How can I help my sister's hamsters?

[Pastacat]

I know I frequent this board way too much, but I am once again asking gör your advice.

A while after I got Topaç, my sister got two baby dwarf hamsters. Sad to say this, but they live in pretty horrible conditions. They both live in a small cage, with a pretty small wheel. One of them hogs most of the food and hides, while the other one stays thin and afraid of her. The pet store sold her the hamsters as both male, but we checked and we are both pretty sure the larger of the two is female. I told her many times to separate them and get them into larger cages or tanks, but she said that they are fine in there because they are small. Currently, she is on away on volunteer work, so I want to get them into bigger enclosures, so here are my options with their drawbacks:

1. Buy two of them the cages that are the same model Topaç is in(criceti 100). The issue with this is that I am not sure if it is suitable for hamsters. Could dwarf hamsters escape from the bars, or fall from the the bars and get injured? Is there anyone who has used the cage with dwarfs and did it work?

2. Get a used tank. Before I got my hamster's cage, I was planning on getting a used tank and fill it with bedding, hides, etc. It turns out that a 100x50x50 tank is difficult to carry and you pretty much need a large car for it, which I dont have. Also, I am not sure how to craft a lid for them, as I have not done anything like that

3.Pay someone to manufacture a tank. I actually know a store that crafts things out of glass and I visited today, but the store owner was away. I might go tomorrow again, but I think this could be pretty costly. There is also the same lid issue.

4. Buy an unused tank. Literally every unused large tank I have seen online or in the pet stores cost a fortune. Legit more expensive than the rent we pay.

5. Bin cage. I have been thinking a lot about this, but there are more drawbacks. For example, all bins I have seen on online or offline stores were pretty small. I have never seen a 100cm bin that is sold. Also, they are usually made out of soft plastic, which I think a hamster could chew through. I could cut two bins and silicone glue them together, but wouldnt this be harmful for the hamster? They could eat the glue, I think.

That is all the options I have considered, but if you want to, you can suggest New options. Also, I have bought two 20cm wheels for them, but I couldnt unscrew their old small wheel and everytime I tried, the larger hamster tried to attack my hand and tbh, I think the wheel would not fit with all the bedding in the cage, an issue I have failed to consider.

 

[Maz]

Hi it's good you're planning to separate the dwarf hamsters and get them better cages. The Criceti 100 is fine A lot of people keep dwarf hamsters in cages with 1cm bar spacing (which it has). A bin cage would also be ok but as you say there often aren't any big enough bins - so it would mean diy to but the end off each bin and join two together (I think hot glue is usually used) and that would also mean doing the same with the lids so you have one large lid. It sounds tricky. I think they would both be very happy in a lovely big Criceti 100 each.

What other barred cages can you get in Turkey?

 

[Pastacat]

Hi it's good you're planning to separate the dwarf hamsters and get them better cages. The Criceti 100 is fine A lot of people keep dwarf hamsters in cages with 1cm bar spacing (which it has). A bin cage would also be ok but as you say there often aren't any big enough bins - so it would mean diy to but the end off each bin and join two together (I think hot glue is usually used) and that would also mean doing the same with the lids so you have one large lid. It sounds tricky. I think they would both be very happy in a lovely big Criceti 100 each.

What other barred cages can you get in Turkey?

There are a lot of tiny cages here. Pretty much the only cage big enough for hamsters is criceti 100. The ones that come pretty close are:
Zampa pixel, which is 78x44x42.

Ferplast Duna Fun L, which is 78x48x39

Savic Hamster Heaven Metro, which is 80x50x50.

I have attached a photo of each of them.

There are also rabbit cages which are big enough, but the bars are too far apart.

 

[Pastacat]

Another issue with getting a criceti 100 cage is that they seem to be out of stock in all trustworthy websites. I found a few of them, but all of them are in sketchy websites. I might ask the local pet stores if they can order the cages.

 

[Socks' Mum]

The Hamster Heaven is a good cage. There is a gap between the penthouse door and the doorframe, but a little dwarf might not be able to push through it and you don't need to use the penthouse. Filled with bedding, the roof shouldn't be too high. It is better to separate them. They can live very happily in cages side by side and still see and smell each other without the risk of fighting or breeding. I hope things work out OK. The Omlet cage is great for dwarf hamsters if you can get it in Turkey

 

[Pastacat]

The Hamster Heaven is a good cage. There is a gap between the penthouse door and the doorframe, but a little dwarf might not be able to push through it and you don't need to use the penthouse. Filled with bedding, the roof shouldn't be too high. It is better to separate them. They can live very happily in cages side by side and still see and smell each other without the risk of fighting or breeding. I hope things work out OK. The Omlet cage is great for dwarf hamsters if you can get it in Turkey

Isn't the hamster heaven a bit small? It is only 80x50cm after all. Sadly, Omlet does not deliver to Turkey, so I cannot get the Omlet cage.

 

[Socks' Mum]

The HH is a bit small, 100cm x 50cm is better. It's a pity about the Omlet cage. I'm surprised Nightangel doesn't sell in Turkey.

 

[Socks' Mum]

If you can get the Savic Hamster Heaven you should be able to get the Savic Plaza 100. I am not sure if the bars are narrow enough for dwarf hamsters though.

 

[Maz]

Yes the Criceti 100 is the only suitable one of those really

 

[Pastacat]

The HH is a bit small, 100cm x 50cm is better. It's a pity about the Omlet cage. I'm surprised Nightangel doesn't sell in Turkey.

Well, there is a dearth of quality small animal products in general here. You can buy some niteangel products through ubuy, just not any cages. They sell stuff like cage shelves, platforms, chew toys etc.

 

[Pastacat]

If you can get the Savic Hamster Heaven you should be able to get the Savic Plaza 100. I am not sure if the bars are narrow enough for dwarf hamsters though.

I have tried to, but I couldnt find Savic Plaza anywhere. Savic Hamster Heaven is the largest Savic cage in the stores, really.

 

[Maz]

Which store did you get your current criceti 100 from? I agree it's not very reassuring if the stores selling it are a bit unheard of. But if they're selling it then you should get a cage delivered! Or are you worried they might be scam sites? You can check out the sites for authenticity by just googling them

 

[Socks' Mum]

I have tried to, but I couldnt find Savic Plaza anywhere. Savic Hamster Heaven is the largest Savic cage in the stores, really.

That's a pity. Yes, the HH is quite small. I got the Omlet cage and recycled the HH.

 

[Maz]

Agree. However, if you can't physically get a Criceti 100, a Hamster Heaven each for the hamsters, is better than their current sitation, but presumably they are not cheap either and it would be better to get a Criceti 100. The main issue with the Hamster Heaven is there isn't enough height to be able to add deeper bedding (even with cardboard inside the bars). Although you could possibly have a deep bedding "end" but then that would make the floorspace quite small generally. If you did decide to get those, then they are best used without all the plastic contents - ie block off the tube holes, don't use the penthouse. Maybe one of the shelves and ladder but not both (the solid one) but they also restrict what other things you can fit in. Best way is just start with an empty cage and add your own items

Something like that would need to be an absolute last resort though and the Criceti 100 is a vastly superior option for them.

 

[Pastacat]

Which store did you get your current criceti 100 from? I agree it's not very reassuring if the stores selling it are a bit unheard of. But if they're selling it then you should get a cage delivered! Or are you worried they might be scam sites? You can check out the sites for authenticity by just googling them

I got it from an online store called 'Atakan Petshop'. It is currently out of stock there. It is available through Trendyol, which is a Turkish online shopping site where different stores sell their products. The store that sells it is rated 8.9/10, but there are no reviews of the product from this store. It is also 9000 Turkish Liras, which is about 209$.
There are two other stores that sell it on their websites and they are a bit cheaper, but when I look into complaints the one of the stores has received about the other products, I hear a lot about products that never arrived or arrived contaminated and broken. Another store that sells it has less complaints like that, but they do have two. I might actually buy one cage from there and order the second if it arrives, but this is a bit risky.

 

[Maz]

If something arrives broken you should be able to get a refund or replacement (and take photos of it broken within the packaging as evidence). But I hear what you're saying. Are there any positive reviews from the last store you mentioned? Presumably you have consumer rights in Turkey, similar to Uk ones? But it can be a hassle if there's an issue.

 

[Pastacat]

If something arrives broken you should be able to get a refund or replacement (and take photos of it broken within the packaging as evidence). But I hear what you're saying. Are there any positive reviews from the last store you mentioned? Presumably you have consumer rights in Turkey, similar to Uk ones? But it can be a hassle if there's an issue.

Yes, there are more positive than negative reviews on their Hepsiburada(another online shopping site) page, but I don't know if the website and the store are the same. The cage is only available for sale on the website. The website might be a scam site that is trying to look like an official site. I know I sound overly paranoid, but I have been scammed by an online pet store website once and I don't want this to be the second time.

 

[Maz]

Yes, there are more positive than negative reviews on their Hepsiburada(another online shopping site) page, but I don't know if the website and the store are the same. The cage is only available for sale on the website. The website might be a scam site that is trying to look like an official site. I know I sound overly paranoid, but I have been scammed by an online pet store website once and I don't want this to be the second time.

Understood. Is there a phone number? Maybe you could google the website and see if it's genuine. Eg google "website name" - is this a scam? Various sites come up where people have indicated if it's genuine or not.

 

[Pastacat]

Understood. Is there a phone number? Maybe you could google the website and see if it's genuine. Eg google "website name" - is this a scam? Various sites come up where people have indicated if it's genuine or not.

It turns out the commercial name of the website and the Hepsiburada store is same according to an e-commerce registry checker, so I ended up ordering one cage. If I get the message that it has been sent by cargo, I might order the other cage from the same site. I just hope the hamsters dont escape from these cages

 

[Maz]

They won't escape They will both love those cages. A dwarf hamster is bigger than a robo and I've had a robo in bar spacing that size before - although that can be a slight worry and depends on the size of the robo they are so tiny but a russian dwarf is bigger altogether and 1cm bar spacing is fine.