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)

I've had many hamsters over the years, one living to around 5 years old! So please don't just expect the hamster to drop down dead when it hits 2 years!

I would also recommend a larger cage. As PP's have mentioned, if it is a Syrian hamster, they love to climb (and swing) from the bars in their cages, so an all glass walled cage wouldn't be ideal.

As another PP said, don't get a rotastak cage with the add ones. Yes they are fun for the hamster and it means you can change up the configuration whenever you want. The hamster I had that had the rotastak, also managed to chew her way through some of the tubing and was found casually strolling across my bedroom floor one evening!

Sorry to jump on someone's thread, but can anyone recommend a cage for 2 gerbils? Reading this I think ours is too small. It was a Petsathome purchase and the biggest they had.

FamilyofAliens. You are wrong. A lot of hamsters bite the cage bars and this becomes a habit. You can place bits in glass cages for hamsters to climb on such as hammocks and bridges. In the wild there aren’t many 1cm spaced wire bars available!

I made a “bin cage” for my hamster out of a large ikea storage box. Loads of tutorials on YouTube. Wasn’t expensive to buy the stuff either. Hamster seemed pretty happy in it. I could fill it quite deep with bedding and she loved to make tunnels.

Having read your replies, I see I may have been very misinformed. I'll look into those other cages, although to be fair they're hardly larger than the one we already have.
I was actually planning to a rabbit for my DD after the hamster (because they live for longer and are more cuddly) so I suppose a new cage would be useful.

Even if the Op ignores all this advice and the welfare of her daughter’s pet hamster, hopefully this thread will be read by others who are thinking of getting a pet hamster, and they will now think twice before buying too small a cage.

They will now know that there are some great options out there that are often cheaper than the too-small, over priced options sold in , especially at online stores such at Zooplus. They will now know that Syrian hamsters need a big wheel that is comfortable for running on and will not hurt their backs, and that hamsters need to dig and tunnel.

So thanks Op for starting this thread. Fingers crossed it will prevent at least some hamsters from a life of misery, if not yours.

OP I was just about to say well done for taking advice on board then you said you planned to shove a rabbit in a hamster cage

I'm sorry, I'll clarify - didn't mean that the rabbit(s) will live in a hamster cage, but from what I have read the one DD found is actually a guinea pig / rabbit cage as well

Oh blimey, you aren’t serious Op?

If you get a rabbit cage check bar spacing. A hamster may be able to get out. My rabbit had a cage, but was able to come and go as he pleased. They are pretty easy to litter train. He lived until he was 11. You may still have a bunny once children grown up!

Ive had lots of hamsters over the years, I always use a detolf tipped on its side. The small ones from pets at home are always far too small.

Would something like this be suitable - www.ferplast.com/gb/maxi-duna-multy.html ? Bar spacing is 1cm, I think.

Try posting on Freecyle to see whether anyone has an old 3-4ft aquarium going spare (doesn't need to be watertight obviously). We used to keep ours in aquariums with air holes drilled in the lid. They get offered up fairly regularly on my local page. That essentially seems to be what the expensive cage she likes is. We used to make 'cardboard cities' for ours from old cardboard boxes and toilet roll tubes.

If she enjoys taking good care of her pet, then I think that's to be encouraged. Without wanting to sound morbid maybe she will decide she'd like to have another hamster after her current one passes.

Please don't put rabbits in a glass cage like the one you posted. For one thing they should be outside as long as the weather is OK and brought inside if it's too cold. So a hutch WITH a big run is needed for outside. You NEED a run, it's not fair to keep them locked up in a hutch all day.

The glass cage your daughter wants is too big really for a hamster, although it wouldn't negatively impact on the hamster. There's plenty of smaller ones available that are still a good size.

The cage your daughter is looking at may say it's 'suitable for rabbits' but that doesn't mean it actually is.

You really need to do some more research before considering a rabbit in the future- they have more complex requirements than people think, the number of poorly kept rabbits in unsuitable accommodation is sadly high. I used to work in animal welfare and the number of neglect cases we used to get...ignorance is no excuse

FamilyofAliens. You are wrong. A lot of hamsters bite the cage bars and this becomes a habit. You can place bits in glass cages for hamsters to climb on such as hammocks and bridges. In the wild there aren’t many 1cm spaced wire bars available!

And neither are there habitats made of glass

Really? Most rabbit cages at the pet store are smaller! I'll have to research them more carefully, I suppose. I'm just tired of constantly replacing cages (we recently got a new one for our budgie, too) and would ideally prefer to have one suitable for a range of pets.

I also have a Syrian hamster and the bigger the better cage size wise- you would be surprised the difference more floor space and enrichment makes to their quality of life. Your daughter sounds like she really cares about her pet and that should be encouraged, not dismissed because it's 'just a hamster' They may not live very long, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't consider their welfare. I'm glad you're considering the advice you've been given, and I hope you follow it.

from what I have read the one DD found is actually a guinea pig / rabbit cage as well

According to the PDSA, the minimum space for a rabbit would be 6ft x 2ft x 2ft plus an 8ft run.

Guinea pigs need 127cm x 78cm as a minimum for two guinea pigs (its cruel to keep just one).

The cage is nowhere near big enough.

You need to do some proper research before buying these animals.

Just checked our cage: 78cm long x 48cm wide x 33cm high and a 30cm diameter wheel.

The advice DD got when she bought it was not to fill it so full of toys that her hamster had little space to burrow or make tunnels and nesting places.

Rabbits are going to be a lot more expensive to care for than a hamster. They need vaccinations against myxomatosis and should be kept in pairs or small groups, so will need vary spacious living quarters. They also stress very easily so aren't really a pick up and cuddle type of pet.

Yes, the 'rabbit cages' they sell in a lot of pet shops are smaller, they're also unsuitable. Rabbits need a lot of space and are a very active pet. An example of a good set up could be a shed with outdoor run attached- the measurements we asked for were 10ftx6ft minimum- plus they need height too, a lot of the runs are too low to the ground to allow them to exhibit natural behaviour.

Seriously, do your research. And if it doesn't sound like something you want to do, then don't get a rabbit.

Just buy the hamster an Alaska from Zooplus. Hamsters and Guinea pig cages are not interchangable.

Please don't buy or adopt a pair of rabbits or guinea pigs unless you're prepared to spend ££ at the vets.

I've got a hamster and 2 guineas. If any of them are poorly they go straight to the vet. The last hamster I had lives until he was 3, in his last few months I spent over £100 at the vet. My guinea pig cost me £400 in February but she still died.

Small furries are not disposal pets. They are the same as dogs and cats and need the same access to health care. If you are loathe to spend £100 on a decent cage, which you don't have to for a hamster, then don't get the animal in the first place.

That's way too small for rabbits op, or piggies. Also expensive.

DD is correct you do need a larger cage. I know you don't want to spend lots of money however just think you can always sell it or use it again for the next pet. Have you checked eBay or Gumtree or anywhere like that for a preloved one?