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| Choosing a Cage |
| It's important to keep in mind that your hamster's cage will be its home for its entire life. Therefore, try to avoid buying a cage just for its fancy colours or its appealing design To make sure the cage will be suitable for your hamster(s), keep in mind these six points. * Size * Durability * Wire/Aquarium * Shape * Door (size, handiness) * Colour Size Although the average cage is 38 x 25 x 23 cm (15 x 10 x 9 in), this tends to be much too small for Syrian hamsters, which grow to be around 20 cm (7 in). The bigger the cage, the better. The ideal size would be 60 x 40 x 30 cm (24 x 16 x 12 in). This allows your hamster to have plenty of room to exercise and move around. The height gives you room to design the inside of the cage; for example, thin pieces of wood put horizontally (between the bars) at different levels in the cage will give your hamster more room by adding several other layers to the cage. Your hamster will enjoy climbing up onto the platforms (visit the Homemade Toys section for more cage ideas). A wide-based cage that is relatively high is better than a cage with a small base that is very tall as hamsters are near-sighted and are likely to jump or fall off the high platforms. Another way of giving your hamster room to exercise is by linking several "average-size" cages together with tubes. To do this, you'll need to buy cages which are meant to be linked; the "Habitrail Safari" cages are a good example, as the company also sells the tubes to link them. Your hamster will have fun running through the tubes, which closely imitate its natural burrow. Durability The last thing you want is to buy a cage that your hamster chews through in the first week. Any cages with metal bars are almost guaranteed "chew-proof"; the same goes for aquariums (plastic or glass) and cages that include both metal bars and hard plastic panels. Plastic bars or soft-plastic (fairly flexible or bendable plastic) panels, however, will eventually get chewed through. Wooden cages that have very thin panels can be easily chewed through by your hamster. Wooden cages can be used if the panels are thick enough (1.2 cm / 0.5 in or more), and the corners are tightly closed so that the hamster doesn't pry its teeth into the crack and chew its way out! Wire/Aquarium There are three main types of cages: wire cages, aquariums (glass or plastic), and cages that are a mix of wire bars and plastic panels. For Syrian hamsters, any of these three are suitable; for dwarf hamsters an aquarium is more fitting, as they can slip through the bars of wire cages. Click below to read more about the advantages and disadvantages of these cages: Brands and Types of Cages (under construction) Shape The shape of a cage, believe it or not, can make a deep impact on how happy your hamster will be. For example, round cages (like bird cages) should be avoided. Hamsters use corners to hide in, make their nest, store food, or use as a toilet area, and corners serve as landmarks to a hamster; without them, hamsters get confused, stressed and lost. In some countries round cages are banned, so try your best not to buy one! Regular, flat-topped rectangular cages are perfect for any hamster, they have corners (a very good thing!) and provide room for running and exercise. I have yet to see a square cage, but I'm sure they will be just as effective as rectangular ones! Triangular topped rectangular cages limit the amount of room your hamster has towards the top of the cage. If a high platform were placed in the cage, the hamster's room would be limited by the sharply angled roof. Door (size, handiness) When trying to lift a hamster out of its cage, it's much, much easier (I can't stress this enough!) if the door is large. Small doors are painful for the hamster (especially large Syrian ones) as they have to be held tightly in order to squeeze them through the opening. This can cause your hamster to become aggressive and untrusting. Most wire cages open from the top. This can often be inconvenient when taking your hamster in and out, and there is also more of a chance of dropping your hamster when placing it in the cage. Some wire cages have doors opening from the side. This is much more handy, and you can even let your hamster climb in and out itself for exercise (hamsters particularily enjoy doing this!). The side door can open upwards or downwards, the downwards one creating a ramp for your hamster to walk down. Almost every aquarium, and even some wire cages, have a removable lid at the top of the cage. This is ideal when taming your hamster or rearranging the cage. Make sure the door latches strongly and properly before buying the cage. Also, be wary if it looks as though your hamster will be able to chew through the latch. If this happens (or if you have a particularily smart hamster that has learned how to unlatch the cage) you can wire the cage shut. (If your hamster does happen to escape, you should find out how you can go about Finding a Lost Hamster) Colour Although hamster's are colour-blind, they can still distinguish between light and dark colours. With wire cages, the colour of the bars and the tray don't matter much; choose one that pleases you but that will give you the best view of your hamster. Aquarium-like cages that are tinted very dark colours (like some of the original "Habitrail" cages), tend to limit your hamster's view of its surroundings, as well as your view of it. A dark coloured cage can feel confining to your hamster whereas a light coloured cage will give your hamster a better view of its surroundings; hamsters are very curious and inquisitive and enjoy having a good view of what is going on. (to top of page) |
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| Equipment Feeding The Cage Handling An Interesting Life Finding a Lost Hamster Health Dealing with Hamster Loss |
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