Looking for improvement for my cage

[pixiewings94]

This is my first post here on here but ive been lurking haha anyways...I redid my girls cage and this is what i have so far. Shes a syrian (, this is the biggest i can find right now so no hate pls). Thanks (:

[Ria P]

Hi and welcome to HC!

I would add a house with a flat, removable roof like the Ferplast guinea pig house or a sturdy shoe box house with an entrance cut out which would also double as a platform. You could have a bendy bridge leading up to it.

A tunnel like a cork or wicker tunnel may be a good addition because hamsters like to run through and climb on top of things.

There is a thread on the Forum under Housing called "Let's see your cages" where you can look at different set ups.

I don't know for how long you've had your girl but i find that a set up very much depends on what a hamster likes to do.
Some need lots of substrate to burrow in and others like to climb to sit on top of shelves for example.

You can create another level in a bin cage with a large platform on four legs with a long Trixie bendy bridge leading up to it.

See how your hamster gets on with the new set up and take it from there.

[kparham]

In relation to what Ria said, I would recommend something similar to this Niteangel Multi-Chamber Hide Out! The one I have linked is what I got for my russian dwarf, I would try and find something bigger for a syrian. My hamster loves it, and it's a great place for them to sleep. It also stays pretty dark during the day being a wooden enclosure

[monarchboy]

I also have a Syrian and he loves to climb on bendy bridges and small structures I have built with cardboard. I would suggest adding herbs around the cage and foraging toys.

[Pebbles82]

Hello and welcome! It looks great. Is it a bin cage? Syrians like plenty of variety and places to sit in and under without too much open space, so I would think about adding a few more things to fill it up a bit. A good house that’s dark inside is important as others have said. But she maybe already has a nesting place she’s happy with? The one thing I think is important is a platform or shelf. This really adds to their enrichment. It gives them something to sit under and feel secure, plus somewhere else to go - eg climbing up to the shelf. It’s also a good place to put heavier ceramic items like a food bowl or ceramic hides - so they don’t sink in the substrate if tunnelled under - and that in ifsekf frees up more floorspace to add another tube or tunnel or hidey place.

It can be harder with a bin cage as now bars to fix a shelf to. But you can make a platform quite easily or buy one. Some people use IKEA Knuff magazine racks as well (Google Knuff hamster shelf and click on images). They are easy to make without much diy but you may not have space for that. A simple one is just a shelf with some dowel legs glued on. Stable access to the shelf is needed too - a secure ladder or tube that is securely fixed.

If you don’t have room for both a large hiuse and a platform I would prioritise the platform - they do much better with some overhead cover and that extra level. And a medium house. Any decent house with a bendy bridge over the door to make it dark inside is fine. You can just make one out of a tissue box or small shoe box if funds are tight. The note angel ones are lovely but cost money