New to the forum!

[LynxBeauty]

Hello! My name is Lynx, i have joined this forum because i just recently got my very first syrian hamster (she was up for adoption at a store) after MANY years of not owning a hamster (which, as a kid i've only ever had dwarf hamsters) I have been doing a lot of research all over the place trying to do whats best for her.. and i constantly get on this forum for answers (as many as i can get) and now, recently i have bought her a 200 gallon plastic bin which i am working on modifying for her. I am stuck looking for alternatives for platforms and such. Im debating just spending the $$$ on niteangel platforms, or just searching for hamster-safe wood to make my own sort of platforms. I have already spent quite a bit on the items for the bin that i am working on (really want to get her outta the tiny cage shes currently in). I have been looking at balsa wood and Basswood on hobbylobby/michaels. Have any of yall used that for platforms/hides?

Also here are some pics of my girl Glep! (originally was told she was a boy, but she is certainly a girl lol could not change her name after calling her that from the get-go.)

 

[Maz]

She's lovely I'm sure she'll love a nice new bin cage Platforms are always a bit tricky. It's hard to find anything to buy and get the legs the right length, and making them can be quite fiddly as well. There are places on etsy that sell them (cottage industries) who might give you the choice of leg length, but they might be a bit expensive.

In terms of making them, I believe the easiest way is to use dowels for legs (eg 1" dowels) and just a piece of wood for the platform, and drill holes through the corners of the wood and through the dowels and then just screw in from the top of the wood through the dowels. Without the drill holes it's too hard to screw screws in.

 

[LynxBeauty]

She's lovely I'm sure she'll love a nice new bin cage Platforms are always a bit tricky. It's hard to find anything to buy and get the legs the right length, and making them can be quite fiddly as well. There are places on etsy that sell them (cottage industries) who might give you the choice of leg length, but they might be a bit expensive.

In terms of making them, I believe the easiest way is to use dowels for legs (eg 1" dowels) and just a piece of wood for the platform, and drill holes through the corners of the wood and through the dowels and then just screw in from the top of the wood through the dowels. Without the drill holes it's too hard to screw screws in.

Thank you! and i honestly am eager to see her exploring her new space once shes in it lol. I was looking at some on etsy and they are quite a bit pricey.. I was also searching all over the internet for hamster safe wood options.. so hard to find them where they aren't super expensive >.< I think I will just try to make my own with the basswood from hobby lobby and then use dowels for the legs and hope she doesnt attempt to chew on them!

 

[Maz]

A multiroom house with a flat roof can also double up as a platform And those are easy to just glue thin dowel legs on at whatever length you want. When I did that I glued the dowels to the front and side parts of the house (ie the full height of the wood house) as that way they have something solid to bond to.

Or you could have a cardboard shoebox house and that would make a bit of a platform too and wouldn't need supporting underneath. But you maybe want a platform for a wheel as well. There are some wheels though that are height extendable and then you can have the base on the base of the cage and the wheel full height so there's plenty of substrate under it. The 12" silent runner and the niteangel wheels are both height extendable.

Or if you can find a strong cardboard box and cut two sides out, that could make a kind of platform Maybe not enough to support a wheel though.

 

[LynxBeauty]

A multiroom house with a flat roof can also double up as a platform And those are easy to just glue thin dowel legs on at whatever length you want. When I did that I glued the dowels to the front and side parts of the house (ie the full height of the wood house) as that way they have something solid to bond to.

Or you could have a cardboard shoebox house and that would make a bit of a platform too and wouldn't need supporting underneath. But you maybe want a platform for a wheel as well. There are some wheels though that are height extendable and then you can have the base on the base of the cage and the wheel full height so there's plenty of substrate under it. The 12" silent runner and the niteangel wheels are both height extendable.

Or if you can find a strong cardboard box and cut two sides out, that could make a kind of platform Maybe not enough to support a wheel though.

Ooo, thank you for the ideasss. i honestly didnt think a cardboard shoebox would be appropriate for a hamster, but honestly that doesnt sound like a bad idea either. I actually did buy the 12" niteangel wheel via amazon so i have that ready for her lol. i did read somewhere someone used an acrylic riser to place their wheel on, so i might just do that possibly for the wheel.. Any tips on how i should get a water bottle hanged in a bin??

 

[Socks' Mum]

Thank you! and i honestly am eager to see her exploring her new space once shes in it lol. I was looking at some on etsy and they are quite a bit pricey.. I was also searching all over the internet for hamster safe wood options.. so hard to find them where they aren't super expensive >.< I think I will just try to make my own with the basswood from hobby lobby and then use dowels for the legs and hope she doesnt attempt to chew on them!

Someone mentioned using toilet roll inner tubes to put around the platform legs to redirect chewing and save the platform.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Cork logs could be an option as well to go alongside platforms. You can get ceramic water bottle holders to sit on a platform.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Hello! My name is Lynx, i have joined this forum because i just recently got my very first syrian hamster (she was up for adoption at a store) after MANY years of not owning a hamster (which, as a kid i've only ever had dwarf hamsters) I have been doing a lot of research all over the place trying to do whats best for her.. and i constantly get on this forum for answers (as many as i can get) and now, recently i have bought her a 200 gallon plastic bin which i am working on modifying for her. I am stuck looking for alternatives for platforms and such. Im debating just spending the $$$ on niteangel platforms, or just searching for hamster-safe wood to make my own sort of platforms. I have already spent quite a bit on the items for the bin that i am working on (really want to get her outta the tiny cage shes currently in). I have been looking at balsa wood and Basswood on hobbylobby/michaels. Have any of yall used that for platforms/hides?

Also here are some pics of my girl Glep! (originally was told she was a boy, but she is certainly a girl lol could not change her name after calling her that from the get-go.)
View attachment 11623View attachment 11624

Welcome to the forum. Your girl is very beautiful

 

[Maz]

If having water on a platform, you could use a small water bowl rather than a bottle (or one of each). The main thing is it can't be knocked over - something like the Ikea Glasig tealight holders is good for a water bowl - I use those. Quite small, quite heavy, so not easy to tip over, and I have mine at one end of or an inside corner of a platform (ie up against the edge of the cage or enclosure). They are very inexpensive (or were, I haven't bought any recently). Or you could have a bottle stand on a platform in addition or as well as - but you have to be a bit careful as not all bottle stands are safe and that means spending money. One method people have used for bottles in bin cages or tanks, is industrial strength velcro. Not visible - just a piece attached to the back of the bottle, and the corresponding piece stuck to the side of the cage. Having said that, if it's a chewy female syrian then something like that could be a bit risky if she chewed it - I've not heard of hamsters chewing it though as no edges to chew really and the bottle would be firmly in place. Some people make a water bottle stand out of a plastic water bottle (top cut off) with a hole poked through for a spout, and put stones in the bottom to weight it down. I have tried that once and didn't find it very successful personally as the plastic can have sharp edges if not done carefully (where the hole is poked through) but maybe I'm just cack-handed with these things

Most people these days give them a water bowl. One of my hamsters has a bowl and a bottle. The other one has only ever had a bottle (the messy one).