Not to get a new hamster cage?

[hollyfrost]

Hi, I'd be really grateful for some advice from any hamster owners out there.
My DD begged me for weeks about getting a hamster, and I finally gave in after she showed me a hamster up for adoption - we didn't have a cage, so we bought the largest one our pet store had (this one - www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/pets-at-home-wire-grey-hamster-home-extra-large ).
Fast forward a few weeks - DD absolutely adores the hamster- she spent nearly £50 on buying the hamster a 'better' wheel (apparently the old one was too small ) and overpriced toys. Fine, it's her money, I didn't stop her.
But now DD is obsessed with getting her hamster a new bigger cage - I keep telling her that the one we have right now is perfectly fine (it is) and that the hamster sleeps all the time anyway (it does), but she just starts yelling at me for being 'cruel'.
I'm not cruel at all, I just don't think it's worth spending £££ on a hamster which already has everything it needs. Is DD being unreasonable, or am I?

(In case anyone's wondering she wants to get this one - www.zooplus.com/customerpicturedisplay/shop/rodents/cages/rabbit_cage/120_cm_cages/348157 . WAY too expensive for a hamster IMO)

If it’s her money, let her buy her hamster a larger cage.

Depending on where you read, that cage is either slightly below or above the minimum recommended.

Pet stores are abysmal when it comes to selling appropriate cages for rodents.

Yabu, it’s far too small. Pet shops are at fault for selling them in the first place, but tbh anyone that gets any new pet without doing sufficient research is equally to blame. I won’t recommend a cage because it’s years since we had them so I’m not up to date. But one does need to be provided asap, not for Xmas.

We have a four level cage for our hamster. We bought it from Amazon, they love the tubes. We have added to it with other accessories as well.

That one is still too small - it's floor space they need, not upward space

We built our hammy cage to save money, but I'd buy your hammy a bigger cage. Plus we take ours out a lot to play with him because he's so damn cute.

Really! Ours are dwarf hamsters. They seem to love running up and down the levels and tubes.

Pet shops in the UK are notorious for selling cages that are too small for hamsters. I bought two cages before realising and settling on the Barney from Zooplus - which was cheaper than the first two!

Hamsters run miles and need as much single floor space as you can provide.

I'm impressed at your daughter wanting to give her pet the best quality of life she can. Too many hamsters spend their lives in tiny cages with no enrichment simlly because they are seen as a cheap pet.

You daughter is a good egg and putting the welfare of her hamster before buying pointless stuff for herself should be encouraged. As said above the current cage is too small, fluffy bedding is bad and 28cm diameter wheel is minimum it sounds like she's doing some good research which is great.

That being said the one she wants is over priced, floor space is far more important than height therefore consider the Alexander or Barney cages mentioned above

Thanks for the replies. I understand that the cage isn't perfect, but as horrible as it sounds, I don't want to spend over £100 on a pet which lives max 2 years. I just don't think it's worth it - the hamster's nearly a year old already. Plus its old cage was much, much smaller anyway.
I suppose I could let DD save up for it herself though

Hmm maybe get a cardboard box and some toilet tubes and hide some treats in hay/straw around the box. I had hamsters for years and constantly had to buy new cages because they escaped, if the cage is fine, don’t replace it. It’s a waste of money, but if that’s what you daughter wants to spend her own money on then there’s worse things that she could be buying.

You're right, that does sound horrible.

YABU hamsters need space. I think it’s lovely that your DD cares a lot for her pet, plenty of kids lose interest in pets very quickly.

YABU also for posting when you clearly have no intention of listening to replies

Then maybe look for a more suitable cage on eBay or Freecycle. I think that it would be cruel to keep a hamster in a cage you know to be below the minimum required sized for the rest of it's life.

I used to have the first cage and it is too small for the hamster, sorry.

I got a cage off wayfair on which the bottom tray isn't muuuch bigger than that but it has 3 tiers and much more space for activities. It was around £25.

I knew it would be a Pets at Home cage before I got to the link We fell for their cage as well with our hamster. (I didn’t think I needed to do much research as all the hamsters I knew in the eighties has small cages and I thought the pet shop were trustworthy - I picked up their leaflet about hamster care with the rspca logo on it).

I was so annoyed when I found out from someone’s Facebook post that it didn’t meet minimum standards. We did end up getting the Hamster heaven cage, through guilt: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003QRPAR2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_S6MHDbDG7DS1S?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

The floor space is more important than height or tubes but this cage has a bit of both. It is a bit of a pain to clear out with all the bits but you get used to it!

Anyway, I know how you feel you don’t want to spend so much money but as a PP said it is good to encourage your DD in caring for her pet. Plus if she really loves hamsters she the cage might have a few more future residents!

Our hamster died this year aged 4. Surely it's worth making sure any pet has the best life you can give.

Oh, it's fun to make toys for hammy playtime! Cardboard boxes are excellent, we save kitchen roll tubes, too.

Hi there. I have owned many hamsters in my lifetime and the cage requirements (RSPCA recommendation) have changed in recent years. It is advised that Syrian hamsters are housed in cages with a minimum floor measurement of 80cm x 50cm. They are ground burrowing creatures so it is the floor space area rather than height (many levels) that is important. You can add platforms/hammocks for interest but be wary of ones with levels are they can be dangerous if the hamster falls from them.
We have 2 of the Slavic Hamster Heaven cages (bought from Zooplus but other sites sell them) with I’ve been happy with. The Alaska cage is another good one that meets size requirements and is reasonably priced at around £30.
It really does make a difference having the adequate cage with suitable substrate for burrowing if they wish and also correct wheel size (12” recommended to prevent spine damage).

*Savic Hamster Heaven cages

OP considering your budget I would recommend the Alaska which meets requirements www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/hamster_cages/hamster_cages/284288?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm-3Ousvi5AIVF4bVCh3iJA79EAQYAyABEgKmqvD_BwE

I don't want to spend over £100 on a pet which lives max 2 years. I just don't think it's worth it

Alaska cages are £31.99 at Zooplus, well below the minimum size requirements. Animal welfare is always worth it.

*well above

I don't think getting a pet and then knowingly failing to provide it with the minimum space it needs is ok really. The very least you can do is allow your DD to spend her own money to provide it with better quality of life.

Registered just so I could reply to this but long time lurker. I’ve worked with animals for several years and currently work in an independent pet shop (not pets at home).

First of all your daughter should be commended for doing her research and putting her hamsters welfare first. So many children get bored of their pets and they end up going to rescues (like my own Syrian hamster). She’s right that cage is too small for Syrian hamsters. Unfortunately many that are sold are too small and very expensive. Zooplus is a good website for pet supplies and tends to be cheaper. Also depending on how old she is and if anyone in the household is crafty then I also suggest googling how to make a ‘bin cage’ out of those deep plastic storage containers. There’s plenty of guides on google and you can make them as elaborate or simple as you want. But they provide much more deep floor space and probably a lot cheaper than buying a massive expensive one. I just suggest not using the tubes as connectors because they’re often too small for Syrians and hard to clean. Ladders and ramps are best. :)