We recently got our little girl a hamster as a first pet, she loves him! My question is, I went to a local chain pet shop, and they recommended the
New Syrian Hamster called Shadow
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Hello. That is not a bad sized cage, but it is under the minimum recommended size these days 
He will be fine for a while but I would recommend upgrading to a 100cm by 50cm cage. It's great you removed the plastic tubes though as they are an escape route, and some hamsters can grow so large they get stuck in them. Plus it skews their normal behaviours. Without them he will build a nest or burrow at ground level, bury his hoards under his sleeping area, and develop better toiletting habits
Having said about upgrading, it is best not to do it too quickly when a new hamster is settling in. They need a good 10 days to two weeks just to adjust to their new environment and cage and it can also set that back if anything is changed. So any cage change ideally would not be for at least three weeks to a month or possibly a bit longer.
It would be lovely to see a photo of him!
I've added our recommended cages guide. However it is frustrating when you've just paid for a cage to think about paying for another one. Some people have actually taken the first one back for a refund after getting the second one, or some keep it as a play cage for during clean outs or a hospital cage in case of illness or surgery.
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He will be fine for a while but I would recommend upgrading to a 100cm by 50cm cage. It's great you removed the plastic tubes though as they are an escape route, and some hamsters can grow so large they get stuck in them. Plus it skews their normal behaviours. Without them he will build a nest or burrow at ground level, bury his hoards under his sleeping area, and develop better toiletting habits Having said about upgrading, it is best not to do it too quickly when a new hamster is settling in. They need a good 10 days to two weeks just to adjust to their new environment and cage and it can also set that back if anything is changed. So any cage change ideally would not be for at least three weeks to a month or possibly a bit longer.
It would be lovely to see a photo of him!
I've added our recommended cages guide. However it is frustrating when you've just paid for a cage to think about paying for another one. Some people have actually taken the first one back for a refund after getting the second one, or some keep it as a play cage for during clean outs or a hospital cage in case of illness or surgery.
Hamster Cages 2026
Here is a list of suitable cages available for hamsters in 2026. 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...
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