best bin in USA for cage

[lovehamsters01]

hi! so I'm planning on getting another Syrian hamster! I saw her at the breeders today and fell in love. she's still a baby and is all black with white paws.
the problem is that I just cant keep buying such expensive cages. Niteangel is $200, Pervue is $120 but neither come with accessories. that means buying a $35 wheel as the only spare ones I have now are 9in, tunnels because a syrian cant just fit in paper towel rolls, hideys, etc.
so I have decided to be brave and create a bin cage.
after doing research, I realized I really cant find any suitable bins here! the 200qt stacker bin from walmart is out of stock, and any others I saw posted on the forum are either out of stock or not sold in the US.
does anyone know of a good bin I can use that I can get easily in the US from walmart, amazon, ikea, or home depot? is there anything here except the 200 qt stacker which is out of stock?
thanks!

[Ria P]

I live in the UK so can't answer your question.
However, i have made many bin cages for rescues.

I'd calculate the cost at this point. Cost of a large storage box, mesh and cable ties or staples and a staple gun. You'd need to cut out and mesh the lid, a window and a back vent to allow for sufficient ventilation. You'd need a cutting tool, i use a Dremel and an electric drill if you use cable ties. It does require basic DIY skills to do a proper job.

[Ria P]

Just to add. The large Ikea Samla is too small and it tapers a lot.

[LunaTheHamster1]

I know my friend uses the 200qt sterilite stacker aka 50 gallon in some stores, she gets hers from home depot. Maybe need to wait to see if they come back in stock.

[otto]

Can I sway you into going for an Ikea DIY such as a Pax, Linnmon or even komplement? They are cheap and offer so much more room than a bin cage. I’m not too sure about bin cages in general for a young Syrian, they taper in from the top meaning the dimensions you get on the website aren’t correct as they are taken from the lid. The walmart 200qt bin is apparently 34x17 inches from the bottom, giving a total of 578sq inches. I’m not sure wether for a young female this will be substantial enough...

Not sure if this is allowed but i’ve found a thread on HH where someone has shared there opinion on using that bin, and just how much their hammy hates it: 200 Qt bin cage? - Supplies & Accessories - Hamster Hideout Forum
Granted, this is only one opinion, but i’d consider Ikea or maybe connecting these 2 of these bins together?

Here’s the Pax most likely to fit in a room lol: 75x201, £50: PAX white, Wardrobe frame, 75x58x201 cm - IKEA

[LunaTheHamster1]

Otto, I get where you are coming from, but i think it might depend on how the cage is actually set up, (it can make a huge difference) this is a link to my friends website.
https://homesweethammyhome.wixsite.c...sweethammyhome
if you have a look, i think her 200qt bin setups are amazing

Also, not many of us have the room for a 2m cage, the ultimate dream maybe

[otto]

Oh god I certainly don’t have room for a 2m cage, just putting it out there incase they do. Or at least you could buy the pax and chop down the sides to make it the length you want. If a DIY bin is something they are considering, maybe slicing down some melamine boards is something they could consider too. Just trying to put out options. I was absolutely grilled on other hamster forums for having my old hammy in a cage of similar size and it really upset me as I loved him dearly and thought I was doing my best by him. Anytime I asked a question, it always went back to ‘well how big’s your cage?’ no matter the topic lol

Those set ups are gorgeous. Platforms make such a difference. Is that the home depot bin though? I’m wondering if the internal dimensions are a little bigger at the bottom than the Walmart one? Or your friend has just been really good with filling it in the right way... i’m awful at decorating, applause to her. Can she come and fill mine?

Yeah, as always, i’ll say that enrichment is more important than cage size.

[LunaTheHamster1]

Yes, i think people do different sized paxs'
Sorry you went through that on a different forum.
Yes, I think that's the home depot one. I think she is awesome at doing setups, yes, i wish she would come do mine too

[otto]

Appreciate that Luna, thank you.

Hello again! I’ve found a bin for you. “During the holiday season you can get a sterilite tree bin which has about 800 sq inches of floorspace (5161.28 sq cm)”
Sterilite 1987 - Tree Box Rocket Red 19876602
It comes back in stock again once holiday season hits. Hope this helps! So even if you make a temporary bin, you can always upgrade to this one later!

[lovehamsters01]

Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1

I know my friend uses the 200qt sterilite stacker aka 50 gallon in some stores, she gets hers from home depot. Maybe need to wait to see if they come back in stock.

I didnt even think of checking home depot! just found it there, thank you!