98 replies to this topic

[bean22]

Hi, I read the article and I completely agree with you. I really want to get a 40 gallon tank but my parents are completely oblivious to the amount of space a hamster actually needs. They use the "hamsters don't need that much space because they're small" logic. I am using a bin cage that is just below the old minimum (360 sq in) and it was really hard to convince them to do that. They think I'm insane for wanting to get a 40 gallon tank because "it's too big." I have no idea what to do. I could try to show them this article but they probably won't even read it. Can somebody help me?

[PosieHamster]

Hi, I read the article and I completely agree with you. I really want to get a 40 gallon tank but my parents are completely oblivious to the amount of space a hamster actually needs. They use the "hamsters don't need that much space because they're small" logic. I am using a bin cage that is just below the old minimum (360 sq in) and it was really hard to convince them to do that. They think I'm insane for wanting to get a 40 gallon tank because "it's too big." I have no idea what to do. I could try to show them this article but they probably won't even read it. Can somebody help me?

My mom didn't agree that hamsters needed all the room at first either. Since then, my mom has said she has noticed how hammys need more room than she originally thought. She has noticed how happy Posie (my hamster) is when she has more room to run around. I pay for everything (cages and supplies and vet care) for my animals, so that is why my mom wasn't very hard to convince. She just didn't want a cage that big in her house at first, but now she has no problem with it. (: I would suggest nicely showing your parents some informational articles or the post in this pinned thread that Taxonomist made. If they seem receptive, that's wonderful! But if they dont, leave it be for now.

Edited by PosieHamster, 30 July 2017 - 01:04 AM.

[MrHammy]

I'm am getting a robo hamster and I have gotten a tank with 390 square inches of floor space. Is this big enough?

[PosieHamster]

I'm am getting a robo hamster and I have gotten a tank with 390 square inches of floor space. Is this big enough?

350 square inches is not considered to be large enough for a hamster. The minimum cage size is 450 square inches.

[MrHammy]

That gives me another question, the limit in the US and Canada is 360 square inches. And I have heard it is sutible for hamsters. Is this true?

[PosieHamster]

That gives me another question, the limit in the US and Canada is 360 square inches. And I have heard it is sutible for hamsters. Is this true?

As far as I know, that minimum size is outdated.

[Furkies]

As far as I know, that minimum size is outdated.

 

Because modern hamsters are suddenly unhappy in a 360 sq. inches that once made every past hamsters happy.

[PosieHamster]

Because modern hamsters are suddenly unhappy in a 360 sq. inches that once made every past hamsters happy.

Every hamster is different. My hamster was very unhappy in a 360 square inch cage. I believe the forum minimum was upped to 450 because many hamsters were still showing signs of stress in a 360 square inch enclosure.
Every member of Hamster Hideout is welcome to follow whatever minimum they like, I just like to suggest at least 450 square inches of space because I personally believe that to be a reasonable minimum.

Edited by PosieHamster, 12 August 2017 - 09:05 AM.

[kavlri]

Because modern hamsters are suddenly unhappy in a 360 sq. inches that once made every past hamsters happy.

its not that every hamster in the past is happy with 360. In fact, they were still showing sidings of stress in 360 that's why the minimum is upgrade to 450.

[Anja88]

Kind regards! I'm new here but not totaly new in hamster wolrd. I had them as a teen and till my collage days. Then I decided no more wire cages-I give them all away and now I'm hamsterless for 4-5 years...and now I'm in the procees of buying bins.

 

I'd like to get syrian. I was thinking  to buy two bins, each (40x60x43 cm) and conect them with short tube. If I throw out two larger flowers I get room for three bins. Or another option that I stack up bins. What do you think? Minimum is (50x80 x35cm). The main question is can my  syrian be happy in 80x60x 43 cm? I plan to get him/her a large wheel, wooden house, some chew toys, hay tunnel, food bal for hay and fresh food, wooden bridge, bowl for sand bath, some rocks for nail grinding, perhaps I have a room for another hideout like a ceramic pot, or made from cardboard, some home made food ball from toilet roll. If I will have the room for all those things. For a limited time there will be outside cage exploring in my hamster safe room, when I'm there. 

 

I will make ventilation windows with wire mesh on all sides and on top. 

I don't want unhapy, bored, stressed hamster.

[CallaLily]

Because modern hamsters are suddenly unhappy in a 360 sq. inches that once made every past hamsters happy.

It's not that hamsters have suddenly changed, it's that we have learned more about their behavior and care needs. ;)

[PosieHamster]

Kind regards! I'm new here but not totaly new in hamster wolrd. I had them as a teen and till my collage days. Then I decided no more wire cages-I give them all away and now I'm hamsterless for 4-5 years...and now I'm in the procees of buying bins.

I'd like to get syrian. I was thinking to buy two bins, each (40x60x43 cm) and conect them with short tube. If I throw out two larger flowers I get room for three bins. Or another option that I stack up bins. What do you think? Minimum is (50x80 x35cm). The main question is can my syrian be happy in 80x60x 43 cm? I plan to get him/her a large wheel, wooden house, some chew toys, hay tunnel, food bal for hay and fresh food, wooden bridge, bowl for sand bath, some rocks for nail grinding, perhaps I have a room for another hideout like a ceramic pot, or made from cardboard, some home made food ball from toilet roll. If I will have the room for all those things. For a limited time there will be outside cage exploring in my hamster safe room, when I'm there.

I will make ventilation windows with wire mesh on all sides and on top.
I don't want unhapy, bored, stressed hamster.

Hello! Welcome to the forum!
If you are able, it would be a better idea to cut each the bins down one side and connect them using zip ties or aquarium sealant in order to create continuous floorspace. If you don't want to connect the bins that way, and would perfer to use tubes to connect them, it would be best to get at least two bins that are at least 2,900 square centimeters each. As far as I know, if a bin is under 2,900 square inches (or 450 square inches,) it doesn't count as extra floorspace.
Some Syrian hamsters aren't happy in even a 6,500 square centimeter enclosure. It depends on the hamster. Your best bet would be to have a cage that is at least 5,150 square centimeters. If the cage is smaller than 4,200 square centimeters, a Syrian hamster will likely not be thriving.
Good luck!

[Anja88]

Thank you. I think you are right. I need to combined them in one larger area. I wil go to Ikea and buy larger bins the main goal for now it to get 120 x80 cm that would be 9600 square cm or 1488 square inches. What I dont like about bins. They get narower at the base...why on earth do they do that? I hope Ikea has straight ones.  Or tex box I think it does not get narrow at the bottom

 

One tex box has 715.45 square inch ant than connect toanother smallet bin, to make it larger. I will not connect with tube. I'll se how it will go.

Edited by Anja88, 23 August 2017 - 01:28 AM.

[Celery Munchers]

Hi there!  

 

You might be here because you're wondering about hamster cages and cage sizes.  

You might be here because you're frustrated with the amount of conflicting information you've seen from different sources.  

You might be here because you think our forum's cage sizes are absurd.

You might be here because your child is trying to convince you to allow them to get a bigger cage for their hamster.

 

Regardless of why you’re here, I’m glad you are and I hope I can help.  I’m also honored that you’re taking the time to read this article.

 

I'm not going to claim that this is a magical article that will clarify everything, because it may or may not do that.  However, I do hope that it will shed some light on the issue and help you to decide what you want to do in terms of housing your pet hamster.

 

NOTE: The cage size guidelines given are meant to apply to typical pet owner situations.  They are not meant to be applied to large-scale organizations like breeders and rescues, as it would be physically impossible for these organizations to provide such large enclosures for each animal.  This should be common sense, but it has been brought to our attention that people choose to brigade and harass breeders and rescues for not having maximum-sized cages.  Hamster Hideout does not endorse this type of behavior.

 

Enrichment for Animals

 

Let's first talk about enrichment.  If you’ve ever visited a zoo or aquarium, you might have heard this term from a keeper or read it on a sign.  To put it as simply as possible, captive animals need things to do to keep them mentally and physically occupied.  This is often referred to as enrichment.  An unenriched animal may become bored, depressed, or destructive.  The St. Louis Zoo has a good article about enrichment in zoo animals that is worth a read.  

 

How do animals get enrichment?  Well, when talking about pets, enrichment generally comes from three main sources:

 

-Interaction with same-species animals (two guinea pigs grooming each other)

-Interaction with human keepers (a person playing fetch with their dog)

-Interaction with their environment (a rat using a puzzle toy to get treats)

 

Different animals get their enrichment in different ways - it depends on both the type of animal and the individual situation.  Some animals get most of their enrichment from one or two sources, some get it nearly equally from all three.

 

Challenges of Hamster Enrichment

 

Depending on how much you know about hamsters, you may already see the challenge of enrichment for them.  Hamsters can be difficult animals to keep stimulated, because 2 out of the 3 sources of enrichment are largely unavailable to them.  

 

Most hamsters do not receive enrichment from same-species social interactions.  This is because they are primarily solitary creatures that do best housed alone. Syrian hamsters, for example, are inherently territorial and will kill cagemates at adulthood.  Even species that are not as territorial are very risky to keep in pairs.  This contrasts with nearly all other small mammalian pets.  Rats, mice, gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, chinchillas...these are all social animals that are typically given a same-species companion in captivity.  Hamsters simply do not have that option.

 

Human interaction is not always a reliable source of enrichment for hamsters.  There are a few reasons for this.  The first is that hamsters are not fully domesticated.  They have only been kept as pets for a few decades, unlike the dogs and cats that have evolved alongside humans for thousands of years.  While hamsters can certainly enjoy human company, they are not highly stimulated by it in the same way a dog would be.  Some hamsters don't even like human contact and will avoid it at all costs.  In addition, hamsters’ primary hours of activity tend to be when their human keepers are asleep, further limiting options for human interaction.

 

That leaves us with the environment.  A hamster’s enrichment relies very heavily on having a stimulating, interesting cage to live in.  This is the heart of why cage size is so important to them – interacting with their environment is their major form of enrichment.

 

Boredom Behaviors and Stereotypies

 

What happens when a hamster is not getting enough enrichment?  If the hamster is not properly stimulated, it will often display undesirable "boredom behaviors."  Some boredom behaviors can also be classed as "stereotypies."  Manteca and Salas 2015 have a pretty good description of stereotypies (relating to zoo animals) here:

 

“Stereotypies are defined in two ways:

 

- Repetitive, invariant behaviour without apparent immediate function.

- Repetitive behaviours caused by the animal’s repeated attempts to adapt to its environment or by a dysfunction of the central nervous system.

 

Both definitions agree that stereotypies are repetitive behaviours. The second definition, however, includes behaviours that despite being repetitive are not always performed in exactly the same way. Moreover, it does not assume that stereotypies lack a functional role; this is particularly relevant because it has been suggested that some stereotypies could facilitate the adaptation of animals to an unsuitable environment.”

 

Boredom behaviors and stereotypies are bad in several ways.  For one, they are an indicator of an unhappy animal.  As pet owners, it is our responsibility to take care of our animals physically and mentally.  Unhappy and stressed animals can be more prone to health problems and have shorter lifespans.

 

In addition, some boredom behaviors and stereotypies can be dangerous, harmful, or destructive to both the hamster and its human keeper. 

 

Typical Hamster Boredom Behaviors and Stereotypies

 

Chewing on the cage – This is a behavior known by many names, including bar-biting and wire-chewing.  In the end, it is all the same behavior – the hamster repeatedly and obsessively chews on its cage.  Although this behavior is typically associated with wire cages, it can occur in any cage type.  If the hamster is housed in an aquarium, for example, it may chew on the silicone sealant in the corners of the cage.  This is not just normal chewing behavior; it is a frenzied, obsessive type of chewing brought on by stress.

 

Pacing – Repetitive, constant running back and forth, especially along the walls of the cage.  

 

Cage aggression – This is a strange but common issue in bored hamsters.  A cage aggressive hamster will be extremely hostile when handled inside of its cage, but may be much calmer outside of it.  Examples of aggressive behavior include charging at the human keeper’s hands, biting, and hissing.

 

Wall-scaling - Also called monkey-barring, this is when the hamster repeatedly climbs up the bars of the cage.   If the cage is not barred, this behavior may present as jumping up on the sides of the cage.  As with chewing on the cage, this is noticeably different from normal climbing and exploring behavior.  It’s often done in a frantic and obsessive way.

 

Lethargy - Simply put, the hamster doesn't do much other than sit around.  This is misinterpreted as laziness.  The truth is that a small, unenriching cage will cause a hamster to seem “lazy” just because there’s nothing for the hamster to actually do in the cage.  A hamster can’t forage and play with wheat and oat sprays if it isn’t provided any.  A hamster can’t construct elaborate and interesting burrow systems if they don’t have the space and bedding depth to set them up.

 

Behavior Misconceptions and the Cage Gap

 

Hamster boredom behaviors prove to be a challenge for hamster keepers to identify.  Not because they’re difficult to observe, but because they simply aren’t recognized as being boredom behaviors.

 

To many people, the above list probably reads like a list of what hamsters typically do.  These behaviors are so common in pet hamsters that they've become accepted as being normal and healthy.  Many people assume that this is just what hamsters are like as pets – aggressive animals that chew on their cages, always try to escape, and generally don’t do much other than that.

 

This is not the case.  A healthy, happy, enriched hamster should not be showing these behaviors on a regular basis.

 

If these behaviors are not “normal” for a healthy hamster, why are they so common?  The answer to this is quite simple: the cages that most people use for hamsters are not large enough to provide proper enrichment.  There is an enormous gap between what a hamster cage should be and what a typical store-bought hamster cage actually is.  This is the cage gap, and it is a major problem in the hamster community.

 

Cage Sizes

 

So, what size cage does a hamster need?

 

Well, this isn't a simple answer, because it's difficult (if not impossible) to tell for sure if a hamster is completely happy or not.  However, what we do know is that there is no known cage size that is large enough to eliminate boredom behaviors.

 

There was at least one scientific study conducted on hamster cage sizes by Fischer et al. in 2007.  The scientists put hamsters in cages of varying sizes, as follows:

 

1,800 sq. cm. (279 sq. in.)

2,500 sq. cm. (387 sq. in.)

5,000 sq. cm. (775 sq. in.)

10,000 sq. cm. (1550 sq. in.)

 

The scientists then observed and recorded the hamsters' behaviors in each cage size.  Essentially, what they found was that the smaller the cage, the more time the hamster spent chewing on the wires of their cages.  Larger cages resulted in less wire gnawing, but even in the large 10,000 sq. cm. cage, the hamsters still showed some boredom.

 

In light of this, cages in excess of 1,500 square inches (10,000 square centimeters) should be our goal in hamster keeping.

 

Cage Sizes from Various Sources

 

That said, different organizations have different recommendations for cage sizes.  Not every group is going to agree, but here are some quick references:

 

Hamster Hideout Minimum = 450 square inches / 3.1 square feet / 2903 square centimeters

Hamster Hideout Recommended = Larger than 650 square inches / 4.5 square feet / 4194 square centimeters

 

RSPCA Minimum = 450 square inches / 3.1 square feet / 2903 square centimeters

 

German Hamster Forum Minimum = 620 square inches / 3.9 square feet / 4000 square centimeters

German Hamster Forum Recommended = 1521 square inches / 10.5 square feet / 10,000 square centimeters

 

ASPCA Minimum = 200 square inches / 1.4 square feet / 1290 square centimeters

 

HSUS Minimum = 288 square inches / 2 square feet / 1858 square centimeters

 

 

The Meaning of the Numbers

 

These numbers are guidelines for each organization.  Unfortunately, we often run into misunderstandings about what these numbers really represent.

 

"Magical Happiness Numbers" - Some owners see a recommended or minimum cage size and assume it to be some magical happiness number.  That is, they think that if their cage meets that size, their hamster is 100% guaranteed to be happy and content in it.  We see this on the forum in the form of topics about boredom behaviors.  The owner is confused, because their hamster is showing signs of boredom.  But they insist that it can't be the cage, because it's the recommended size and therefore definitely big enough for the hamster.

 

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.  Numbers are meant to be general guidelines and starting points.  They are not ultimate goals and will not work for every hamster.  There is no way to guarantee that a hamster will be happy in any given cage size.  

 

A hamster can be unhappy in a minimum-sized cage.  

A hamster can be unhappy in a recommended cage.  

A hamster can be unhappy in a cage that is significantly larger than the recommended size.  

 

This is why it is strongly advised to go as large as possible.  Some hamsters (particularly Syrian hamsters) can be difficult to keep entertained in smaller cages.  

 

What is a Minimum? - Too often, owners fall into a false sense of security thinking that they have a great or perfect cage because it's the minimum size.

 

Consider what the word “minimum” means.  It is the bare essential, the smallest amount possible.  To make an analogy, the minimum cage size is meant to be the starting line of the race, not the finish line.  Runners don’t take one step over the starting line and say that they’ve completed the race.  No, rather, they keep going towards the finish line.

 

Minimum cage sizes are the same way.  They are not the goal to strive for.  They are not great or even good cages.  They are meant to be a bare-bones starting point, and owners should always strive to get as far beyond the minimum as possible.

 

Why Does the Cage Gap Exist?

 

If hamsters need such large cages, then why are the cages available for purchase so small?

 

There is no single answer for this.  Part of the reason is that all this information is still relatively new.  We are continuing to learn about and observe hamster behavior in different-sized cages and seeing differences.

 

Another reason is the difference between surviving and thriving.  Hamsters can survive in smaller store-bought cages.  It does not mean they will be happy and healthy, but they will live.  

 

And for some people, that's enough.  Hamsters are often purchased as pets for the entertainment of small children.  And in some of these cases, the hamster's well-being is not a terribly high priority – the child doesn’t understand and the parent doesn’t care.  It doesn't mean that it's the right thing to do, and it’s not the kind of care we promote on Hamster Hideout, but it would be silly to ignore the fact that this does happen.

 

Summary

 

I hope this article has been an interesting read if nothing else. More than that, though, I hope this article has helped to clear up any confusion regarding hamster cage sizes.  Even if you still disagree, I hope that perhaps you at least understand the reasoning behind large cages a little better.

 

 

 

Citations

 

Animal Enrichment

St. Louis Zoo

 

Behaviour of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) kept in four different cage sizes

K Fischer, SG Gebhardt-Henrich, and A Steiger

Animal Welfare 2007, 16: 85-93

 

Stereotypies as Animal Welfare Indicators

X Manteca, M Salas

Zoo Animal Welfare Fact Sheet, October 2015

 

 

 

Adapted from The Case For Large Cages.

Thanks so much! I found this very helpful on deciding what kind of cage I should get/make.   

Edited by Celery Munchers, 10 September 2017 - 01:26 AM.

[Socks and Snicks]

Hi, I read the article and I completely agree with you. I really want to get a 40 gallon tank but my parents are completely oblivious to the amount of space a hamster actually needs. They use the "hamsters don't need that much space because they're small" logic. I am using a bin cage that is just below the old minimum (360 sq in) and it was really hard to convince them to do that. They think I'm insane for wanting to get a 40 gallon tank because "it's too big." I have no idea what to do. I could try to show them this article but they probably won't even read it. Can somebody help me?

I know just what you mean! I have a 325 square inch cage, my mom and i will move out in around a year, then i can buy a 40 gallon per hammy <3 <3 just keep on trying. Not too whiny though, and do anything they want.