Cage query

[Crumpet_The_Syrian]

Good morning,
I'm new to the forum and this is my first post, so please let me know if I've put it in the wrong place.

My new Syrian, Crumpet, is currently in a temporary 80cm cage and I'm looking to upgrade. Ideally I'm after a 120cm enclosure without bars (e.g. Bucatstate 3.0 120cm). I've read the very helpful reviews and posts on the forum, and before I commit, I have a few questions I'm hoping you might be able to help with.

1. Do wooden cages tend to take on the smell of wee? I've had mice in the past and the wooden elements of the cage quickly absorbed wee and there was nothing I could do to get rid of the smell. I'm put off wooden framed enclosures because of this. Keen to hear your thoughts?

2. Is it ok to buy second hand as long as I clean it well enough? If so, where is a good place to look? I've tried eBay and Facebook marketplace so far.

3. There seem to be a lot more options at 100cm than there are 120cm. Is 100cm really enough? I keep seeing that 100cm is the absolutely minimum which puts me off a bit, but would 100cm be ok in reality?

Thank you for your time

 

[Maz]

Hello! Glad you have joined us Is Crumpet a male or a female Syrian? I ask because if Crumpet is female it would be better to go larger than 100cm. Female Syrians are notorious for needing a lot of space and being extremely active. However that is a generalisation as not all are. The 100cm x 50cm is a good sweet spot actually. The vast majority of Hamsters are completely happy in that amount of space - it's a good size. I think the main reason this became the minimum size was to try and ensure people avoided putting hamsters in anything smaller than that. As you might know, there used to be a minimum size of 80cm by 50cm, and for a lot of hamsters that was actually ok, but many owners felt they needed more space or to be able to fit more enrichment in so used 100cm cages anyway.

So I wouldn't worry about Crumpet temporarily being in an 80cm by 50cm cage, he presumably is still a baby and will be fine for a while. Yes the Bucatstate enclosures are very popular. As for wood cages, I personally am not a fan of wood cages like the Pawhuts for Syrians. They can work out quite a bit cheaper and wood does breathe, which is a positive, but they are also easily chewed out of. Having said that, there are some very well made wood cages that are unlikely to be chewed out of - like the "Hamster Homes" enclosures - small company in Scotland. The wood on the pawhuts is very thin and easily chewed through - even the side walls. People have ended up having to tile the base of them inside with ceramic tiles to stop a hamster chewing through the base and escaping. And even then they can still chew through a wall! The main risk being the hamster escaping and coming to some harm. They are probably fine for dwarf hamsters.

Another option is the Skyline Marrakesh 120. That is actually 115cm even though it's called a 120. So it's between 100cm and 120cm cage - it is part wood and part glass, but it's not chewable - the wood parts at the sides are very smooth and solid, no corners or wood struts etc to chew - so I think that one is pretty chew proof. The base, front and back are glass, the lid has a servo lift type hinge and has fine mesh in a wood frame.

I have been tempted with that one myself. However one reason the Bucatstate is popular, is it has a front opening door, as well as a large lift up roof and front opening doors are very good for interaction - plus your hand is not coming from the top usually.

If you have space for the Bucatstate 3.0 120cm I am sure your hamster would love it!

As for wood smelling - most people paint the inside with some kind of pet-safe waterproofing paint like plastikote enamel - although that only comes in small pots so it would take a few. There are other options as well I believe but things keep changing in that respect. But yes it could smell a bit or get stained even then - that might be another reason some people tile the base with ceramic tiles. However hamster pee is not nearly as strong smelling as mice pee I believe!

Is this your first hamster? As and when you do upgrade Crumpet, you are likely to find he completely disappears for a while - a cage change is a big thing for a hamster and it's a bit like starting again to a degree, with them needing about 10 days to 2 weeks to adjust to the new environment before they feel confident, especially as he'd be moving from a smaller space to a much larger one. However this is fairly normal. And he may enjoy it so much he keeps to himself more at first! The key then is to start with some regular handling after the first couple of weeks. When he's out and about you can offer him a tube/taxi to walk into, to transport him to a safe area like the dry bathtub or a playpen. Once they get used to coming out they like out of cage time and get used to the interaction and handling.

Sorry, I'm referring to Crumpet as "him" without knowing if he's male or female!

 

[Crumpet_The_Syrian]

Hello! Glad you have joined us Is Crumpet a male or a female Syrian? I ask because if Crumpet is female it would be better to go larger than 100cm. Female Syrians are notorious for needing a lot of space and being extremely active. However that is a generalisation as not all are. The 100cm x 50cm is a good sweet spot actually. The vast majority of Hamsters are completely happy in that amount of space - it's a good size. I think the main reason this became the minimum size was to try and ensure people avoided putting hamsters in anything smaller than that. As you might know, there used to be a minimum size of 80cm by 50cm, and for a lot of hamsters that was actually ok, but many owners felt they needed more space or to be able to fit more enrichment in so used 100cm cages anyway.

So I wouldn't worry about Crumpet temporarily being in an 80cm by 50cm cage, he presumably is still a baby and will be fine for a while. Yes the Bucatstate enclosures are very popular. As for wood cages, I personally am not a fan of wood cages like the Pawhuts for Syrians. They can work out quite a bit cheaper and wood does breathe, which is a positive, but they are also easily chewed out of. Having said that, there are some very well made wood cages that are unlikely to be chewed out of - like the "Hamster Homes" enclosures - small company in Scotland. The wood on the pawhuts is very thin and easily chewed through - even the side walls. People have ended up having to tile the base of them inside with ceramic tiles to stop a hamster chewing through the base and escaping. And even then they can still chew through a wall! The main risk being the hamster escaping and coming to some harm. They are probably fine for dwarf hamsters.

Another option is the Skyline Marrakesh 120. That is actually 115cm even though it's called a 120. So it's between 100cm and 120cm cage - it is part wood and part glass, but it's not chewable - the wood parts at the sides are very smooth and solid, no corners or wood struts etc to chew - so I think that one is pretty chew proof. The base, front and back are glass, the lid has a servo lift type hinge and has fine mesh in a wood frame.

I have been tempted with that one myself. However one reason the Bucatstate is popular, is it has a front opening door, as well as a large lift up roof and front opening doors are very good for interaction - plus your hand is not coming from the top usually.

If you have space for the Bucatstate 3.0 120cm I am sure your hamster would love it!

As for wood smelling - most people paint the inside with some kind of pet-safe waterproofing paint like plastikote enamel - although that only comes in small pots so it would take a few. There are other options as well I believe but things keep changing in that respect. But yes it could smell a bit or get stained even then - that might be another reason some people tile the base with ceramic tiles. However hamster pee is not nearly as strong smelling as mice pee I believe!

Hi Maz,

Thank you for your reply. That's really useful.
Crumpet is a male. I've only had him a month so he's still young but he's grown quickly! I think it'll between with Bucatstate 100 and 120. I'm keeping an eye out for a second hand one coming up on Facebook.

Thank you

 

[Maz]

Sorry I edited and updated my post a bit - we must have posted at the same time And yes a second hand one is fine. You would need to fully disinfect it before use just to be on the safe side - in case of any previous illness or disease. I tend to use the Beaphar or Johnsons spray disinfectant - the scent is very light, but I still rinse it off well afterwards as hamsters are very sensitive to scents and smells. It's usually gone quickly though. It's good there are second hand ones available these days as they are expensive to buy new.