soggy cupid

[Maz]

Don't be self conscious about your cage set up As Rainbow says, they are all individual, and mine aren't very pretty either! I'm just not particularly creative with set ups and focus on getting the practical things done.

Unless you have a particular preference for keeping a lower sand area, I'd agree that it could be much easier, for you and the hamster, to have a platform for the wheel to stand on and more substrate across the whole cage. However it does then mean you need another platform for the sand bath and space on one of them for the water bowl (if it's too close to the sand bath it'll get full of sand. And it can be tricky making platforms and expensive buying them (I'm not that great with diy). And then working out the right height etc so the wheel still fits under the lid!

I think maybe one platform along the right hand width of the tank might work. So the sand bath could go in one corner, the wheel in the middle and the water dish in the other corner (ie well away from the sand bath). However that would probably mean making one to have it the correct size for the width of the cage. It's attaching legs to a piece of wood I find tricky! Some people just drill a hole through the top of the wood and screw the legs on through the top, but that means needing diy tools. You could glue them on but I struggled with longer legs, to support them while the glue was drying.

An alternative might be two buy two separate platforms and just put them where they fit at that end. If you can afford to. One for the wheel and possibly the water bowl, and one for a sand bath. It could still be tricky finding a suitable place for the water bowl then so an alternative could be:

1) Use a water bottle that's attached to the glass (some people use velcro). And separate small platforms for the wheel and sand bath
2) Leave things as they are but just get one small platform to put the water bowl on.

I personally think they do better with substrate right across the cage but if he's happy with the way things are or platforms are just unaffordable, then it's just a case of finding a water bowl solution

Most of the platforms on Amazon aren't really tall enough. This one looks good but it is $20 ish. It's 9.4" tall so plenty of room for about 7" of substrate underneath it (and hamsters do seem to love sitting under a platform to have a wash ). However maybe that's too tall for your wheel to fit in height wise? But if not it could be good for the wheel and a water bowl in one corner. Or the wheel and a ceramic hide and have a water bottle attached to the tank.

Then for a sand bath you could just stand it on something like a small house or even a shoe box. So the shoe box would go on the base of the tank, surrounded by substrate (you could cut a hole in it for a door so it makes an underground hide) and the sand bath sit on top of it. If the sand bath is something like an old ice cream tub, that would be two or three inches tall itself so substrate could be partly round the outside of it as well.

If all that makes sense! If that platform is too tall for the wheel to stand on, then there are quite a few others on Amazon at 7" tall but you'd still have room for substrate underneath them.

Birch wood platform

 

[elusive]

I’ve only ever glued the legs on my platforms, I don’t feel the need for screws really, as long as you have a good non toxic wood clue that dries fairly quickly it’s easy enough to do, with very high cages when you need extra long dowels it can be a little bit tricky but with a tank the height of Cupids it should be easy.

 

[Ameris]

Thank you so much! Do you think one of those wooden boxes with a bunch of rooms and passageways might work as a platform? I’ve looked into buying them before.

 

[Maz]

Do you mean like a multiroom house? Yes that is a great solution I use one as a shelf as well as a house. It does both jobs very well A Multiroom house at that wheel end would work great, as then you'd be able to have substrate in the entire cage, a really nice house for the hamster to move into and a shelf as well. It's also much easier to glue dowels onto a multiroom house, for legs, than it is a platform. With the house you have the house wall to glue the legs/dowels to and that is easier and holds firmly.

 

[Jain]

All good advice if you do decide to have a platform I found a cheap pine shelf on sturdy dowel legs on cage floor works substrate up to top so he can get onto it easily or a ladder I also have the plastic bowl as in Petsmart it dosent tip up plus a heavy glass tea light holder at the end of the day its whatever works for you and your hamster

 

[elusive]

The multichamber houses do double up as a platform well, I use them for water & sometimes food or other things, in addition to other platforms.
If you need somewhere for the wheel, sand & water bowl you might still need a platform as well as a house.

 

[ilguy]

Cupid is so cute, he's lucky to have a caring owner like you. Really glad you're asking for advice here, we just love hamsters and can't wait to see you and your little ham thrive.

I like what others have suggested, a platform or house under the wheel would be great. Hams just love to burrow by their favorite things, wheels and food areas are very common.

 

[Ameris]

Went into work today and found out we sell tea light holders!! Bought one for Cupid. It’s too small for him to sit in, so hopefully it’s a good first step.

 

[RainbowBrite]

That is a great idea! I use tealighters for my hamsters water too.

 

[Maz]

That looks good Ameris Some people also put a stone inside (I did that recently). Partly so it helps weigh it down so it can't be knocked over, and partly so the hamster can't fall right in. The stone displaces a lot of the water but there is still plenty to drink, if it's changed daily. It needs to be a clean stone of course! I had a bag of polished pebbles so used one of those. If it's a regular stone it would need to be boiled first to disinfect it.

 

[ilguy]

That looks perfect, should be just the right height for him to stand and lean in for those little licks!

 

[Zara]

Hi Ameris, the tea light looks good and quite heavy so should be good for water. I made several different changes to my enclosure after joining the group or if I just see something that someone else is using or doing that I think Hams would like, I try it out. That’s why it’s so nice on here to be exchanging information. I think one of the chamber houses would have great dual use within your enclosure.

 

[Doodleham]

What a cutie he is.