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Old 09-15-2022, 12:24 AM   #1
pinkneon
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Default Cage recommendations?

Hello, wow, it's been a long time since I was last here! Life has been crazy!

Anyway, I am back and hoping to get a new hamster friend soon. But I'm wildly out of touch with what is available and can not remember where I used to buy hamster supplies from and wondered if someone can help with some cage recommendations please? I'd most likely be getting a Syrian hamster, as I know more about them and am more confident with them, however I am open to getting a dwarf hamster too, so cage recommendations for either would be most welcome please!
And if someone can remind me where to get suitable sized wheels from too please!
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Old 09-15-2022, 01:16 AM   #2
cloudy
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Default Re: Cage recommendations?

Hello pinkneon. Many people like the Silent Runner 12 inch wheel for Syrians. Hopes healthy treats sells a 30cm wooden wheel which can be used for Syrians.

As for cages you will find so many mixed opinions. Many people customise Ikea furniture to make cages for hamsters.

I do not know if you use Etsy but I have found lots of lovely hamster items on there.
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Old 09-15-2022, 06:00 AM   #3
Ria P
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Default Re: Cage recommendations?

Are you looking for a barred cage or a tank style?

Personally, i prefer the barred type and have a Syrian in the Savic Plaza and a Robo in the Savic Hamster Heaven.

The Zoozone 2 could be an option for a dwarf or an Ikea detolf. For a Syrian the Eco World habitats or a Skyline Marrakesh or an Ikea hack like a Linmon or Kompliment could be an option.

There is a very helpful thread here for suitable cages Luna compiled. Have a look on the Forum under Housing.

With the Brexit availabilities are limited now and that applies to food too. Zooplus, package pets, vetsend, Rodipet, Getzoo are more examples of websites.

I buy wheels from the sugarglider shop because they stock the Silent Runners but availability can change from day to day.
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Old 09-15-2022, 11:06 AM   #4
pinkneon
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Default Re: Cage recommendations?

Thank you both.
At the moment it would most likely be a barred cage. I don't currently have the space (nor the expertise!) to customize any IKEA furniture, and I'm not even sure there is an IKEA in my area!
I have been looking at the Savic Plaza - would this be suitable for a dwarf hamster if I was to get one in the future? I wasn't sure about the bar spacing. How much smaller in the Hamster Heaven to the Plaza? And how do you block the parts where the tubes and penthouse is? I know those wouldn't be particularly suitable. The bigger wheel would fit in both those cages would it?
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Old 09-15-2022, 11:18 AM   #5
Stanza
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Default Re: Cage recommendations?

Hi Pinkneon, my Syrian lives in a HH, the cage comes with two plastic clear covers that close off the tube openings on the top and I’ve got the top door where the penthouse normally sits closed and tied shut for extra security.

The Savic plaza gives a similar floor space but is slightly taller which would be nice for a Syrian as it would still give good substrate depth and you could have an area of upper shelves and perhaps a rat Sputnik for an extra enrichment level.

Definitely worth looking on the front page of the forum for the housing post that Ria mentions, there are also lots of photos of everyone else’s cages.
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Old 09-15-2022, 11:28 AM   #6
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Cage recommendations?

Hello Pink Neon! Lovely to see you and welcome back. You had an Alexander cage before I seem to remember. The nearest equivalent now is the Savic Plaza (which I have . It's almost exactly the same size as the Alexander but without the curved top and has a big front door instead of the two small doors and top door.

It's not perfect but it's a good cage for a Syrian. You can get it at pets at home. The only thing is it doesn't come with lots of stuff like the Alexander did. The shelf isn't very good and there is no decent house. I also seem to remember you had a Savic Rolly wheel before didn't you? That would be fine, or there are other options. I struggled a bit with syrian wheels myself recently. There is also the 28cm trixie wheel still as well.

Everything has changed so much since the pandemic - zooplus hardly sells anything in the Uk now.

I also have a Savic plaza for our robo. So yes it can be used for a dwarf hamster - but the height is an issue. What I did was stick 10" tall cardboard round the inside of the bars (just used cable ties to keep it in place) and have very deep substrate - this takes about 9" off the height of the cage basically - raises everything up so the floor level is higher.

I would get another syrian though
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Old 09-15-2022, 11:32 AM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Cage recommendations?

To do it on a budget - after buying the cage. I used a large cardboard shoebox house initially. Although I did buy a different wood shelf (so it had a shelf like the Alexander and Barney used to have) as I didn't like the plastic one and it restricted the set up. However you could still use the plastic one it comes with. Pringles tubes make good floor tunnels.
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Old 09-15-2022, 11:38 AM   #8
pinkneon
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Default Re: Cage recommendations?

Awesome thanks Serendipity! Yes I had an Alexander before and I hated how difficult the shelves were to put in!
Where would you recommend getting shelves from? I tried to look online but not finding any - could also not be looking for the right thing! It's been so long that I don't remember much what I've had in the past!
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Old 09-15-2022, 12:08 PM   #9
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Cage recommendations?

I ended up getting one on ebay. The seller actually cut it to size However it came with weird fixings I didn't like so ended up making new holes and using screws and washers instead. The other places that does shelves (and might make one to the measurements you give) is ranchouse cages - which is where I got my previous shelf but they aren't doing as much as they did before the pandemic.

This is the one I got. They cut the width to 18.74 inches which fits exactly inside the Plaza. And they cut a bit off two corners so it fitted (the cage is curved inside at the corners). No extra charge. Although the shelf isn't cheap.

As you can see, the fixings are like bolts that stick out and you then put nuts on the end. However that made it almost impossible to get the shelf in the cage! With bolts sticking out on 3 sides - no manoevrability. As it happened they pulled out quite easily so I left them on one side (at the back) and OH drilled a couple of small holes in the other two sides so I could just use normal screws instead, with the washers provided. the other thing with the bolts was - they stick out - you could get caught on them as you walk past the cage.

Anyway - it's possible they may just make holes for you and supply screws instead of prefixing the bolts - if you ask nicely! She makes them herself.

Meadowland 20" x 10" KIln Dried Pine Shelf Ledge Chinchilla Degu Rat Guinea Pig | eBay
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Old 09-15-2022, 12:12 PM   #10
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Cage recommendations?

There are other wood corner shelves that people have used as well - overlapping. There's nothing wrong with the plastic one the cage comes with except - it has holes along the front (which I worried a hamster could get a foot caught in but it might be possible to fill in the holes) and it's big and with the ladder attached it really limits the floor area for other items.
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