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Cage Suggestions for a Hamster

  • Thread starter ClemmyOddieIndy
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ClemmyOddieIndy

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I've adopted a hamster. It's been a while since I've had a hamster. This particular hamster has mad ninja skills. I have her in a glass aquarium (while I work on building a bin cage), with a screen lid. But, the first night she got the screen lid off and escaped. The second night, she got the screen lid off and escaped after I weighted it down with a towel (I guess not heavy enough). Now, I have weighted the screen lid down with two textbooks. Hopefully, she can not escape that. Can anyone recommend a store brand cage that is escape proof until I get time to finish the bin cage? She's a teddy bear, and is the biggest hamster I've ever seen. She's about the size of a 3 week old guinea pig.
 

lisa325

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All pet shop hamster cages, like guinea pig cages, are way too small. The best sized hamster cage I have seen and owned at one time was the "Tamburino" manufactured by "Fop". It was originally advertised as a guinea pig cage, but of course was way too small for a cavy. The only place I've ever seen it ( and actually purchased it from ) is abbaseed.com. I'm not sure about posting links on here and I don't want to get told off, but it's definitely worth you checking out. It was a great cage, all enclosed, with a wire top, that I'm sure your little ninja will not be escaping from, super easy to clean too.

I've just checked out the site and they have another cage that may interest you, similar sized to the Tamburino, once you take out all the junk that comes with it, lol. As I'm sure you already know, those tiny hamster wheels are awful and not at all suitable for hamsters, they need a nice big wheel.

Good luck in your search :)
 

lisa325

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I forgot to attach a pic of the cage set up when I had it. IMG_1350.jpg It's 29.5" long by 18.5" deep.
 

ClemmyOddieIndy

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All pet shop hamster cages, like guinea pig cages, are way too small. The best sized hamster cage I have seen and owned at one time was the "Tamburino" manufactured by "Fop". It was originally advertised as a guinea pig cage, but of course was way too small for a cavy. The only place I've ever seen it ( and actually purchased it from ) is abbaseed.com. I'm not sure about posting links on here and I don't want to get told off, but it's definitely worth you checking out. It was a great cage, all enclosed, with a wire top, that I'm sure your little ninja will not be escaping from, super easy to clean too.

I've just checked out the site and they have another cage that may interest you, similar sized to the Tamburino, once you take out all the junk that comes with it, lol. As I'm sure you already know, those tiny hamster wheels are awful and not at all suitable for hamsters, they need a nice big wheel.

Good luck in your search :)


Wow. Those cages look awesome! Thanks for the information. The cage she is in is way too small, and I wanted to get her into a bin cage asap, but I've just been super busy. Getting her was an impulse decision. I went to the shelter looking for a guinea pig because my oldest pig passed away. I always have trios (to ensure no one is ever alone), but all their pigs were already in duos or trios and I only needed one. Then I saw this huge fluffy creature that I took out and instantly fell in love with. My boyfriend convinced me I went there for a pig and should not adopt a hamster too. Then we talked about it for a few days, and I couldn't get her out of my mind. So I went back and adopted her. I found out she was left behind when some people moved out of an apartment. :-( I put her in the only cage I had, which was an aquarium, knowing that i needed to get the bin cage built asap. However, after seeing those cages I think I'll just buy one that is a good size instead of worrying about building one. I'm good with the C&C construction, but cutting holes in thick plastic is not my talent.
 

lisa325

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Bin cages are a cheaper alternative but you're right about cutting holes in them. You can really mess your hands up, not to mention leaving jagged edges on the actual bin that could injure the hamster. Some people melt the plastic with solder irons to make the openings smoother, but honestly, I couldn't be bothered with all the mess, lol.

I housed 3 different hamsters in that cage ( at different times of course ) and the day I donated it to a rescue it was still in excellent condition, so it more than paid for itself.

One of the hamsters I housed in it was rescued from a neighbor who actually left her in a tiny cage, on top of a fridge all alone during hurricane Sandy. She was the sweetest girl, and I'm glad I was able to make her last 13 months with us, happy ones.
 

sallyvh

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Here's a couple photos of my syrian hamster cage:

20160708_210550.jpg

20160708_210702.jpg

I used the guinea pig cage that my one sow came with when I adopted her from the shelter.

It was super easy to do, I just bought a roll of wire mesh from Lowe's and zip tied it all around. The tape is just around the doorway because it's a little sharp. It looks kinda bad and I need to redo it at some point in the future. You would need a little wire cutter tool.

It's very escape proof if you do a good, tight job. It would be even better if you use a guinea pig cage that is only open top.

I personally prefer this compared to a tank or bin because it offers lots of ventilation. It has a deep base for lots of bedding (He loves Boxo bedding, much more than carefresh or clean n'cozy). It's got lots of height too so I can fit his nice 12" wheel in. This cage offers about 480 square inches.

Stanley is an adult male syrian hamster. He's on the small side (120g). He loves his cage, please excuse the mountain he's made in the photo, he loves to burrow deep in the bedding.

I also kind of got him on a whim. Someone found him in a dumpster and mistook him as guinea pig (he's clearly not, they were just trying to help). I offered my help and once I found out it was a hamster I still ended up with the little fella.

I didn't really mind, it sounds terrible but he's about the simplest and least expensive animal to take care of. He's not overly social with me (who knows how he was treated in the past) but he always has a clean cage, a rotation of toys/accessories and plenty of food to eat so I figure he's doing fairly well.
 

ClemmyOddieIndy

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Sallyvh, that is a nice size cage too. You're a lot more creative than I am. I'm bad at just looking at a cage and seeing what "it is" not what "it could be".
 

nikdarg

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If you have the funds, another fun and interesting hamster cage is turning an IKEA Detolf glass door cabinet on its side. It looks very classy and it is a large space for a hamster to be in.
 
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