Hello
Fire away with any questions you have
The main thing is to have a large enough cage or enclosure - 100cm by 50cm by 50cm tall (or larger) is the size recommended for a Syrian hamster. The size is the same for dwarf hamster and roborovski hamsters, but if it's a barred cage, the height is better if it's lower (depending on how much bedding you have in it).
There's a list of suitable cages on here, which I'll link below. Some are very expensive, some are not so expensive, some can be got fairly cheaply second hand.
So you'll need the cage or enclosure. Initially you will need quite a large supply of bedding to fill it with. But after that you don't need much bedding, because the more bedding there is in there, the less often you do clean outs and you mainly do "spot cleaning" regularly (the odd handful) or partial cleans every few months maybe (eg about a third of it and then you put about half back again).
Some Syrian hamsters will use a litter tray with sand in as well
Then it's very easy - you just empty the litter tray once or twice a week and can go a long time before needing to change any bedding.
So you need
1) The right size cage or enclosure
2) Plenty of bedding to start with, but not so much later
3) A wheel that is the right size for the species - 11" to 12" for a Syrian and 8" or 9" for a dwarf (some people use 10").
4) Enrichment.
Enrichment is an all encompassing word that includes enough bedding depth, variety of textures and contents to make it into a nice interesting habitat for the hamster. This can include
a) a platform
b) cork logs
d) a large house that's dark inside (it will need "legs" to support it unless you make a cardboard shoebox house).
e) additional hidey places
f) a couple more different substrates or textures - either in a dig box or a hide with hay stuck on for example - eg beech chips, cork granules
g) sprays - these can be inexpensive. Things like wheat or flax or millet sprays which you stick in the substrate - they end up like little trees or plants. These provide natural forage but also help make sure it doesn't feel to exposed for the hamster.
h) other items as wanted like additional tunnels at floor level, or a ceramic hide for a shelf eg
Additional hides can be just a cardboard tissue box or a coconut hut. Carrot cottages are popular as they're inexpensive and provide both an additional hide and an additional texture.
So really it's about enabling normal behaviours such as digging, burrowing and foraging and ensuring they have somewhere dark to retreat to
I've also added the link to the budget cage set up options! And to the "Lets see your cages" thread for some ideas
Some people will have 12" of bedding, some 8" - it partly depends on the species and what you're comfortable with. There shouldn't be any less than 6" of bedding though, possibly with a deeper area at one end.
How to set up a hamster cage or enclosure on a budget in 2025 and give your hamster a good home. Hint - cardboard is your friend. Our hamster site and forum will give friendly advice on everything you need for your hamster enclosure or cage...
www.thehamsterforum.com
A new thread for 2023 to show cage set ups :) Some may have changed or be new but feel free to add your existing set up again. It's mainly so all current ones are viewable in the same place.
www.thehamsterforum.com
Here is a list of suitable cages available for hamsters in 2025. Whether you prefer tank style or barred cages, front access or top access, there is, thankfully, plenty of choice in the Uk and Europe. Choice in the US is mainly tanks and tank style or diy. Both tank style and barred cages...
www.thehamsterforum.com
And a thread on suitable wheels available!
Just to have an up to date guide for suitable Hamster wheels available in 2025. Note some links on this thread are Amazon affiliate links and other affiliate links, for which this site receives a commission, at no extra cost to you. So if you're looking to buy a wheel that is sold by Amazon...
www.thehamsterforum.com
and get my daughter to start researching all of the info on here too. Not in a rush. This will not be an impulse buy. I am only going to do this if I am convinced my daughter is willing to invest time, effort and some of her own money into this. One more question, where is the best place to buy a hamster from? I am in Scotland.
