Where to start? 👋

[travellingbookworm]

Hello

I’m Sam and I’m thinking of purchasing a hamster for myself and my daughter (a very sensible, hamster loving 8 year old).

We previously had two Guinea pigs. We bought them from a reputable breeder, purchased a top notch cage and thought that was all there was to it. We wrongly assumed we could clean them out once a week and that they’d be fine in the “weather proof cage with built in run”. We joined the GP forum and quickly learnt that there was a lot more to looking after them. The Guinea pigs ended up with a wonderful purpose built huge play area, with heating and their own fridge full of veggies, herbs and fruit. They also lived indoors sometimes if it was too hot/cold/damp! It was more time consuming and expensive than we anticipated. One of our girls needed an emergency hysterectomy for example. We loved them very much and weren’t prepared to compromise on their care but after our baby arrived it was hard to find the time they needed or the time to help my daughter interact with them.

The reason I’m sharing this is that I want to do things the right way round this time. What is the gold star hamster care? Before I decide to buy/adopt a hamster I want to be sure we can look after it to the highest standard. What cage should we own? How often do you clean out the cage? Any tips on breed?

Thanks in advance,

Sam

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome It's great you're doing the research before getting a hamster. The main thing with a hamster is to get the right cage and set up sorted first, so you don't need to make changes after they move in. Hamsters don't do well with things changing and like things to stay as they are - especially in the first few months while they're growing up. So getting the cage set up right to start with really helps

You've probably seen the articles on the home page and the list of hamster cages/enclosures? And then there are personal preferences as to what type of cage or enclosure you feel more comfortable with.

The first thing is - you can't really go too big! However the bigger the cage is the more you need to fill it and that means a lot more bedding and enrichment items so it isn't a big open space as they are prey species and like to feel secure in a cage and not too much open space.

The basic minimum size recommended for all species of hamster is 100cm x 50cm (about 40" x 20"). That makes a lovely enriched home for a hamster, but if you can go bigger, that is good too.

Personally I like front access, for easy interaction with the hamster, and ease of getting them in and out of the cage, and that might be quite important with an 8 year old. But it is usually only barred cages that have front access (unless you make a diy cage). But it's hard to find barred cages bigger than 100cm x 50cm. Tank style cages can come in various sizes or custom sizes, but commercial ones can be very expensive. Which is why some people make diy ones (ikea hacks etc like the Platsa cages or Pax cages).

You might want to have a look at the "show us your cages" thread for some ideas

But feel free to ask as many questions as you want!

A basic list is

1) Large enough enclosure
2) Deep enough substrate/litter
3) A dark hide for nesting and sleeping in - large enough for a large nest in winter. Multiroom houses are good and can have a litter tray inside
4) A shelf or platform (something to put heavier items on and somewhere else to go or sit under to feel secure)
5) A sand bath
6) An appropriate diet - eg a good hamster muesli mix with 18% to 20% protein (or supplemented protein) and a tiny bit of fresh veg daily
7) Plenty of enrichment items like cork tunnels (to climb over and run through) and extra little hides.

This doesn't all have to be expensive - cardboard hides and tunnels are good too

As for which species. I have a soft spot for Syrians - the largest of the species - and especially as a first hamster pet - partly due to their size for handling. I wouldn't recommend a Roborovski hamster for a first pet - they are very small, very fast and many find they can't handle or tame them. They are often "watch only" pets. In between that you have Russian Dwarf hamsters and Chinese dwarf hamsters. Both of whom can be prone to diabetes so need a sugar free diet. I'll leave it to others to describe dwarf hamsters and chinese as a first pet

We had a male syrian hamster as a first hamster with a 6 year old. He was a very much loved family pet by all of us. They all have different personalities as well - some are more maverick, some are more shy, some are more sensitive. But they can all bond with an owner and interact with you, with a bit of taming. Female syrians are notorious for needing a lot of space.

Show us your cages 2023 onwards

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

This gives some of the pros and cons of various different cage/enclosure types

Cages 2025

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

There are a few other enclosures available now - like the Bucatstate tank style cages - they're not on the list as yet as not a lot of feedback as yet.

 

[elusive]

Hello & welcome to the forum.
It’s always lovely to see someone who wants to research properly before getting a hamster.
I think Maz has covered all the main points really & there are plenty of articles to read through too.
Some things will vary depending on which species you go for but the general guidelines are the same.
I’ve never had a Syrian hamster, my first was a Russian & I’ve had several over the years, I think they make great first hamsters, they quite a lot smaller than a Syrian so possibly could be harder for a child to handle, not sure about that really, but I found them easy to tame & handle & they bond really well with their owners so definitely an option to consider. There are potential health issues with them & care does have to be taken with diet due to them being prone to diabetes but that isn’t difficult really it just means a good quality food & avoiding anything sweet or lots of fatty treats.
I wouldn’t recommend a Chinese as a first hamster really, they are lovely & some are easy to tame, they do form great bonds too but many are quite timid to begin with & may do better when the owner is a little more experienced with hamsters generally.
If you have a look through the different species sections of the forum you could see more of each & get an idea of how other people’s hamster behave & interact with them & the types of enclosures people have for them.

 

[travellingbookworm]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such detailed replies.

We were thinking Syrian or Russian.

I’m guessing the tank style cages are harder to clean out?

How frequently do you clean out your hamster?

Sam

 

[elusive]

I’ve only had barred cages so not sure if tanks are harder to clean tbh.

Many hamsters will use aitter tray that can be put in or near the housse (usually with sand or substrate in it) or if not once they’ve settled in they tend to pee in one spot so this area can be spot cleaned, every few days is usually enough, it varies & you will get to know how often your own hamsters pee spot needs cleaning.
Other than that you don’t need to do full cage cleans, you may find an area where poo tends to collect, they do eat some of this but if it tends to build up a bit you can clean that out once in a while, probably only ever couple of weeks or less, again depends on the hamster, I usually find quite a lot in front of the wheel ( I think it comes flying out when they run!) so I just scoop off the top layer there & replace it as needed.
You may need to do partial cleans, maybe a third to a half the cage once every few months or so.
It’s best to avoid touching the nest unless it’s peed in, the same goes for the food hoard. If you need to clean out the nest always try to put back some of the old nest material & with the hoard if you need to clear that out then replace some of it with fresh mix.
Hamsters do find cleaning stressful & need to retain their scent in the cage to feel secure so it’s always best to only clean when really needed rather than having a set schedule & sticking to that regardless.
Wheels do often need cleaning, depending on the individual hamster, mine tend to need cleaning weekly but if I clean the wheel I wouldn’t clean anything else on the same day.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am so happy you are researching and planning on getting everything perfect for your new hamster.

I personally would contact your nearest rescue and choose a hamster based on their personality. I too had guinea pigs and have found hamsters and their care very different.

I have a tank style cage and love it. It allows me to have deep bedding without any adjustments. You could check out the 'show us your cages 2023' and you can see different examples of set ups to give you a little idea on what a tank and cage style looks like.

Now that I have hamsters, it really surprised me how much less cleaning there is to do! As you know, guinea pigs require daily poop removal and hamsters are very different. I am lucky as my hamster only wees in his sand bath so I just need to sieve this once a week and do spot cleans throughout his cage.

As hamsters are crepuscular, you may not see the hamster as much as you did with your piggies but I have found having a pet cam to be really nice. It will give your daughter the chance to watch the footage and see what the hamster gets up to.

 

[Maz]

I wouldn't say any are easier or more harder to clean out - the main thing is you don't need to do a big clean out very often, but if someone has a bad back for example, it's easier to have something that wouldn't need too much bending when cleaning out - eg a large tank style on the floor. On the other hand you could have it on a coffee table or legs then it would be easier.

With my cage with the big front door, I never need to take the bars off - I can do everything through the front door. Which makes life a big easier.

And with the large tank styles, access to the hamster is also fairly easy, as the top is large enough and wide enough that it's not as if your hand is coming from above, but more at a natural angle.

This cage cleaning guide gives a good idea of how it works, but basically, with spot cleaning and a litter tray you wont' need to do a big clean out more than every 3 to 6 months - and even then people replace half the clean bedding. The cage basically stays clean and dry and the more depth of bedding you have, the easier it is and the cleaner it stays. This benefits the hamster too as they get stressed by too much cleaning out.

So ultimately in terms of choice of cage or enclosure, providing it's big enough, it's up to you what you prefer. And what height you want the access to the hamster. I have my savic plaza on a cupboard, about waist height - because it has a front opening door. If it was a tank style cage with top opening only I'd want it on something lower. It's a balance between what you can see and ease of access. If it's higher you can see the hamster through the cage at eye level and what they do, but then it can be awkward and uncomfortable getting your hand in and out of the cage from the top to do any cleaning or spot cleaning etc. If it's lower you still mostly see what the hamster gets up to, from a different angle, and it's easier to manage (with top opening eg).

Ideally it wants to be at least 50cm tall to allow for enough depth of bedding. Cages have a limited base height for bedding, so people put cardboard or perspex or grass mats inside the bars (to keep the substrate from falling through the bars) to have deep enough substrate. Tanks are easier for that as they are solid sided. I'm just used to cages and front access

Tanks are easier to set up in some ways as the sides are straight. On the other hand platforms need to be on legs at the right height, whereas with cages you can just attach shelves to the bars.

There are pros and cons to both. So most people look at what would work for them within their budget. As well as the cost of the cage, you need to allow for the cost of a wheel (and some wheels are really not cheap these days) and possibly a good house/nesting box like a multiroom house. Or you could make a cardboard shoebox nesting box. Plus all the bedding and things like cork logs and other cage items. A sand bath can be anything - eg an old ice cream tub. Shelves or platforms can add to the cost too.

Height is something to consider too. Something like a 50cm tall cage with 20cm of substrate is fine for a Syrian but would create fall risks from a height for a smaller dwarf hamster. So then you either need a lower cage or deeper bedding to reduce the effective height. This isn't so much an issue with a tank style cage with no bars.

More about cage cleaning here

Hamster cage cleaning

Tips on how to clean your hamster cage and avoid causing stress to your hamster. It's best to have plenty of depth of substrate and mainly spot clean your hamster cage. Avoid disturbing your hamster's nest and hoard.

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[Maz]

Popular commercial cages are the Savic Plaza cage (100 x 50 approx), the Living World Eco Habitat (tank style perspex cage) - very expensive - about £232. Or diy tank style cages. There is not a huge choice in commercial cages in the Uk since brexit! Most of the large barred cages used to come from Germany and aren't available any more. Which is why a lot of people are doing diy cages. The Pawhut is popular for the price compared to the large size, but it is wood and is notorious for being flimsy and chewed out of. The largest barred cage you can get (with hamster bar spacing) is the 120cm savic plaza - bigger than the standard one. I have one of these and love it. However it's not easily available. Currently only sold by one pet store in Wales and they charge about £50 on top for pallet shipping (it's supposed to be more widely available soon).

 

[travellingbookworm]

I just want to say a massive thank you to all of you. It’s really kind of you to take the time to answer all of my queries and your replies were incredibly helpful and insightful.

Now on the hunt for a cage!

Thanks again and hope to join you again soon with a small furry friend!

 

[Maz]

Let us know when you've decided on one and we can give some setting up tips (Depending on what species it is).

Incidentally you can turn the savic plaza cage into a full perspex tank - Viking laser sells perspex panels that fully replace the bars. That does basically double the cost of the cage to about £160 but still cheaper than some other tank options. Or some people just opt for the barred cage with the option to turn it into a tank later if the hamster bar chews.