10 gallon tank

[PrayerWarrior]

Is it the absolute worst possible thing for a hamster? I don't see how it would get any more/less ventilation then a tub, though, and those are pretty well accepted.

[Haley0489]

I've seen tons of hamsters housed in aquariums. However, 10 gallon is too small, you'd need a 20 gallon long.

[crazywiggy]

This isn't fact - just my opinion on the issues you raised...

The main problem with poorly ventilated cages is that because the air can not circulate, you get a build up of ammonia (from urine) inside the cage - which is very unhealthy.

Guinea pigs should be housed in pairs or groups, hamsters (assuming you mean Syrians) are solitary. Piggies produce huge amounts of urine and faeces for their size - hamsters actually produce very little comparitively. And due to the size difference it is easier to provide a "huge" cage for a hamster, than it is for piggies.
Therefore, assuming the hamster is housed in a suitably large cage, and cleaned out frequently enough, a tank should be fine.

Bear in mind that air circulation is not simply affected by the height of the sides, but by the area of the cage as well. E.g. a 1x1x1 foot cage would have awful ventialtion - but a 2x3x1 would have reasonable ventilation. So when using a tank or similar high sided cage, make sure it is as large as possible.

However, saying that - I would not personally house a hamster in a basic tank - they love to have a complex environment, and to climb etc. so I prefer wire cages.

Finally, even if you wanted to use a tank, steer clear of 10 gals. They are just far too small in my opinion. Once you put a hidey and a wheel in them there isn't room for much else. I had a chinese hammie as a kid in a 10 gallon - certainly wouldn't do it again. For info, the RSPCA recommends a hamster cage should be at least 75x40x40 cm.

Hope this helps!

[PrayerWarrior]

Thank you, crazywiggly. All of that information was very helpful. A very knowledgeable opinion, it does sound.

All of it made me very sad, though, as we housed our previous Syrian hamster in it. That's why I asked, since we had it. We had a wheel, his food bowl, a wash cloth, and a chew stick thing in there at all times. And a wire cage top that held the water bottle, and he would climb up the water bottle onto the top of the cage.

Since I would have to get a new cage anyway, I think I would use a wire cage.

[crazywiggy]

Sorry - didn't mean to make you sad!
I also had hammies in a 10 gal - originally two chinese, until one decided to leave and not return..... At the time it never occured to me it might be too small.
Glad I could help though.

[AnimalHouse36]

Originally Posted by PrayerWarrior

Since I would have to get a new cage anyway, I think I would use a wire cage.

I owuld suggest a bin cage. I've heard reat reveiws on it! CritterScoop - Bin Cage Instructions

[PrayerWarrior]

I have another question. Would a 10gal tank be good for any animal(s), besides fish?

[crazywiggy]

I personally wouldn't keep any small furries in it. Even dwarf hamsters and mice need plenty of space.
The only small furry I would consider keeping in a 10 gal is pygmy mice. I've only ever seen them once and they are tiny - way smaller than regular mice, and could not be housed in a wire cage anyway.
However, they are almost unheard of here (not sure about the States) so I don't imagine they come up in rescue very often, if at all.

Don't know about other types of animal - maybe stick insects or land snails?

[PrayerWarrior]

Not really interested in those. Thank you, wiggy!

[Silverbeat]

You can build an extension to make your 10-gal a 20-gal and house a trio of mice/gerbils in it. http://www.icubed.com/users/mfichten...article-11.htm

[PrayerWarrior]

That sounds pretty neat, but the link didn't work.

[crazywiggy]

I hadn't though of that....

Not sure if this is what Thief was getting at, due to missing link, but you can buy tank toppers in some stores.
These look like normal wire small animal cages only without a bottom. They are made to fit standard size tanks. Most have a couple of levels, giving the animals more space for play and toys.

I won't post a link as I don't think it would be allowed, so just try googling "tank topper" and see what you find.

Otherwise, you could always make your own, with mesh or mesh grids.

I think if you extended upwards enough a 10 gal would be okay for the smaller furies.

[Haley0489]

I considered tank toppers when I was looking into getting some hammies. While it's a good concept, all the hamsters I've had are notorious for climbing upside down on the cage roof. I decided against tank toppers very quickly once imagining my ham falling from the tippy top of a wire tank topper to the very bottom of a glass aquarium. It's a pretty far fall for such a little creature.

[PrayerWarrior]

I did google, and that is pretty neat. I'll keep looking into it, keeping in mind Haley's thoughts on it. Thanks wiggy!

[crazywiggy]

I just had an idea that would give the animal more usable space, and reduce the risks Hayley mentioned....

Tank toppers are designed for gerbils, as they need to be able to dig. The idea is that the tank part would be pretty much full of bedding, so the fall wouldn't be so great.

With a hamster or mice, you don't need such deep bedding - hence it would be a longer fall. The animal may also have difficulty getting to the topper part of the cage.

So what you could do is build a coroplast base just like you would for a c+c piggie cage. Make it so that the topper fits just inside it, and it rests on top of the tank. Cut a hole in it and put in a tube or ladder so the animal can climb up to the upper levels from the tank. Put bedding on the coroplast level - it provides a whole extra level and reduces the distances the animal could fall.
Of course, you would need to find a way of securing it to make it more stable - maybe tape it to the tank?

Or failing that, you could leave the tank and topper as they are and just keep gerbils in it.

[PrayerWarrior]

Whoa, wiggy, that's a great idea. You're a genius! Thank you so much for sharing! I will definitely take that into consideration.