To not want to spend £55 on a hamster cage?

[sharlotroze]

Found one in Argos £19.99 person we are buying it from recommends a £55 one. That's ridiculous. AIBU?

Hamsters really benefit from large cages. Ours is huge.

Cage not the hamster 🐹

I agreed to a hamster because I thought they would be cheaper.

Hamsters are very intelligent and need a lot of space to explore. Don't skimp on a hamsters house. They live 2-3 years and need a lot of space. Dont be fooled into the cruel tiny cheap cages. They actually sell them for baby hamsters and expect you to get a larger cage as it grows.

Hamsters aren't that cheap. They need a decent house. Constant bedding changes every few days and fresh food and water. And yes please get 2 water bottles. My hammys became blocked and she nearly dehydrated and died. I only noticed after 2 days when her bottle was still full.

If you are scrimping on a cage at the expense of its welfare then you really should not be getting a pet.

If you want to quabble over £30 over something so important, please, please do not get a hamster.

Don't get anything.

Please don’t get any pet if your main concern is how cheap it is going to be. Any animal is expensive if you want to give it a good life. The cost of food, bedding, toys, vets if and when needed (yes even hamsters need to visit the vet on occasion!) ANY animal is a huge responsibility and should not be taken lightly.

Yes and please remember a pet is a family member not a commodity.

If you're bothered because that £20 would be a stretch, don't take a pet on at all IMO.

You say you agreed to a hamster OP. Does that mean it's being bought for a child who is asking for some sort of pet?

If that's the case I would really advise against getting a hamster. Firstly being nocturnal there really isn't a lot of day time entertainment to be had from them. They need to learn to trust their owners and unless they are given a lot of calm gentle handling they can be quite bitey. And they need an awful lot of cleaning out.

What do you mean by you "agreed to a hamster"?

Are you buying for a child and have reluctantly agreed to get a hamster to keep the peace?

Just don't. You need to actively want a pet. No animal deserves a half-hearted owner.

For the love of god no pet is "cheap" hamsters need things too..I had about 4 different cages during my last hamsters lifetime..

They run 5 miles a night in rhe wild. A tiny cage makes them depressed and often aggressive as a result, and is cruel.

I got a really big cage in perfect condition for 20 euro. Its previous occupier died. I got it on Adverts if you try gumtree and the like.

On another important factor. I just returned 6 baby hamsters 25 days old back to the pet shop on Saturday, As the little darling baby hamster we bought 6 weeks ago was pregnant I had no idea until she was inactive and there were little pinks things under her. Shocked I was.

They were really cute after 14 days.

And yes as said above, what if it becomes ill? I've spent 100s on ill rodents in the past. Especially worrying if you're getting it from a pet shop.
They're not great for children if that's what you're implying. Not diurnal , very nervous and need lots of respectful and gentle handling to become tame and handle able. If handled roughly or in a disrespectful way they bite, (& it f'in hurts !!) And then a child will be scared to continue. And they're delicate. If dropped or squeezed they'll injure/die easily. If it is for a child and you're not interested (or another adult ) then need to rethink IMO/E -& I have a lot of the latter.

The Hamster Heaven is the only Pets at Home cage big enough for a Syrian hamster, usually it's online only though and not in stores. One of mine had that cage, plus another two cages joined together with the tubes.

It dies take a whole pack of bedding to cover the bottom if it though. Last time I cleaned the cage, I was slightly shocked to work out it was £13 of bedding to get a decent layer in each section.

Hamsters are cheap to buy the actual animal, but the accessories and vets fees aren't (but still cheaper than many pets). If they need surgery or long term treatment, it can get very expensive.

TBH if cheapness is all you care about then please don't get a pet. Any pet comes with expenses if you do some research I think you will probably be surprised at just how much goes into owning a hamster.

I very much echo previous posters if your quibbling over a the price of a cage you really shouldn't be getting a pet.

Also they need to dig and if the poor thing is stuck in some nasty little box it can neither run far enough or dig deep enough.

It's surprising how many cages are sold in pet shops that are completely unsuitable for the animal they are supposed to house.

Some of the wheels sold for hamster are completely unsuitable too. You really have to wonder if the pet shops actually give a damn about the animals they sell.

YABU. Don't get a hamster if you cannot afford the cage.

www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rodents/hamsters/environment

Hamsters (syrian) are solitary, they will live and die in that cage with little trips out for a run around a ball. Don;t they deserve the right size cage.

You can go for second hand.

Just read up....

hamsters-uk.org/content/view/29

The better the cage the more entertaining the hamster will be too!

sharlotroze "I agreed to a hamster because I thought they would be cheaper."

They are much cheaper than almost any pet, but yo do need the initial outlay of the cage.

Please check the wheel is correct and solid...

www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/looking-after-hamster

Can i ask how old your child is? We got our dd a hamster at age 6. It was like pulling teeth getting her to help clean out the cage.

Sorry to add to the chorus, but to give a Hamster a good life is not cheap. You really do need a big cage & one with height too, they like climbing the bars & different levels.

As others have said, they need a big wheel. The ones that come with the cage are FAR too small.

They need a lot of interaction & stimulation as well, which isn't always easy as they're crepuscular (active dawn & dusk) & it doesn't make them the best pet for children.

They can be difficult for children to handle because they're small & fast.

They can be cantankerous little shits as well. We have been lucky with ours, but lots of friends haven't beeen.

I'm not even going to tell you how much the vets cost if they get sick.

We use the 'toilets', most of ours have wee'd in them & it really does cut down on the smell. We 'tidy' ours daily (remove obvious poop, change bedding in the little house, remove any uneaten food etc) and change the drinking water testing the flow. We do a full change of wood shavings every week & wipe the tray. About once a month it gets a full wash. Some people say they never do it because it stresses the Hamster out, ours have always loved it & love exploring their new layout & toys.

I don't resent a penny we spend on them, because they're part of the family & we love them, but to keep them healthy & happy is time consuming & not cheap. If you're not up for the hassle or expense then say 'No' to the child & put up with the whinging. Our last one died a few months ago & I really notice now just how much time they take. I miss having one, but I don't miss the cleaning & mess they make plus trying to make time to play with them at dawn & dusk & them not being awake when the kids want to fuss them etc. I might get an elephant next time, they can't be any more work & they won't spend all day plotting how to get under the bloody piano 😂

80% of the time I make the kids help cleaning out the cage, the 11 yo did it herself a couple of times, but it's not easy and they make so much mess doing it, I'd sooner be involved I make quite a mess too. They're responsible for food & water, but I'm always around to make sure it has been done.

sharlotroze - I was a bit hasty in my previous post after reading the whole thread.

I don't think you have anything maliciously but honestly I don't think there is really a cheap pet.

I think it's wonderful that you are considering getting a pet they can be absolutely fantastic for kids but it is about doing your homework and getting the right pet.

Like I said really if your getting a pet and your going to do it properly it's not cheap. After initial costs of buying the pet and setting up, you have food, vet, maintenance of environment for something like a hamster it's not a cheap business. Also hamsters are great pets but maybe not great for small children it's a common misconception they are nocturnal and can be quite bitey. The also need a lot of exercise as well.

I think the problem is when you set up for a pet yes you do want affordable but not at the expense of the pets welfare at the end of the day you get the best thing possible and to be honest £55 isn't bad when setting up with a hamster.

I would definitely do more research before you commit the pets welfare is number 1 and if you can't or are not willing to spend the money you should really get one.

Our cage is huge and was about 35 on amazon. It's like a blank canvas inside (almost) so we regularly put different kids toys or building equipment in (DH is a builder). Alan seems to approve.

You don't need to spend £55 on a cage.