Really lovely to see someone researching before they take on a hamster.
As you have found, practically none of the cages supplied by pet stores are large enough or suitable enough to allow a hamster to carry out its natural behaviour or to provide all the items of enrichment that a hamster needs in its cage which, in effect, is the hamster’s whole world.
Pets at Home have just one cage, the Savic Plaza 100 x 50cm which is available online only, that would be just about ok. The Ferplast Cricetti 100 x 57cm cage is the best barred cage available in the UK, but hard to get hold of and it is not ideal as hamsters do not need bars and are not natural climbers. Hamsters thrive more in homemade enclosures without bars such as a repurposed Ikea Detolf cabinet which allows much more unbroken floorspace (hamsters absolutely do not need levels and they do not count towards the floorspace measurement).
To be able to burrow, hamsters need a minimum of 6 inches of substrate but preferably much, much more and this is not possible in most shop bought cages. Katy Clean and Cosy is the best I've found as it is good for holding burrows (I buy 85l bags from Amazon) but I have also used Carefresh (unscented) and Fitch which is fine too and a bit cheaper. I put this in 2 thirds of the cage up to 13 inches and the rest of the cage has about 6 inches of Aubiose (not woodshavings which are not good for small animals' respiratory systems). Aubiose is horse bedding and can be bought from farm shops and equestrian shops at around £12 for a 20k bale so much cheaper than inappropriate wood shavings.
Hamsters are far more complex animals than people realise and they need proper care to have a full and enriched life. For example, they are totally unsuitable for children. Being crepuscular, they are very unlikely to be awake when a child would want to play with them and they should not be woken up.
The issue here, as opposed to in Germany where hamster care is gold standard, is that the cages and accessories are marketed towards children and look like toys – hamsters do not want colourful plastic accessories. They need hollowed-out cork logs and birch logs which provide natural tunnels, natural vine branches on which to scramble over, scatter herbs, multichamber hides and items made of beech or poplar wood (e.g. not the nasty coniferous wood products often on sale in pet stores).
Important:
· Add a sand bath. This is a necessity for hamsters and should be left in the cage at all times.
· Add some digging boxes with different substrates, e.g. coco soil, beech or cork chips.
· Add some sprays e.g. the Rosewood Pick ‘n’ Fly sprays sold for birds are excellent as is Rosewood Harvest Festival which has flax sprays and grasses. These are really enriching items in a hamster’s cage
· Add chew toys (Whimzees hedgehogs or alligators marketed for dogs aisle are much better than the wooden ones marketed towards hamsters)
· Have a water bowl instead of a bottle (much better for the hamster to be able to drink freely and in a natural position)
· Scatter feed rather than feeding from a bowl – this encourages natural foraging behaviour
What not to buy and what not to do:
· No hamster balls – these are dangerous and cruel (caught toes and limbs, knocks, unable to use natural senses). A playpen or safe room in which to free roam are suitable options – never a ball.
· Plastic tubing – they can become stuck when cheek pouches are full and many hamsters have died in this way or suffered painful abrasions to their pouches. Much better are natural cork and birch log tunnels. Reptile stores sell hollowed out cork logs and vine branches.
· No fluffy bedding including the Rosewood natural fluffy (Kapok) bedding and Kapok pods which, although not as bad as synthetic fluffy bedding, have been proven to cause fatal intestinal blockages. You can find out more information on the following website: Fluffy Hamster Bedding - Serious Risk RSPCA Advice! (hamsterwelfare.com). Worse still, the synthetic versions can cause both intestinal blockages and lost limbs when the fibres become wrapped around them.
· No wheel less than 28cm, preferably over 30cm for Syrian hamsters. Mine is 33cm from Rodipet in Germany and is the best I've found.
· No coniferous wood products. In addition to coniferous wood being unhealthy for hamsters, pretty much all the 'leading manufacturer' products I have purchased have been badly made and often with dangerous nails coming through the wood
· Don’t clean all the hamster’s cage at once as this is massively stressful and weekly cleaning is an absolute no. Hamsters usually wee in a corner and this can be spot cleaned every couple of days. Another benefit to large enclosures with plenty of bedding is that they only need to be cleaned every 6 weeks or so and then only by replacing just a third of the bedding so the hamster does not become stressed. Weekly cleaning should never be necessary in a cage measuring 100 x 50 plus. Also, if a hamster has a sand bath in the cage (as it should) it may choose to wee in that and this is very easily cleaned as it forms a clump which can be scooped out.
Another really important consideration is that hamsters are classed as ‘exotic’ pets and new owners should be advised to register with a specialist ‘exotics’ vet as soon as possible. Normal domestic vets are not specialists in hamster care.
For care guides, check out rescue websites such as Burrowed Hearts in Nottingham, Bacchus Residents in Congleton, Tiny Paws in Sale - all have excellent care guides on their website and examples of good set-ups. Victoria Raechel’s YouTube channel is a must watch before getting a hamster and her most constructive videos are:
Basic Hamster Care 🐹 2021 - YouTube
23 Hamster Behaviours 🐹 - YouTube
All About Hamster Enrichment 🌾 - YouTube
Lets Talk About Hamster Cages 🐹 - YouTube
As I am unable to source suitable hamster products in UK pet stores, I buy most of my hamster supplies, including food, from Getzoo in Germany. It is a massive shame that these good quality accessories and feedstuffs (non-pellets, high variety, natural) are not available in UK pet stores.
I hope the above is useful and will save you money (I made a lot of expensive mistakes when I first adopted hamsters)
It is fantastic that you are trying to ensure you give your hamster the best life possible. I have many years' experience in the care of hamsters and mice so please message me if you need any advice at any time.