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Try to avoid soft, chewable plastic and fabric 
Cage
- Thread starter Vicky
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She will still try to climb the bars, but the bedding should help to prevent injuries from falling from the bars. You can put bedding on the platform to help cushion falls
She will still try to climb the bars, but the bedding should help to prevent injuries from falling from the bars. You can put bedding on the platform to help cushion falls
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Not really. The cage is an unfortunate attempt to design a cage for both mice and hamsters. Mice enjoy climbing and the height would allow you to put in branches, but hamsters do better in cages with perspex sides as most of their activity should consist of running in a level surface 
I think, add more bedding, leave the platform as it is and take away the hammock. It is very exciting to have a new hammy. Pictures of your girlie?
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Only the Habitat 4 is large enough for a female Syrian hamster. A Savic Plaza is better than any of the P@H Habitat cages
Sorry to nag as your lovely hammock looks very nice, but although it is a good furnishing for rats, hamsters run the risk of ingesting the fibres and becoming very sick. They chew up things and put them in their pouches and fabric fibres can go into their guts forming a blockage. Hamsters are also not great climbers, they are better off and healthier making tunnels in deep paper bedding. I would advise getting lots of Carefresh or Kaytee Soft and Cosy paper bedding so that hammy can dig out a nice tunnel to nest in
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94cm by 80cm is a good size. It is probably 41cm by 94cm, which is a little bit under the ideal size, but would be OK to start with. Does it have a lid? How high is it as she could climb out if it isn't tall enough for 6" of bedding and then about 40cm clearance to prevent her from climbing out
94cm by 80cm is a good size. It is probably 41cm by 94cm, which is a little bit under the ideal size, but would be OK to start with. Does it have a lid? How high is it as she could climb out if it isn't tall enough for 6" of bedding and then about 40cm clearance to prevent her from climbing out
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I would say it would be better to put a Savic Plaza ot Bucatstat cage on the floor. I have the same sort of set of drawers and it isn't stable enough to support a hamster cage
I have a sausage dog that sleeps in my room that why the cage I have at the moment is on drawersI would say it would be better to put a Savic Plaza ot Bucatstat cage on the floor. I have the same sort of set of drawers and it isn't stable enough to support a hamster cage
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Oh, yes, I understand. Can you get an IKEA table?
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Your dog should not be left with the hamster on his own without you present
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Hi, I have both my cages on top of similar height chests or tables 
I use the Savic Plaza mentioned above, and the nice thing about then being at that height is they have a big front opening door which means it is a good height to easily get the hamster in and out of the cage without bending or awkward positions! It also means you can see them easily in the cage when he or she is out and about.
I'm sure it'll be fine on top of your chest of drawers - it looks like an Ikea Malm chest and a lot of people use those. So - it doesn't matter that it is only 81cm wide on top because the cage can have a bit of overhang either side and still be stable I have done that many times - and it really won't be a lot of overhang. As an example, I used to have a Savic Plaza on top of a 4x4 Ikea Kallax unit, which is only 77cm wide and also only about 40cm deep so it had overhang at the sides and also front and back! Perfectly stable.
However, what I would recommend is something on top of the chest between the chest and cage base, so the cage can't slip easily. I've used various things. I had a large hemp mat I used once, but they're not cheap to buy. At the moment I have some thin silicone table mats and they're great, quite grippy. Or you could use some cork table mats. It's just a precaution really as one the cage has plenty of bedding and other items in, the cage weight will hold it down firmly, but some surfaces are quite slippy and it can be dislodged a bit if knocked then.
So the Savic Plaza 100 will fit very well on your chest of drawers Another option that would fit nicely is the Omlet Hamster cage, which has about the same floor space area, but is less wide and more deep. It's about 86cm x 56cm deep. However that cage is much more expensive and probably not available second hand as it's fairly recent.
The silicone table mats I have are similar to these. I think Ikea sell them as well.
Silicone table mats - click here
If you don't want to pay the cost of a new Savic Plaza, you will easily find one for about £40 second hand This was before the new guidelines for deeper bedding came in
And here's the same cage on top of a console table (the table is wider than the cage but quite shallow at less than 40cm deep and it's perfectly stable - I still have a cage on it). This one shows with cardboard inside the bars to be able to have deeper bedding
It is true that animals such as dogs can scare hamsters, but it depends on the dog and whether they bark a lot or not. Some hamster owners do have dogs, and they are less of an issue than cats, as long as they don't bark in the room. If you can keep the dog away from the hamster cage it helps. They do adjust to the regular occupants of a house. A sausage dog is quite small
I use the Savic Plaza mentioned above, and the nice thing about then being at that height is they have a big front opening door which means it is a good height to easily get the hamster in and out of the cage without bending or awkward positions! It also means you can see them easily in the cage when he or she is out and about.I'm sure it'll be fine on top of your chest of drawers - it looks like an Ikea Malm chest and a lot of people use those. So - it doesn't matter that it is only 81cm wide on top because the cage can have a bit of overhang either side and still be stable
I have done that many times - and it really won't be a lot of overhang. As an example, I used to have a Savic Plaza on top of a 4x4 Ikea Kallax unit, which is only 77cm wide and also only about 40cm deep so it had overhang at the sides and also front and back! Perfectly stable.However, what I would recommend is something on top of the chest between the chest and cage base, so the cage can't slip easily. I've used various things. I had a large hemp mat I used once, but they're not cheap to buy. At the moment I have some thin silicone table mats and they're great, quite grippy. Or you could use some cork table mats. It's just a precaution really as one the cage has plenty of bedding and other items in, the cage weight will hold it down firmly, but some surfaces are quite slippy and it can be dislodged a bit if knocked then.
So the Savic Plaza 100 will fit very well on your chest of drawers
Another option that would fit nicely is the Omlet Hamster cage, which has about the same floor space area, but is less wide and more deep. It's about 86cm x 56cm deep. However that cage is much more expensive and probably not available second hand as it's fairly recent.The silicone table mats I have are similar to these. I think Ikea sell them as well.
Silicone table mats - click here
If you don't want to pay the cost of a new Savic Plaza, you will easily find one for about £40 second hand
This was before the new guidelines for deeper bedding came in And here's the same cage on top of a console table (the table is wider than the cage but quite shallow at less than 40cm deep and it's perfectly stable - I still have a cage on it). This one shows with cardboard inside the bars to be able to have deeper bedding
It is true that animals such as dogs can scare hamsters, but it depends on the dog and whether they bark a lot or not. Some hamster owners do have dogs, and they are less of an issue than cats, as long as they don't bark in the room. If you can keep the dog away from the hamster cage it helps. They do adjust to the regular occupants of a house. A sausage dog is quite small
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Just catching up with your other posts. The fish tank is also too small it looks like. The other pets at home cage with the deeper base is also too small.
What hamsters need is floorspace Enough space to roam and have a life in an environment you set up. The minimum bedding should be to fill the cage base (and yes bits will fall out through the bars). Or you can add cardboard as above, and have deeper bedding (and it prevents it falling out of the bars). It's so they can dig, and bury hoards and have normal behaviours. Within that space they need somewhere dark to retreat to - a large house that is dark inside is usual - if the bedding is deep enough they will sleep underground and make a burrow. A wheel that is the right size for them to run with a straight back. 10.5" minimum for a Syrian, but they can outgrow that so 11" or 12" is better. Ideally a shelf or platform - something to sit under and sit on and also a good place to put heavier ceramic items And other enrichment items like extra hidey places and tunnels (cardboard tubes are fine for tunnels) at floor level.
Hamsters are ground dwellers basically. They will climb if they can sometimes but they don't see well and aren't good at getting down again and tend to just drop. If they land on something hard from a height they can injure themselves, so deeper bedding also cushions falls
When they have enough "enrichhment" at floor level they don't bother to try and climb the bars
It is very frustrating and we have all been there - being sold a cage that is too small - it happened to me too with our first hamster. As mentioned the hammock is a risk for chewing, if it is fabric, as hamsters can swallow bits and get digestive blocks. I did make an egg box hammock once (cardboard!).
But really they just need more at ground level. She will probably be fine for now and to make it cosier for now, you could add more bedding.
What hamsters need is floorspace
Enough space to roam and have a life in an environment you set up. The minimum bedding should be to fill the cage base (and yes bits will fall out through the bars). Or you can add cardboard as above, and have deeper bedding (and it prevents it falling out of the bars). It's so they can dig, and bury hoards and have normal behaviours. Within that space they need somewhere dark to retreat to - a large house that is dark inside is usual - if the bedding is deep enough they will sleep underground and make a burrow. A wheel that is the right size for them to run with a straight back. 10.5" minimum for a Syrian, but they can outgrow that so 11" or 12" is better. Ideally a shelf or platform - something to sit under and sit on and also a good place to put heavier ceramic items And other enrichment items like extra hidey places and tunnels (cardboard tubes are fine for tunnels) at floor level.Hamsters are ground dwellers basically. They will climb if they can sometimes but they don't see well and aren't good at getting down again and tend to just drop. If they land on something hard from a height they can injure themselves, so deeper bedding also cushions falls
When they have enough "enrichhment" at floor level they don't bother to try and climb the bars
It is very frustrating and we have all been there - being sold a cage that is too small - it happened to me too with our first hamster. As mentioned the hammock is a risk for chewing, if it is fabric, as hamsters can swallow bits and get digestive blocks. I did make an egg box hammock once (cardboard!).
But really they just need more at ground level. She will probably be fine for now and to make it cosier for now, you could add more bedding.