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?

This is my Syrians cage with her old cage on top for comparison! The bigger one is the Barney with a 12" wheel in. There's space for her to run, climb and burrow.

The smaller cage actually cost more than the big one! And that was an upgrade from the first cage which I realised was too small after only a month.

ploppie lol@Alan the hamster!

I once had to be 'rehab' for a hamster that was aggressive, jumpy and constantly growling and hissing. The cage (marketed as a hamster cage) was FAR too small. I didn't have much money, so I went rummaging in markets and second hand places and found several cages, and put them all together with cable ties. Not ideal I may add, as not very aesthetically pleasing, but big enough. Second hand cages are available just make sure they're disinfected with pet friendly substances before use.

Within a few days the noise had stopped and the hamster was more open to being handled and I gave it back to the owner and explained the above. Manufactured hamster cages are an atrocity. They're FAR too small. I had my last one in a 'Jenny' rat cage.

Agree about the wheels. They need a proper one, a large one and not the kind that has a metal bar across that rotates when they use it as they can trap their head in it. The types that come with hamster cages are too small and can damage their back.

One tip-I've had a hamster fall from a high cage, land on a toy and die have to be PTS because of injuries. If you do have a high cage (which is great for climbing) try to arrange the cage so that they don't land on something hard if they fall.

(I hope the OP is still reading).

Our cage was £5 from Oxfam, with a hamster ball thrown in. He was the most loved hamster ever (though other posters may beg to differ). He had a free run of the upstairs landing (with all doors closed) and he used to climb the house stairs every night up to DS2's bedroom. He lived a long and healthy life with lots of exercise and is very much missed.

Agree with previous posters that a hamster isn't a suitable pet, really, for a very young child.

Hamsters are definitely not "cheap"! My oldest syrian just turned 2 years old and is on his third cage, he's managed to figure out how to get out of the previous 2, one by eating through the side of it, its scary it only took him half an hour to chew a hole big enough to be half out when my dad went to investigate the noise. So that's £100 on his cages alone (first one was from a previous pet so thats the cost of just 2 cages bought specifically for him) They inevitably chew their houses and toys so they need replacing every 3-6 months (i buy wood ones only) and they need their entire bedding changed at least once a week, it works out at 2 of 3 lots of bedding per big bale i buy (£2 in pound world) and i have 5 syrians so 5x the costs.

I've had to replace cages for 3 of them, because some of them were chewers and were making holes in the plastic trays. 2 know how to escape their cages so have locks on their doors.

A few weeks ago i had to pay £50 to get a 5 month old syrian put to sleep because she had developed a massive internal abdominal tumour. That was the cost of the gas to knock her out to keep her calm and then the actual injection to put her to sleep. They waived the £50 emergency same day consultation fee (£30 for a regular consult). When my dad mentioned how young she was to be put to sleep when in the petshop we got her from, staff admitted all the hamsters they get from their breeders are inbred and prone to issues like tumours. They offered to give me a free hamster, i didn't take it.

I currently have 3 who are losing fur. 2 it's from scent rubbing but one is losing weight and has had most of his bum (he was sold to me as a she) go bald, which means he probably has a hormone imbalance, waiting on a vet app. He also only has one eye.

RSPCA will NOT treat animals like hamsters, the only thing they will do is put them to sleep. If you can't afford to pay up to take them to a proper vet, or get special small pet insurance, don't get a hamster. You would be surprised how many health issues they can have.

Also, theyre not the best pets for young kids. My youngest syrian i got on august 10th, and he still will not allow you to touch him. Even with experience of hamsters, talking to him, making sure he knows im there, letting him see my hand and smell it, and coming from the front at eye level not above, he gets jumpy and flinches from even the lightest stroke. Maybe he will come around once he's bigger, or maybe he will be a hamster who will just never want to be touched and handled. There's no way to know their temperament until after several months of ownership. I've only ever been bitten three times, all my fault for startling the hamster (first time ownership and i tried to touch too soon after he woke up, second time i'd put the latex gloves on to clean him out before i took him out of his cage and he didn't know the smell, and the third was with a female who is a climber who escaped the area of the floor i let them out to run around in and was going somewhere possibly dangerous and i grabbed her in a panic, she let me know she didn't appreciate it)

Jillsandwich not sure if you've tried this but to tame I tend to get a large car board box (one a TV or similar would come in) and a narrow (clean!) paintbrush or make up brush, put something familiar to the hamster in the box ( hamster house etc)and let hamster run around in box. Rub your hands on the brush and touch hamster gently with brush. Repeat and then try touching with hands. Eventually try picking hamster up just few inches from floor of box. Keep trying :)
Sorry for derail !