Omlet Qute for hamsters or mice?

[Sortingfinances]

Hi
I've just seen a good deal on one of these on eBay.
What do you think about this instead of an 80cm wide one-level cage?
I want to get the right cage but space is limited.
We are looking at rescue mice or hamster (Syrian).
Thanks!

Awful, awful things. Avoid like the plague.

They are designed primarily for people who want the hamster cage to match their Ikea furniture, rather than for the welfare of the unfortunate inhabitant. They're crap because

• they're too small - when sizing hamster cages you can only count the unbroken floorspace (aka footprint) - shelves and levels are a bonus. 80x50cm (4000 sq cm) is the welfare bare minimum. The Qute is only 48x37cm (1776 sq cm)
• the vertical tube will be a struggle for dwarves (my dwarf can't cope with anything more challenging than a 45 degree angle) and elderly Syrians
• on older models, as the one you've seen on eBay may be, the wire floor is dangerous and can cause bumblefoot - a cutesy name for a dangerous foot infection.
• It's not big enough to house the 28cm diameter wheel that Syrian hamsters need to avoid causing spinal damage
• it's vastly overpriced for what it is

I'd suggest going on Zooplus.co.uk where they sell the excellent Alaska, Barney and Alexander models, which are all cheaper than the Qute, have free P&P and great customer service. I'd be surprised if you can't fit an 80x50cm cage in your house (I have a 100x50cm and an 80x50cm in the bedroom of my flatshare) but unfortunately if you can't then you don't have space for a hamster.

Thanks. I suspected as much and here is the best place to be told straight!
I've bookmarked that website and those dates from old posts so will go for 1.
Barney is current front runner.
Thanks again!

The Barney is a brilliant choice - I have the very similar Alexander (basically the same cage but with more wooden fixtures and fittings) and can't fault it. You'll need to replace the wheel it comes with (I'd recommend the wooden Trixie wheel 28cm) but it's still brilliant value for money compared to things like the Qute and all the shite churned out by P@H et al