Cage Advice

When choosing a cage for your hamster it is best to stay away from Rotastack/Habitrail Ovo type cages or any other cage with lots of tubes due to reasons given given on our 'Rehoming Page'. Also cages which are tall, with many levels as a hamster can fall and seriously injure themselves as they do not have a good sense of height/depth. Please bear in mind when choosing your cage that it is best not to get one which has wired shelves/floors and wheels as these can also injure a hamsters little feet.

The best cages are those on just one level or with one low shelf that have plenty of floor space. These can be plastic tank style cages or ones with wire bars. They are easy to clean, allow easy access to the hamster and are also the type the hamster will prefer. You can then add a suitable wheel and toys for entertainment (if you use a wheel, it needs to be around 8" for one of our babies).

Some suitable cages for our hamsters include:
* Savic Rody - Available for around £35 from Pets at Home and other online stores
* Ferplast Mini Duna - Available for around £35 from Pets at Home, smaller pet shops and online stores
* Savic Cambridge - Available for around £45 from Pets at Home and online stores
* Savic Peggy - Available for around £30 from Pets at Home and online stores
* Rydon Mill - Available for around £25 from some pet shops and online stores such as Amazon

Almost all cages on the market come with a wheel that is too small and so will need to be replaced with a larger 8" wheel. Standard wheels are very uncomfortable for adult syrians due to their small diameter and can cause spine curvature in hamsters.

Better wheels are:
*Savic Roly Large/Jumbo from Pets at Home, runs best on the seperate stand which you can also get from Pets at Home, under £5 for both wheel and stand

Bedding and nesting materials:
When choosing a nesting material for your hamster try to go for the ones which look like shredded tissue/cloth/paper as the one which looks like cotton wool can be harmful to your hamster.