Wire cages
Wire cages with a plastic tray, available in a wide range in pet stores, are very convenient, and therefore are used most often. For dwarf hamsters, consider the following: the distance between the twigs should be no more than 6 mm. It will be better if the bars are positioned laterally so that the hamster can climb over them.
Cages range anywhere from the very simple to the very complex – with pipes, passages.
Advantages of the cage: it is easy to wash it – just unfasten the tray, a sufficient amount of oxygen enters the cage.
Cell Disadvantages: Noise. The hamster is a nocturnal animal and leads an active lifestyle precisely at night. And it makes quite a lot of noise (runs around the cage, knocks on the twigs with the feeder, gnaws on the twigs). Rubbish. Often hamsters, digging in sawdust – throw some of them out of the cage.
When buying a cage, consider the following:
• the minimum length should be 50-60 cm;
• the distance between the rods for a golden hamster is no more than 10 mm, for dwarf hamsters – no more than 5-6 mm;
• rods in no case should be rusty; a possible second floor inside the cage is made of synthetic material or wood;
• the arrangement of the rods must be absolutely transverse, since golden and striped hamsters climb well and with pleasure. Therefore, bird cages are not suitable for keeping rodents.
Artificial burrows:
A complex structure consisting of plastic modules connected by plastic pipes.
The design looks amazing – and most importantly, comfortable and fun for the hamster.
Pros:
You can assemble everything in parts – first, buy the main “room”, then separately buy additional ones: a special module for the wheel, just other “rooms”, a large number of plastic pipes – from which you can build long corridors and passages.
Cons:
These can come with quite a big price.
If the hamster is not yet accustomed to your hands, he will have many opportunities to hide from communication (just climb into the pipe), and to get him by force is unnecessary stress and does not contribute to the establishment of friendly relations.
Aquariums
Aquariums or terrariums with sliding fronts and vents can be used. On sale you can find aquariums for rodents – the walls of such an aquarium are low (compared to aquariums for fish). You can also glue the aquarium by yourself by ordering glasses of the size you need. It will be better if the glue does not protrude at the inner joints. The approximate dimensions of the aquarium for a dwarf hamster are 50/30/25 (30) cm (length, width and height). In the aquarium, the hamster makes less noise and is not available to other pets.
Disadvantages: The aquarium can be broken when washed. These types of cages do not allow for adequate airflow and circulation; this allows moisture and odors to build.
For small hamsters of the Roborovsky and Dzungarian dwarf hamsters, glass cages are more suitable than wire cages. Small hamsters hardly climb, and therefore do not need a trellis.
Therefore, both glass containers and leaky aquariums and terrariums with sliding front walls and ventilation surfaces can be used. For aquariums that are open only at the top, it is necessary that the height of the walls does not exceed the width. In an aquarium that is too high and narrow, the walls often become sweaty and bacteria begin to grow on them, as the air inside the aquarium is poorly ventilated. A wooden frame covered with wire mesh can serve as a cover for an aquarium. True, for the Roborovsky, Campbell and Dzungarian dwarf hamsters, this is not particularly necessary. In terrariums designed for reptiles, care should be taken to ensure that ventilation grilles (top or sides) and seals between the glass walls are not made of materials that the hamster can chew on, if possible. Of course
The large floor surface compared to the cage balances the lack of climbing opportunities. Recommended approximate dimensions for dwarf hamsters Roborovsky and Dzungarian: 50x30x25 (30) cm (length, width and height). For a golden hamster, the container should still be slightly larger: 80x40xZO (40) cm, and for striped hamsters 50 (60) x40x30 (40) cm. However, small colonies of hamsters need to be given a little more space. The above parameters correspond to a cage for only one or two animals!
Hamster Cage Accessories
The health of your hamster depends on the correct equipment of the cage.
It is convenient to use sawdust (soft – deciduous trees) as a bedding . You can buy them at the market or at the pet store; now on sale you can find flavored sawdust – with the smell of apple or orange. You can also make the bedding from soft paper (napkins, etc.). Both sawdust and paper have their own advantages and disadvantages. Sawdust absorbs odors and moisture better than paper. On the other hand, hamsters can become allergic to sawdust and sneeze. There are no problems with paper bedding in this regard.
Also, you should not use newspaper – 1) it is too stiff paper for small paws, 2) some hamsters eat part of the bedding, and the newspaper contains lead, which is also harmful for hamsters. You can use commercially available cat litter as a litter, but hamsters can rub the delicate skin on their paws with hard bits of it.
There should also be a house in the cage – this could be a clay flowerpot – they are cheap, easy to clean, and have ventilation holes. For dwarf hamsters, pots with a diameter of 8-10 cm are used, in the wall of which a 2×3 cm hole is carefully punched, such a hole will serve as a hole for the hamster. For the Syrians, the diameter is 12-16 cm, the hole is 4×5 cm.
Pet stores offer a variety of plastic and wooden rodent houses. The disadvantage of plastic houses – they are rarely suitable for Syrian hamsters – are too small. Houses made of wood are not very convenient, since moisture is absorbed into the wood and it is inconvenient to wash them – and after a while the house will start to smell unpleasant.
You can simply toss a few tissues (toilet paper or unscented towels) or a bunch of hay to the hamster to make his own nest. A hamster can make the same nest for itself inside the house, so that paper and hay will never be superfluous. Do not use cotton wool or fabrics – the hamster can get caught in them by the foot – which can lead to the loss of the foot.
Your hamster also needs a wheel , which can also be purchased at the pet store. In nature, the hamster runs a lot – storing food, and domestic hamsters also need to run. Failure to run can lead to obesity. Wheels can be freely installed and permanently attached to the lattice. If your hamster’s wheel is metal, it should be periodically lubricated with oil. It is best to use vegetable oil for this, as hamsters can lick it off, and machine oil can be harmful to them. Plastic wheels are often gnawed by hamsters and can quickly deteriorate. The dwarf hamster wheel should not have too much distance between the twigs – otherwise the hamster’s legs will fall through when running.
If your hamster does not want to run in a wheel (and they do it only at night), you can look for plastic balls on sale – you can put a hamster in them and let him run on the floor – in this case he simply cannot not run. The hamster cannot get out of the ball on its own. But watch out for him – if the hamster gets tired, he must be taken out and put in a cage.
There should be a tooth sharpener in the cage – this can be a mineral stone for rodents sold in pet stores, branches of fruit trees (or “chewing boards” sold in pet stores), sometimes the hamster prefers cage rods.
In a trough can be used clay bowls or plastic bowls; The most convenient drinking bowls for rodents are plastic bottles with a nipple or nipple. In trellis cages, drinkers are installed from the outside through a grate, in glass aquariums, drinking bowls can be used, or bottle holders are glued to the glass. Please note: bowls of water can be knocked over or covered with bedding material.
Where to put
The cage should not stand in a draft – hamsters catch colds easily; also, it should not be placed near heating devices – the air in such places is too dry, which can irritate the respiratory tract.
Do not place the cage next to loudspeakers and radios – hamsters are very sensitive to noise.
If you place the cage near the curtains , the hamsters can reach and tear them, using the pieces to build the nest.
Home Made Hamster Cages
We recommend not building your own hamster cage. Yes, there are many hamster cage plans out there that you can download, but in the end, a purpose-built hamster cage is the safest and best for your hamster.
The cost of supplies to build a cage can easily match the cost of a basic pre-made cage. In addition, the cages sold in most pet stores have been tested to ensure your hamster doesn’t escape. Home-built cages can have sharp edges, not to mention nails, screws etc that might poke through if not constructed correctly. We are not saying that a good cage can not be built at home, but for average hamster owner, a pre-built cage will be best.
