Confused in Searching for a Large Hamster Cage

Kintarō Hattori

Hi Folks,

A few months ago my partner came home with a Syrian hamster for our four year old. All is good, we enjoy the little critter but the cage he came home in is way too small for him and he's gnawing every night at the sides. It's one of these:

https://www.petstop.ie/abode-cage-hot-pink

I'm looking for something suitable for him but am struggling to find something suitable. Some triple layer ones seem OK but have wooden floors which is a problem for urine/chewing and the 3rd level is a long way to fall.

Can anyone help point me in the right direction?

VonVix

Check out Shauna's Pet Shop, they're based in Dublin. They only sell species appropriate habitats and recently have become the exclusive supplier of Rodipet (a rodent specialist company).

You ideally need a cage with 100x50cm (you might be able to get away with 80x50cm for a male Syrian or a Dwarf species) unbroken floorspace. Hamsters are a terrestrial species and need space to be able to burrow.

The likes of the Rodipet Nagarium, Hamster Heaven, Hamster Plaza or Ritz are suitably sized enclosures. Don't go for one with lots of levels, hamsters are not designed to climb and if they fall from a height they can hurt themselves. The chewing behaviour you're seeing is due to stress as he is unable to burrow deeply enough.

The habitat you listed is sadly not acceptable for any hamster to live in, and should only be used as a travel cage, not for long term use. Unfortunately they are often sold as suitable long term homes.

I hope that helps!

Kintarō Hattori

VonVix wrote: »

Check out Shauna's Pet Shop, they're based in Dublin. They only sell species appropriate habitats and recently have become the exclusive supplier of Rodipet (a rodent specialist company).

You ideally need a cage with 100x50cm (you might be able to get away with 80x50cm for a male Syrian or a Dwarf species) unbroken floorspace. Hamsters are a terrestrial species and need space to be able to burrow.

The likes of the Rodipet Nagarium, Hamster Heaven, Hamster Plaza or Ritz are suitably sized enclosures. Don't go for one with lots of levels, hamsters are not designed to climb and if they fall from a height they can hurt themselves. The chewing behaviour you're seeing is due to stress as he is unable to burrow deeply enough.

The habitat you listed is sadly not acceptable for any hamster to live in, and should only be used as a travel cage, not for long term use. Unfortunately they are often sold as suitable long term homes.

I hope that helps!

I wasn't happy with it myself (he was a decision my partner had made with little consultation so I wasn't happy). I've just ordered the below. I think it's the one you mentioned above?

https://www.zooplus.ie/shop/rodents/cages/hamster_mouse_cages/hamster_cages/197363

VonVix

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I wasn't happy with it myself (he was a decision my partner had made with little consultation so I wasn't happy). I've just ordered the below. I think it's the one you mentioned above?

https://www.zooplus.ie/shop/rodents/cages/hamster_mouse_cages/hamster_cages/197363

Yes, but keep in mind the Hamster Heaven is generally not suitable for female Syrians, the reason being is that they often don't fit very well in the tubes, they'll be more inclined to try and chew themselves out via the tubes. You're probably best off not bothering using the tubes supplied, the Hamster Heaven offers a way to optionally cover the holes up in the accessories supplied, I'd recommend it.

You may see what is called "monkey barring" from a female Syrian in this cage, where they scale the bars and hang from it, usually this is displayed when they go into heat and are searching for a mate, which is every 2-3 days(!). Ensure that the bottom is filled entirely with bedding (the likes of Kaytee Clean and Cosy being one of the best, soft, safe if consumed and easy to make burrows), up to the very top of the plastic base, this helps minimize stress behaviours from being displayed and also if your hamster falls, they have a safe landing.

Well done on upgrading you hamsters enclosure, they are one of the most forgotten pet animals in this country when it comes to their welfare. Often items sold for them are unsuitable and that we so commonly see (hamster balls, cotton, tiny hamster wheels) are unbelievably incorrect for their welfare.

Kintarō Hattori

We have a little fellow so we should hopefully be OK on that front. I'll check the tube situation before putting him into his new cage when he arrives. He hasn't used his wheel in ages so he's become somewhat tubby. I'm guessing as he grew it became uncomfortable for him to use.
I'll make sure that from now on his cage has plenty of bedding. My partner has been so nonchalant about him it's really infuriating. She refused to accept that his cage was too small. Then refused to accept that there wasn't enough bedding (you could easily see the plastic bottom of the case). He was/is taking the bedding down from his 'room' up high. He even takes the part of the 'bedroom' that you can remove.

I bought a playpen with a very large wheel and a maze to occasionally give him some variation. I don't know if that's a good or bad idea? I do plan on filling it with a few more things.

Kintarō Hattori

Playpen chewed through in a matter of minutes so sratch that idea. I'm open to other solutions, or is it just better to keep him in his cage most of the time?

Cherry Blossom

You can let him have the run of a suitably hamster proofed room. I used the sitting room but my hamster wasn’t inclined to try and get inside the suite of furniture. Be careful of fireplaces, electric cables and floor length curtains as these are all potential hazards. If your sitting room isn’t suitable or your hamster tries to chew his way inside furniture, you can use your bathroom or even just the bath itself as a playpen.

Always keep an eye on your hamster when he’s loose though as they get into trouble quite quickly and can get stuck somewhere they shouldn’t be.

VonVix

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

We have a little fellow so we should hopefully be OK on that front. I'll check the tube situation before putting him into his new cage when he arrives. He hasn't used his wheel in ages so he's become somewhat tubby. I'm guessing as he grew it became uncomfortable for him to use.
I'll make sure that from now on his cage has plenty of bedding. My partner has been so nonchalant about him it's really infuriating. She refused to accept that his cage was too small. Then refused to accept that there wasn't enough bedding (you could easily see the plastic bottom of the case). He was/is taking the bedding down from his 'room' up high. He even takes the part of the 'bedroom' that you can remove.

I bought a playpen with a very large wheel and a maze to occasionally give him some variation. I don't know if that's a good or bad idea? I do plan on filling it with a few more things.

Your partner just sounds like a lot of the general publics understanding and perception of hamster care, most people don't know how a hamster is supposed to be kept correctly.

Make sure the wheel is at least 27cm for a Syrian, you want him to be able to run with his back straight. They will sometimes avoid the wheel if it's too small/not comfortable to run in. Ensure it's a solid wheel, not a mesh one, as they can injure their feet easily with those.

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Playpen chewed through in a matter of minutes so sratch that idea. I'm open to other solutions, or is it just better to keep him in his cage most of the time?

He chewed through it as the desire to burrow is strong. Also keeping in mind hamsters are nocturnal, so he was basically gotten out of his bed if you put him in the pen early in the day, I'd only recommend playpen use for the evening times.
A correctly sized barred playpen is a better idea! https://www.shaunaspetshop.ie/small-pets?store-page=Trixie-Indoor-Hamster-Run-86cm-x-23cm-p257982794

Or alternatively if you have a bathtub, you can make a little obstacle course with it. Taking him out is great enrichment for him.

Kintarō Hattori

The bath sounds like a great idea but I'll invest in the playpen you've linked to as well. I firmly believe he should keep his instincts and shouldn't march to suit us. We only put him into the playpen when he had woken up, around 7pm.

He seems like a stressed fellow. I know his cage is probably largely responsible for this, I've bought the new one to alleviate this. Is there anything else I can do to help him out?

I sincerely appreciate the time and advice of all who've responded.

VonVix

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

The bath sounds like a great idea but I'll invest in the playpen you've linked to as well. I firmly believe he should keep his instincts and shouldn't march to suit us. We only put him into the playpen when he had woken up, around 7pm.

He seems like a stressed fellow. I know his cage is probably largely responsible for this, I've bought the new one to alleviate this. Is there anything else I can do to help him out?

I sincerely appreciate the time and advice of all who've responded.

Spot on!


Don't clean out his cage too often, just spot clean (replace patches of old bedding with new bedding), if you ever have to clean his cage entirely, remove his nest and set it aside, clean cage and then replace his nest. Over cleaning of his enclosure can stress hamsters out as they are immensely territorial.

firefish

Our hamster was v stressed in his old small cage despite getting out for a run around the kitchen every other day. He used to chew the bars. We upgraded to the Hamster Heaven and also just about managed to squeeze in a properly size wheel - I think that made the most difference as they can exercise and use up energy - they run miles in the wild. This one we bought had a 28cm diameter. Our guy loves the tubes in the hamster heaven although they’re a pain to clean!

the_syco

Have a decent lock on the cage doors :pac:

Many moons ago, my parents got a hamster. It would push his house underneath the hatch, and push the hatch open to escape. A few times my father came down at 6am only to find the hamster running around the kitchen, until we got a small lock to keep it closed

Knine

the_syco wrote: »

Have a decent lock on the cage doors :pac:

Many moons ago, my parents got a hamster. It would push his house underneath the hatch, and push the hatch open to escape. A few times my father came down at 6am only to find the hamster running around the kitchen, until we got a small lock to keep it closed

Oh yes.

We found the hamster in the middle of our First Holy Communion Buffet. Stuffing its pouches with ham sandwiches

Alun

Knine wrote: »

Oh yes.

We found the hamster in the middle of our First Holy Communion Buffet. Stuffing its pouches with ham sandwiches

That reminds me, my sister and I got a hamster when we were small, probably in the early 60's or so. My dad, being a woodwork teacher decided to make it a wooden cage. I think you can imagine how long that lasted! It escaped into a book shelf and started tearing books and magazines up to make itself a new nest

apache

VonVix wrote: »

Check out Shauna's Pet Shop, they're based in Dublin. They only sell species appropriate habitats and recently have become the exclusive supplier of Rodipet (a rodent specialist company).

You ideally need a cage with 100x50cm (you might be able to get away with 80x50cm for a male Syrian or a Dwarf species) unbroken floorspace. Hamsters are a terrestrial species and need space to be able to burrow.

The likes of the Rodipet Nagarium, Hamster Heaven, Hamster Plaza or Ritz are suitably sized enclosures. Don't go for one with lots of levels, hamsters are not designed to climb and if they fall from a height they can hurt themselves. The chewing behaviour you're seeing is due to stress as he is unable to burrow deeply enough.

The habitat you listed is sadly not acceptable for any hamster to live in, and should only be used as a travel cage, not for long term use. Unfortunately they are often sold as suitable long term homes.

I hope that helps!

I found Shauna's pet shop link very helpful. It's hard to find a variety of accessories for Guinea Pigs so will give this a go.

Kintarō Hattori

VonVix wrote: »

Spot on!


Don't clean out his cage too often, just spot clean (replace patches of old bedding with new bedding), if you ever have to clean his cage entirely, remove his nest and set it aside, clean cage and then replace his nest. Over cleaning of his enclosure can stress hamsters out as they are immensely territorial.

We've been doing it all wrong so, as we usually give it a complete clean out once a week. I'll bear in mind the nest thing, I feel bad now for what we've put him through.

What do you do though in regards to the ahem, very very numerous poops, if you shouldn't be cleaning it thoroughly. They are everywhere.

VonVix

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

We've been doing it all wrong so, as we usually give it a complete clean out once a week. I'll bear in mind the nest thing, I feel bad now for what we've put him through.

What do you do though in regards to the ahem, very very numerous poops, if you shouldn't be cleaning it thoroughly. They are everywhere.

Do you have a sand bath for him? Often they will use that as a toilet.

You're probably seeing him toileting everywhere due to stress, they will sometimes do this because they are trying to quickly lay their scent all over the cage. It most likely won't be instantly, but with decreasing the cleaning of his cage that you have been doing, he will begin to feel more secure and will toilet in one specific area.

And don't beat yourself up about it, sooo many people don't know much about hamster behaviour! We all start somewhere.

Kintarō Hattori

VonVix wrote: »

Do you have a sand bath for him? Often they will use that as a toilet.

You're probably seeing him toileting everywhere due to stress, they will sometimes do this because they are trying to quickly lay their scent all over the cage. It most likely won't be instantly, but with decreasing the cleaning of his cage that you have been doing, he will begin to feel more secure and will toilet in one specific area.

And don't beat yourself up about it, sooo many people don't know much about hamster behaviour! We all start somewhere.

I don't have a sand bath for him but will certainly look into that.

The new cage arrived today- it's HUGE compared to his old one. One question, how much of the 'wood chip' should I put down into his new cage? Is it ok to use or is there something better?

Lastly, it comes with a toilet and a bag of litter. I honestly didn't know there was such a thing as hamster litter, I doubt my local pet shop sells that. Where would be the best place to position the toilet to encourage use of it?

Many thanks.

VonVix

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I don't have a sand bath for him but will certainly look into that.

The new cage arrived today- it's HUGE compared to his old one. One question, how much of the 'wood chip' should I put down into his new cage? Is it ok to use or is there something better?

Lastly, it comes with a toilet and a bag of litter. I honestly didn't know there was such a thing as hamster litter, I doubt my local pet shop sells that. Where would be the best place to position the toilet to encourage use of it?

Many thanks.

What brand of woodchips are you using? There's a few brands out there that people generally don't recommend for hamsters as they are more likely to cause respiratory issues. The risk is up to yourself if you want to take it. I liken it to hayfever, 1 out of 20 of us may have it, but we're not gonna ban grass!

You need to fill up the entire plastic base to the top with bedding.

The best bedding would be the likes of Kaytee Clean and Cosy, Allspan, Chipsi (Classic) and Carefresh. Some people also use Aspen which is usually marketed as snake bedding, but it's a safe wood for hamsters.

You can use regular hamster sand in the tray, you don't have to use the exact same type of litter that comes with long term. The best way to teach them to use it is to put their little poos in the tray, they soon learn that's the toileting area. It's best to put it at the furthest point away from where they are nesting.

Also keep in mind the wheel that comes with the hamster heaven is too small for Syrians, it's only suitable for dwarf species like Roborovskis and Russian/Winter Whites.

Kintarō Hattori

VonVix wrote: »

What brand of woodchips are you using? There's a few brands out there that people generally don't recommend for hamsters as they are more likely to cause respiratory issues. The risk is up to yourself if you want to take it. I liken it to hayfever, 1 out of 20 of us may have it, but we're not gonna ban grass!

You need to fill up the entire plastic base to the top with bedding.

The best bedding would be the likes of Kaytee Clean and Cosy, Allspan, Chipsi (Classic) and Carefresh. Some people also use Aspen which is usually marketed as snake bedding, but it's a safe wood for hamsters.

You can use regular hamster sand in the tray, you don't have to use the exact same type of litter that comes with long term. The best way to teach them to use it is to put their little poos in the tray, they soon learn that's the toileting area. It's best to put it at the furthest point away from where they are nesting.

Also keep in mind the wheel that comes with the hamster heaven is too small for Syrians, it's only suitable for dwarf species like Roborovskis and Russian/Winter Whites.

I'll see what the shop has but certainly I'll stock up on suitable bedding for him. Now not to sound totally stupid but would he not have a hard time walking across all this bedding which is essentially soft? I can see him falling into it, if you know what I mean.

Got you on the wheel, I purchased a large one earlier in the week. If the plastic level is going to be full of bedding, I'm not sure there'd be room on the two provided platforms 🀔

Understood on the toilet. Should I put his current nest in one of the little houses or put it in the base of the new cage?

I really can't thank you enough for all your help. You've no idea how sincerely I appreciate it.

VonVix

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I'll see what the shop has but certainly I'll stock up on suitable bedding for him. Now not to sound totally stupid but would he not have a hard time walking across all this bedding which is essentially soft? I can see him falling into it, if you know what I mean.

Got you on the wheel, I purchased a large one earlier in the week. If the plastic level is going to be full of bedding, I'm not sure there'd be room on the two provided platforms ��

Understood on the toilet. Should I put his current nest in one of the little houses or put it in the base of the new cage?

I really can't thank you enough for all your help. You've no idea how sincerely I appreciate it.

Not stupid at all! He'll find his footing. Some people like to mix different kinds of bedding together, some people may do half Chipsi (wood based) and the other half Kaytee (tissue based), I keep my Russian Dwarves entirely on Kaytee Clean and Cosy and you'll see them decide what they want to do with it. Sometimes when a bedding is new it's quite "fluffy" but it settles down as the hamster uses it and makes their burrows.

You don't have to keep the platforms in the Hamster Heaven, you could take one out and have that side have the wheel. Some people also make a high side and a low side of bedding, but ultimately the hamster will decide what they want to do, giving them choice is what makes them happiest.

I'd put his old nest on the base, he'll decide where he wants it!

It's no bother, my field of work involves education and improving animal welfare standards in Ireland, with a strong focus on exotic pets, which hamsters fall into this category.

Kintarō Hattori

Turns out we had been using Chipsi (Classic). I put his old nest down in the corner but he's now made his nest in one of the little houses that come with the cage. He's also been using the wheel but I'll see if I can get him a bigger one yet.

He's still gnawing at the bars though I think not as much as the orignal cage. I'm no expert but I think he's a fair bit happier in this new cage. He's running around at speed, he's climbing the bars, exploring it more. He'll stop more often and stand up on his two back feet with the front paws out having a sniff. He's using the toilet and has been exploring the tubes and penthouse.

When I look at his original cage beside the new one, it's just shameful.

VonVix

If he's still quite chewy, make sure he has safe things to chew on. Hamsters teeth naturally keep growing throughout their lifetime. Wood based chews are the most popular, also Whimzees... yes, they are marketed as dog treats, but they're safe for rodents/rabbits/guinea pigs too.

Kintarō Hattori

Should I scatter the walkways on the platforms with bedding? Also, would you reccomend putting some bedding down in the 'penthouse', the little area at the top of the cage? I've noticed that anytime I clean the area of poop, he goes up and poops there again. I came down this morning and he's taken a load of food up there.

I bought him a bigger 8.5" wheel as while he was running on the one the cage came with, you mentioned that they really need a larger one.

I need to put more bedding down as the level has fallen now that he's been running around. How often do you change the bedding in the cage? Lastly, how often should his sandbath be changed as he seems to be using that to take a pee.

Many thanks again.

VonVix

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Should I scatter the walkways on the platforms with bedding? Also, would you reccomend putting some bedding down in the 'penthouse', the little area at the top of the cage? I've noticed that anytime I clean the area of poop, he goes up and poops there again. I came down this morning and he's taken a load of food up there.

I bought him a bigger 8.5" wheel as while he was running on the one the cage came with, you mentioned that they really need a larger one.

I need to put more bedding down as the level has fallen now that he's been running around. How often do you change the bedding in the cage? Lastly, how often should his sandbath be changed as he seems to be using that to take a pee.

Many thanks again.

Nope, you don't have to scatter bedding on the walkways, just as long as the base is full to the brim. If he wants bedding up top, he'll bring it there!

You can get rid of the penthouse altogether if it's more of a nuisance if you like. Up to you if you want to put bedding in there, with hamsters it's best to leave them to make their own decisions!

Just change a couple of handfuls of bedding every week or so and replace with new.

You can just scoop out the used bit of sand from the sandbath. You can empty and refresh the entire sandbath every 2-3 weeks or so.

Don't overthink it too much! You're doing great.

Kintarō Hattori

Many thanks for that. I decided to take the tunnels and penthouse out. He had made his nest up there in the last few days but he was chewing it to pieces. He started with the white connector rings, then when that was gone he started chewing the yellow base that the tubes actually connect to. Oh and he had been chewing the penthouse itself. Little fecker.

There was lots of plastic pieces in the tunnel so it's gone unfortunately.

deansnew

Shop around , that’s one of the most expensive places in Dublin . You will get cheaper than that