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Original poster

Biggest and best Hamster cage?

35 replies

NoNamesLeft86 · 27/03/2018 10:38

We have recently adopted a Hamster from the RSPCA and bought the biggest cage I could find at the time (old so not avaliable anymore, second hand), it was bigger than anything pets at home have. However she is quite a big hamster and still doesn't seem to have enough space. She is a bit over weight already and doesn't seem interested in the wheel we bought her but will quite happily climb all around the bars.

I would love to buy a huge cage but I can't find anything thats really big but also practical. We have a good budget but want it to be the right cage. I don't want to connect multiple cages ideally as we have dogs so a) Need it to be escape proof and b) The cage is kept up on a unit so the dogs can't reach it and scare her/knock the cage. So I need to be able to lift it down each evening to get her out.

Would be open to any ideas.Ideally with bars to climb as she seems to spent most of her waking hours climbing bars.

OP posts:
jensner · 27/03/2018 10:59

Have you seen the Omlet Qube hamster cage?

QueenOfCatan · 27/03/2018 11:42

jensner is that a serious suggestion?!

Op have you looked at cages designed for rats and ferrets? You'll need to triple check bar spacing as I think hamsters need a smaller one than rats but you may find something. Iirc the furet tower has small spacing, half of a savic royal suite would work in a smaller space, and that's what we use for our does which are smaller than Syrian hamsters.

QueenOfCatan · 27/03/2018 11:47

Littlepetwarehouse has a lot of bigger cages at a decent price, we've had many from them over the years. Aviaries are great rodent cages but you'll need to buy platforms or use lots of hammocks (so hamsters like hammocks?!) as they are high. We used them when we had younger rats.

Crocky · 27/03/2018 11:52

Daft question but have you checked the wheel? The only time our ham climbed the bars was when his wheel had got stuck and we hadn’t realised. New wheel and no more bar climbing.

Ollivander84 · 27/03/2018 11:52

Savic hamster heaven
Probably cheaper elsewhere if you google
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Savic-Hamster-Heaven-Navy-Blue/dp/B003QRPAR2

SecretSpi · 27/03/2018 14:41

Good luck with your new furry friend!

It's probably worth checking that the wheel is big enough, too. If it's too small, that may be a reason for her not using it. I am not completely sure but I think you need at least 25 cm diameter, bigger if possible for a Syrian hamster.

Original poster
NoNamesLeft86 · 27/03/2018 15:44

Yes I have ordered a new wheel that's a different type to see if that works better for her but it's not come yet. I will keep trying but would love to give her more space as well.

I will have a look at the link above to see if that has anything suitable - thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
NoNamesLeft86 · 27/03/2018 15:47

Oh and good idea to look at Rat cages!

OP posts:
HundredMilesAnHour · 27/03/2018 15:50

Friends of mine who breed/show/rescue hamsters tend to use the Savic Hamster Heaven (as already recommended earlier) as the preferred large cage for Syrians. They use Wodent Wheels as these are bigger than standard hamster wheels. Fortunately they're a lot easier to find these days. (Just use some olive oil if it squeaks - the Wodent Wheel, not the hamster!)

Ollivander84 · 27/03/2018 15:53

Wodent wheels are SO good

lou1221 · 27/03/2018 15:57

We had a Savings hamster heaven. It was great, nice and roomy, could fit other activities in it too. Definitely recommend

SecretSpi · 27/03/2018 16:09

For anyone else interested in large hamster wheels, we have the 28cm Trixie one. It's been in use (by 3 different hammies) for 5 or 6 years now:
www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Exercise-Wheel-colours-vary/dp/B00365P9NY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8

ThatsWotSheSaid · 27/03/2018 16:13

Barney from zooplus is awesome. Taller than the hamster heaven so easier to fit lots of bedding and a 28inch wheel.

Original poster
NoNamesLeft86 · 27/03/2018 17:00

I had seen the savic hamster haven on zooplus as advertised as being good for being big. But it looks a bit of a silly/unpractical set up inside the cage? I haven't seen it in real life though as they didn't have any at pets at home to look at which was annoying as always hard to tell from a photo.

But may have to give it a go as it seems to constantly come up in recommendations.

Will order one of those wheels too lol

OP posts:
Ollivander84 · 27/03/2018 17:02

The shelves inside the cage are removable Smile and I took one of the little house things out too. Got some wooden ladders to hang up and some other stuff

IllBeAtTheBarIfYouNeedMe · 27/03/2018 17:04

We had this one for our hamsters. It’s huge with lots of space to add toys to and is really reasonably priced.

m.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/hamster_cages/hamster_cages/284288?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1-fVBRC3ARIsAIifYOO9ov7mhqeBRPCtfdMkzhFr8Xqvu4WobOiQ7Wf5FH9VU0gUlDxQqtEaAiXQEALw_wcB

Original poster
NoNamesLeft86 · 27/03/2018 17:19

Just come across the Alexander cage on zooplus and the dimensions are huge, more like guinea pig size but for hamsters. But reviews say poor quality so I'm a bit wary. If it wasn't for the bad reviews I would say I had found the right cage!

OP posts:
Steamcloud · 27/03/2018 17:31

I had the Savic hamster heaven and found all the tubes really faddly and time-consuming to clean out thoroughly. Our late hamster used to poo and pee specifically in the transparent tubes and it was really yuck. It just never looked completely clean however often we did it.

So although I agree that space and environmental enrichment are v important, I also think the choice of cage must be balanced with ease and practicality of cleaning too! After all, it is a never-ending chore so the easier it is for you, the better it is for your pet ifyswim.

It may be bordering on sacrilegious to say this on this thread but although I loved our hamsters and guinea pigs, by far the easiest to clean out are our rabbits who are trained to use a large cat litter tray! Grin. Rabbits are perhaps not as cuddly though!

Ollivander84 · 27/03/2018 17:49

Oh I took the tubes and top house off!

Steamcloud · 27/03/2018 17:52

Very sensible Ollivander! I swear our late hamster used to climb up to the roof and have a huge evacuation session on purpose just as soon as I had finished the cage cleaning!! Grin

Ollivander84 · 27/03/2018 18:40

I definitely got fed up of cleaning them! You can buy stoppers to block them off as well

ThatsWotSheSaid · 27/03/2018 19:02

Alexander is very similar to the Barney. Look on hamster forums on Facebook. Almost everyone has an hamster heaven (definitely take the tubes off) Barney or Alaska.

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 27/03/2018 21:54

You need a cage that's an absolute minimum of 80x50cm unbroken floorspace (British standards) though if you were in Germany the minimum would be 100x50cm. In essence, the bigger the better. Unfortunately even minimum sized cages are too large to be lifted down by one adult due to the bulk. I also have a dog (ratting breed) and so I have to keep the cages off the ground + not leave him with access to that room when I leave the house despite lots of training.

Hamster Heaven and Alaska are both ~80x50cm, and are suitable. However, I would recommend the Barney or Alexander, both from Zooplus. They're very similar cages, but the Barney has narrower bar spacing (better for dwarves) whereas the Alexander has more wooden accessories (hence it's more flexible with layout). I've got an Alexander and have always been perfectly happy with the quality (I've actually had two now)
www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/hamster_cages/hamster_cages/189303
www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/hamster_cages/hamster_cages/174238

If you wanted to go for a tank style cage (which has the advantage of allowing deeper bedding for digging with no mess + no possibility of bar chewing) then the Living World Eco Habitat is an excellent choice, and also allows you to go up to ~120x50cm. Do be aware that hamsters are not natural climbers (and have a great tendency to fall). It's a sign of boredom, along with chewing the bars.

www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/hamster_cages/hamster_cages/348156

For a Syrian hamster, you will need a 28cm diameter wheel, or 20cm for a dwarf. The key thing is that the hamster must be able to run without bending its back or neck else it will end up with painful spinal problems. It's common for hamsters that have a wheel that's too small to "lose interest" in it - but they're actually avoiding it because they know it's painful to use. Mine has had this one for 6 months and it's still silent (the plastic version is marginally cheaper but far noisier)
www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/accessories/exercise_wheels/609617

Hamsters do need to gnaw to keep their constantly growing teeth down. They also tend to ignore wooden blocks sold specifically for chewing. Whimzee dog chews are hamster safe, great for teeth and universally liked by hamsters www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/merch-groups/whimzees

There are some great hamster groups on facebook such as Hamsters UK; I would recommend going and joining one www.facebook.com/groups/937104676351740/

winefortea · 27/03/2018 21:58

We have the Alexander and have no complaints except for the fact that we have to secure the side openings with clothes pegs as when our hamster climbs up the bars, the weight of her as she goes over the door/opening pushes it open - she escaped a couple of times before we realised that this was what was happening rather than the kids being careless and leaving them open! It's not happened since we put the pegs on though and she seems happy enough in there!