Syrian Hamster Cages
The first thing you need to think about when buying a hamster is cages. There are so many brands, price ranges and quality differences between cages. You really need to be careful when picking your hammy's cage. NOTE: The suggestions on this page do not apply for dwarf hamsters!!!
I own an iMac Fantasy cage (pictured left) for my 6 month old female hamster. When I have the money, I am going to buy another level to give my hamster more to explore. When you buy cages like this, they often come with a water bottle, house/nesting box, food bowl and wheel. The only thing I would keep from these three things, is the house. The water bottle you receive is often very drippy and flimsy, the food bowl is plastic and easy to knock over, and the wheel is often only 5inches in diameter - which is only suitable for dwarf hamsters. If you still use the wheel, you could be giving your hamster serious back injuries in the future.
Anyway, back to the cages. You want a nice, deep base so that bedding doesn't get kicked out. A 2nd floor is great and tubes add a little more space and encourage natural behaviour - although, make sure the box says 'suitable for Syrian hamsters' on it otherwise your hamster will get stuck in the tubes! A water bottle, food bowl and nesting place are essential, and they have to be of good quality and the house needs to be completely dark inside. Bar cages are best for Syrian hamsters, as they love to climb up and down and hang from the top bars. With any cage, it is best to have a lock on the cage door, even if it states to be 'escape proof' as hamsters are the next best thing to Houdini, and will escape from anywhere. Obviously, it needs to be of a good size, preferably 70cm by 30cm floor space overall or bigger if possible. Rat cages with bars closer together are perfect!
I own an iMac Fantasy cage (pictured left) for my 6 month old female hamster. When I have the money, I am going to buy another level to give my hamster more to explore. When you buy cages like this, they often come with a water bottle, house/nesting box, food bowl and wheel. The only thing I would keep from these three things, is the house. The water bottle you receive is often very drippy and flimsy, the food bowl is plastic and easy to knock over, and the wheel is often only 5inches in diameter - which is only suitable for dwarf hamsters. If you still use the wheel, you could be giving your hamster serious back injuries in the future.
Anyway, back to the cages. You want a nice, deep base so that bedding doesn't get kicked out. A 2nd floor is great and tubes add a little more space and encourage natural behaviour - although, make sure the box says 'suitable for Syrian hamsters' on it otherwise your hamster will get stuck in the tubes! A water bottle, food bowl and nesting place are essential, and they have to be of good quality and the house needs to be completely dark inside. Bar cages are best for Syrian hamsters, as they love to climb up and down and hang from the top bars. With any cage, it is best to have a lock on the cage door, even if it states to be 'escape proof' as hamsters are the next best thing to Houdini, and will escape from anywhere. Obviously, it needs to be of a good size, preferably 70cm by 30cm floor space overall or bigger if possible. Rat cages with bars closer together are perfect!
Home-made cages
A good, sturdy home-made cage can sometimes be superior to commercial cages. A big no-no for a home-made cage is one that is made of wood or mesh. Wood can be stained from when the hamster goes to the toilet, making the whole cage stink and become unhygienic for both you and your pet. Also, hamsters are incredibly good chewers and will chew through any mesh or wood on the cage. A plastic bin cage (pictured left) however, is a brilliantly cheap and effective alternative to wire cages. You will need to fit a strong mesh lid to provide good ventilation, though. The gaps must be no wider than 0.5cm apart, preferably, but anything smaller than 1cm will do. Make sure that the lid is removable, but there are no weak parts. To prevent this from happening, it is best to put a plastic or wooden frame around the edges of the wire mesh.
All-plastic Cages
I do not recommend all-plastic cages (pictured left), as they are usually made just for dwarf hamsters. They don't have very good ventilation and are generally very claustrophobic. Although, this cannot be said for well-made and suitable Syrian, all-plastic cages, such as the Habitrail Ovo (more on that in the next paragraph). The only other problem I have with all-plastic cages is that they are exceptionally hard to clean out, and it is quite difficult to get your hamster out of the cage.
The Habitrail Ovo cage
This is the Habitrail Ovo Suite cage. I absolutely love this cage (even though it is all-plastic) because it has a beautifully modern design and looks amazing! The top sphere also doubles up as a travel case, the wheel is a perfect size, and you can connect other Habitrails to this module as well! The food dish provided is above ground so that it doesn't get contminated too!
Here are some tips to help your hammy with this cage:
- Twist the tubes so that they are horizontal. This lowers the risk of the top pod from falling, and makes it easier for your hammy to travel through the tubes
- Twist the piece of tube with the water bottle in so that it is horizontal too. I have heard that a lot of people's hamsters have had trouble drinking from the bottle
- Provide another nesting area, as the one provided is much too small!
Here are some tips to help your hammy with this cage:
- Twist the tubes so that they are horizontal. This lowers the risk of the top pod from falling, and makes it easier for your hammy to travel through the tubes
- Twist the piece of tube with the water bottle in so that it is horizontal too. I have heard that a lot of people's hamsters have had trouble drinking from the bottle
- Provide another nesting area, as the one provided is much too small!
Conclusion
Always remember to re-fill your hamster's water bottle every day, give him fresh food and put plenty of chew-sticks (pictured left) to keep your hamster's teeth trim! Clean the whole cage once a week and clean the nesting box every 2-3 days