First time owner diy bin cage advice needed

[Tommyshelby]

HELLOO

I'm a first time pet owner and after doing research this is what I've come up with. (Images attached)
[Spoiler]

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I ran out of bedding (used 4kg fitch paper bedding). I plan on having the lowest point 5+ inches (where his multi chamber house is), and the highest point will be roughly 15 inches.

My plans so far:
1. I will be adding some orchard grass hay to help with burrowing
2. Replace mason jar sand bath (its heavy!) With Small tray of heat treated play sand.
3. I have a brick (for his nails and I will put his food/ water on it lol) , a terracotta plant pot small, some 6x6x6" cardboard boxes, wood house, few other stuff I want to add to his enclosure.
4. I have a diy swing that will hang from the lid.

That's it really, what else does he need..?

Thanks and all advice is appreciated.

Tommy shelby the hammmmmster

[Ria P]

All you need now is a wheel.
I can see that you have a flying saucer but you still need a wheel.
Otherwise it looks good to me and your hamster should be well happy in there.
I would have added a front window myself so the hamster can look out.

[Tommyshelby]

Originally Posted by Ria P

All you need now is a wheel.
I can see that you have a flying saucer but you still need a wheel.
Otherwise it looks good to me and your hamster should be well happy in there.
I would have added a front window myself so the hamster can look out.

Totally forgot about getting a wheel!

I bought a silent spinner from p@h but the damn thing broke so I returned it but they didnt have any in wheels in stock so I swapped it for the saucer.

Cheers!!

I was thinking about adding a window but I thought against it since theirs nothing to see. His cage is on the floor in my bed room if he looks up he can see me in bed or at my desk tho

Not to worry, once my hamster settles in I'll be getting him a room (small cage) on the window sill and connect it to his diy cage.

Thanks again!

[Tommyshelby]

Update.

Little fella kept me awake all night.. dude was running so fast OR he was moving his flying saucer on purpose so it would make a tktktktktktk noise

I'm going to get him a wheel today...

I got the bedding in the mail (10kg fitch paper bedding) today so updates coming soon!!

[sushi_78]

The flying saucers do tend to move around on a flat surface. I had one on a shelf originally but had the same problem so now I have the stand sunk into the bedding where it can't move.

[Tommyshelby]

His litter tray is now inside his multi chamber, fingers crossed he uses it!

I made a place for the wheel using the box the wheel came in and some cardboard. I'll get something a container or something tomorrow for it.. just in case the cardboard folds and caves in

Whatd you guys think! Any ideas or suggestions welcome!

Edit: I might remove a bit of bedding tomorrow.
Oh. And I couldn't find orchard grass

[Ria P]

Looks good to me.

I'd plastikote the wooden wheel. A couple of coats of the plastikote in a tub to paint on not the spray available at Wickes or online for £4. It waterproofs the wheel so you can wipe it. My dwarfs pee on their wheels and once the pee is in the wood its near impossible to get it out.

What's orchard grass? I don't know that one.
I've just ordered the Rosewood pick n fly from viovet which my dwarfs go mad for.

[Tommyshelby]

Originally Posted by Ria P

Looks good to me.

I'd plastikote the wooden wheel. A couple of coats of the plastikote in a tub to paint on not the spray available at Wickes or online for £4. It waterproofs the wheel so you can wipe it. My dwarfs pee on their wheels and once the pee is in the wood its near impossible to get it out.

What's orchard grass? I don't know that one.
I've just ordered the Rosewood pick n fly from viovet which my dwarfs go mad for.

Hey.

I checked his wheel and gave it a good sniff, thank god he hasnt peed in it.

I dont really like painting, but I will keep an eye on it and if I notice any pee I'll paint it right away. I did ask the pet shop owner if I needed to paint it and he said no, he did give a reason which I forgot :l

Orchard grass is hay, it's apparently softer than timothy hay and great for holding burrows. (Building a NEW DIY Hamster cage - YouTube - 5:45)
I cant find orchard grass in any shops, I might order it online.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Tommyshelby]

Hello!

update!

I was uncomfortable with the previous setup, here is my more permanent solution!

I found a 3-tier spice rack step shelf (Imgur: The magic of the Internet) for £1. It's sturdy and it's hollow. It is made of plastic. I do plan on getting something out of wood or making something out of wood

This is underneath the spice rack






Yes that is a brick

he uses his potty!!!!



This was the original plan, it's been cold recently and I wanted a house on top of his multi-chamber to stop any drafts





but he needs a sand bath :l

I'm thinking of removing the sand bath and making him two smaller sand baths. One in his old house (the blue little house in his sand bath) and another one in a coconut. Or should I keep it as it is

Thanks! and sorry for the long post!

Feedback appreciated!

edit: The last pic is taken a day after hamster has been in it, so that's why it's a bit messy

I plan on getting cork tunnels/wood tunnels instead of using cardboard tunnels

[Pebbles82]

Looks good I’m just catching up with this and was going to say the hay isn’t necessary. Some people do use a bit but if you do use it from now on it’s a really good idea to freeze it for a week first - just in case there are mites in it or something. The only other thing is, if you haven’t had him long, they can get stressed if you change things around. It can take them two weeks to fully settle, without changes. So suggest maybe leaving as is for now and think about sand bath changes later - in a few weeks maybe.

Fitch is great - I’ve used it for years. Love the brick idea!

Don’t worry about the wheel - I didn’t plastikote my first one. It will get stained or smelly at some point (they all pee in the wheel at some point) but you can just wipe it. I used to scrub mine under a running tap if it got stinky but it can stay a bit stinky for quite some time! It might not last as long that way though but they’re not too expensive if it needs replacing.

I don’t like painting things either but I do use plastikote now. It’s not as much hassle as it sounds. You just get a normal household paint brush - small - about a quarter inch one. It’s thin liquid and non smelly and dries really quickly. It literally takes 10 mins. I just paint the inside of the wheel - the outside doesn’t get stained or dirty usually.

So if the wheel does end up wrecked you could plastikote the next one maybe. It’s the water based enamel one.