the bars is fiddly one the plaza because as Luna says it doesn’t have a top door as well - the solution to that is fixing things to the back bars while the bars are off the base. The advantage of no top door is you can attach things to the roof wherever you want - eg rat sputniks and a tunnel tied to the roof (I have a tunnel leading from a Sputnik to the shelf so it makes a roof run).

They’re both about the same height more or less and you do need plenty of substrate to reduce fall risks from a height.

The Barney has 7mm bar spacing so the substrate doesn’t fall out but I haven’t really had any issues with substrate falling out of the plaza either (9mm bar spacing).

Personally I just like the big front door on the plaza but it works out more expensive and the plastic shelf and ladder need replacing really. However that then does give you scope to choose a good house for a Syrian so they have normal behaviours. The Ferplast sin guinea pig house is good - about £9. Or a shoebox house is fine too. A good sized house allows them to have normal behaviours - build a big nest, bury their hoards under the nest etc.

So it could be cheap (shoebox house). Or there are some very good houses sold by Rodipet as well.

Luna has some nice smaller wood corner shelves in hers - I got one from ranch house cages on eBay but did need a man with a saw to cut it down a bit to fit (although it does come with all cage fittings for the shelf).

Another option is to use a large flat roofed house as a shelf. I have the large labyrinth house from Rodipet- a bit expensive but makes a great house and sits on legs they sell so makes a shelf as well. (Although again has to saw a bit off the legs to get it the height I wanted).

So the Barney is a lot easier in that respect. To get set up ready to use. There is never a perfect cage though!

Rashy · 08-31-2020, 09:03 AM

Oh, I thought it was a opening at the roof.
I got the syrian hamster two days ago, in a small cage. He does not chew the bars yet, but I`m not sure if he will do it later.

Omg, so unsure.

Ria P · 08-31-2020, 09:25 AM

One of my Syrians lives in the Alaska which has a large top and front door but maybe you want a bigger cage? Its a bit over 80x50.

It's not about chewing bars only. You can't get a big house, big wheel and enrichment in a small cage. How small is the small cage?

Rashy · 08-31-2020, 09:26 AM

I want a bigger cage.

TeddyBiscuit · 08-31-2020, 11:36 AM

I had the Alaska before and now have the Plaza. I was surprised when I got the Plaza unpacked that it wasn't that much larger than the Alaska but it is longer. Not having a door in the top is annoying when setting up but I don't really miss it now. The bars allowed me to attach additional levels, though the corners are rounded so it's difficult to put up levels without a gap but I've worked around it.
I did get the Plaza cheaper from Pets@Home, they seem to have an offer every few months where it's around £55 if that helps.

LunaTheHamster1 · 08-31-2020, 11:37 AM

Rashy, why don't you do a list of what you like and dislike about each cage lookwise, price wise, bar sizing, doors, other things you would need to buy if you want to adapt certain things etc and see if that helps. It really will boil down to your own individual preference.

Rashy · 08-31-2020, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

I have had both and both are good cages but I prefer the plaza for the big front door. However it does cost more and on top of that it needs things buying to make it work well. The Barney comes with a good shelf and a good house for a Syrian and all that’s needed is wheel and floor toys etc. And the wheel it comes with is 8” so would do as a stop gap. The plaza big corner shelf takes up a lot of room in the cage plus it’s big ladder and doesn’t leave much scope for a good set up and enrichment so I don’t use thss as t shelf. Which means you need to buy a shelf or two and a good house for a Syrian as well as the wheel.

The Barney is deeper and more bulky but does have a lot of floorspace for setting things up - but the plaza has plenty I find also. The Barney worked well for our previous Syrian who was quite active and would come to one of the little doors to come out but didn’t work at all for our current Syrian who was more shy and I ended up having to take the bars off to get him out which was a pain and also a risk they may jump out when the bars are off.

So basically if cost is the main issue go for the Barney. And hope you me Hamster is fairly gregarious (they vary in personality).

The Plaza is a safer bet as access and interaction with the hamster are so much easier with the big front door and easier for them to want to come out with that big open space at the front when the door is open.

I think it’s worth paying the extra if you don’t mind forking our for more items for the cage so it actually works well.

But the Barney is also a very good less expensive option that comes with virtually everything you need - I found it a pain getting a shelf to fit the plaza (similar to the Barney shelf).

Fixing things to the bars is fiddly one the plaza because as Luna says it doesn’t have a top door as well - the solution to that is fixing things to the back bars while the bars are off the base. The advantage of no top door is you can attach things to the roof wherever you want - eg rat sputniks and a tunnel tied to the roof (I have a tunnel leading from a Sputnik to the shelf so it makes a roof run).

They’re both about the same height more or less and you do need plenty of substrate to reduce fall risks from a height.

The Barney has 7mm bar spacing so the substrate doesn’t fall out but I haven’t really had any issues with substrate falling out of the plaza either (9mm bar spacing).

Personally I just like the big front door on the plaza but it works out more expensive and the plastic shelf and ladder need replacing really. However that then does give you scope to choose a good house for a Syrian so they have normal behaviours. The Ferplast sin guinea pig house is good - about £9. Or a shoebox house is fine too. A good sized house allows them to have normal behaviours - build a big nest, bury their hoards under the nest etc.

So it could be cheap (shoebox house). Or there are some very good houses sold by Rodipet as well.

Luna has some nice smaller wood corner shelves in hers - I got one from ranch house cages on eBay but did need a man with a saw to cut it down a bit to fit (although it does come with all cage fittings for the shelf).

Another option is to use a large flat roofed house as a shelf. I have the large labyrinth house from Rodipet- a bit expensive but makes a great house and sits on legs they sell so makes a shelf as well. (Although again has to saw a bit off the legs to get it the height I wanted).

So the Barney is a lot easier in that respect. To get set up ready to use. There is never a perfect cage though!

Are there any shop who ship the labyrinth to norway?