Budget Hamster cage set up for 2025
Preparing to give a hamster a home can work out quite expensive. Here we show how to create a home for a hamster on a budget, with all the basics you need - an inexpensive option for a hamster cage or enclosure, a hamster wheel, suitable hamster bedding, enrichment, such as textures, different substrates and sprays, and hamster hides. It doesn't have to be too expensive to give a hamster a suitable home and if you're a bit short on cash, then set out below are basic start-up budget options for the Uk and the US for setting up a hamster cage. Hint - cardboard is your friend!
You can find Savic Plaza 100 cages second-hand fairly easily in the Uk, on various auction and other sites. In the US you can find large storage bins for reasonable prices, for converting into bin or tank style cages.
There are four versions of a budget set up below - two options for the Uk (DIY and non DIY) and two options for the US (DIY and non DIY). Food is not included here - just cage set up and basic contents needed.
Uk Hamster cage and set up - non DIY Option (for dwarf or syrian hamster)
Total £115.48 (for 100cm cage set up)
£35 to £40 (approx) Second hand Savic Plaza 100 hamster cage
£31.99 Fitch bedding 70 litre bag (this should give about 8" to 10" in a 100cm cage)
£11 Omlet multiroom cardboard houses (pack of 3)
£7 Rosewood PicknFly sprays selection
£4.50 - childrens play sand from Argos
£3.30 cork granules as alternative substrate
£4 (approx) Carrot hay cottage (alternative substrate/forage/additional hide)
£16.99 Trixie 28cm plastic wheel
Free - large cardboard box to cut up and create bedding depth panels inside bars (may or may not be suitable for female syrians who could chew it off!)
Free - 2 x empty ice cream tubs as sand bath and something to hold alternative substrate
Free - large strong cardboard box with one side cut out, to make a freestanding platform
Free - pringles tube, wiped out or silver inner pulled out (assuming you eat pringles)
Free - alternative cardboard tubes - eg kitchen roll inner tube slit down one side so they expand (they can be a bit narrow otherwise)
Free - torn up strips of plain white toilet paper for nesting
UK Hamster cage and set up - DIY option (for dwarf or syrian hamster)
Total £133.78 (for 120cm diy enclosure - assumes you have basic tools).
£40 Ikea Platsa wardrobe frame 120cm x 55cm x 60cm (laid on its back) to make a diy hamster enclosure
£15 (approx) Lid made from strips of wood and mesh (a lid/roof is essential to prevent escapes)
All the other items are the same as above! 70 litres of Fitch should give about 8" of bedding
US Hamster cage set up - Non DIY (for dwarf or syrian hamster)
Total $213.66 (equivalent to £157.51 Uk money approx)
$99.99 New Sahara enclosure - hamster enclosure from exotic nutrition (or you may be able to find second hand niteangel enclosures)
$30.99 100 litres Kaytee Clean and Cozy bedding from Amazon (note you can get 184 litres of Boxo paper bedding from Walmart for $57.80 which will last longer)
$15 Omlet cardboard multiroom hides x 3
$7.99 selection of sprays from Amazon
$11.99 Reptisand (non calcium) from Amazon
$17.99 Niteangel cork/coco bedding - alternative substrate
$12.02 - Prevue nature's hideaway grass hut - additional texture/forage/hideout
$17.69 Wodent wheel 11" from exotic nutrition
Free - Pringles tubes/cardboard tubes
Free - 2 x empty ice cream tubs for sand bath and alternative substrate
Free - large strong cardboard box with one side cut out to make a platform
US Hamster cage set up - DIY (for dwarf or syrian hamster)
Total: $211.67 (equivalent to £156.04 Uk money approx)
$88 (approx) 200 quart sterilite plastic store bin to make a bin cage
$10 (approx) mesh and cable ties to cut out roof panel and mesh
The rest of the list is the same as above for the US Non DIY cage set up!
You might also be interested in a couple of threads on the forum - one shows how you can create a DIY cardboard set up (you can get creative!)
And also our "Cardboard creations" thread, which has lots of great ideas for diy treats, boredom breakers and other cage items. A shoebox house is also a good free basic house (cut the base out of a shoebox, keep the lid as a lift off roof, and cut a hole for a door).
www.thehamsterforum.com
Preparing to give a hamster a home can work out quite expensive. Here we show how to create a home for a hamster on a budget, with all the basics you need - an inexpensive option for a hamster cage or enclosure, a hamster wheel, suitable hamster bedding, enrichment, such as textures, different substrates and sprays, and hamster hides. It doesn't have to be too expensive to give a hamster a suitable home and if you're a bit short on cash, then set out below are basic start-up budget options for the Uk and the US for setting up a hamster cage. Hint - cardboard is your friend!
You can find Savic Plaza 100 cages second-hand fairly easily in the Uk, on various auction and other sites. In the US you can find large storage bins for reasonable prices, for converting into bin or tank style cages.
There are four versions of a budget set up below - two options for the Uk (DIY and non DIY) and two options for the US (DIY and non DIY). Food is not included here - just cage set up and basic contents needed.
Uk Hamster cage and set up - non DIY Option (for dwarf or syrian hamster)
Total £115.48 (for 100cm cage set up)
£35 to £40 (approx) Second hand Savic Plaza 100 hamster cage
£31.99 Fitch bedding 70 litre bag (this should give about 8" to 10" in a 100cm cage)
£11 Omlet multiroom cardboard houses (pack of 3)
£7 Rosewood PicknFly sprays selection
£4.50 - childrens play sand from Argos
£3.30 cork granules as alternative substrate
£4 (approx) Carrot hay cottage (alternative substrate/forage/additional hide)
£16.99 Trixie 28cm plastic wheel
Free - 2 x empty ice cream tubs as sand bath and something to hold alternative substrate
Free - large strong cardboard box with one side cut out, to make a freestanding platform
Free - pringles tube, wiped out or silver inner pulled out (assuming you eat pringles)
Free - alternative cardboard tubes - eg kitchen roll inner tube slit down one side so they expand (they can be a bit narrow otherwise)
Free - torn up strips of plain white toilet paper for nesting
UK Hamster cage and set up - DIY option (for dwarf or syrian hamster)
Total £133.78 (for 120cm diy enclosure - assumes you have basic tools).
£40 Ikea Platsa wardrobe frame 120cm x 55cm x 60cm (laid on its back) to make a diy hamster enclosure
£15 (approx) Lid made from strips of wood and mesh (a lid/roof is essential to prevent escapes)
All the other items are the same as above! 70 litres of Fitch should give about 8" of bedding
US Hamster cage set up - Non DIY (for dwarf or syrian hamster)
Total $213.66 (equivalent to £157.51 Uk money approx)
$99.99 New Sahara enclosure - hamster enclosure from exotic nutrition (or you may be able to find second hand niteangel enclosures)
$30.99 100 litres Kaytee Clean and Cozy bedding from Amazon (note you can get 184 litres of Boxo paper bedding from Walmart for $57.80 which will last longer)
$15 Omlet cardboard multiroom hides x 3
$7.99 selection of sprays from Amazon
$11.99 Reptisand (non calcium) from Amazon
$17.99 Niteangel cork/coco bedding - alternative substrate
$12.02 - Prevue nature's hideaway grass hut - additional texture/forage/hideout
$17.69 Wodent wheel 11" from exotic nutrition
Free - Pringles tubes/cardboard tubes
Free - 2 x empty ice cream tubs for sand bath and alternative substrate
Free - large strong cardboard box with one side cut out to make a platform
US Hamster cage set up - DIY (for dwarf or syrian hamster)
Total: $211.67 (equivalent to £156.04 Uk money approx)
$88 (approx) 200 quart sterilite plastic store bin to make a bin cage
$10 (approx) mesh and cable ties to cut out roof panel and mesh
The rest of the list is the same as above for the US Non DIY cage set up!
You might also be interested in a couple of threads on the forum - one shows how you can create a DIY cardboard set up (you can get creative!)
And also our "Cardboard creations" thread, which has lots of great ideas for diy treats, boredom breakers and other cage items. A shoebox house is also a good free basic house (cut the base out of a shoebox, keep the lid as a lift off roof, and cut a hole for a door).
Cardboard creations
This is a thread to show how many things you can make for your hamster or enclosure, out of cardboard :-) Cardboard is your friend.
www.thehamsterforum.com
