4 replies to this topic

[FranklyFrankie]

Hi all,

 

I've been lurking around here and learning huge amounts from old threads over the past few months. I started researching hamster care in April, and adopted a rescue dwarf in July. I went DIY for the cage, and I wanted to build something as large as my budget would allow. I especially wanted to make a cage that would feasibly be big enough to house a Syrian. I went with a 120x60cm size, 60cm tall. With some internal loss of size included, it's about 6500cm2 or just over 1000 sq inches.

 

My dwarf girl seems to love her cage, but seeing just how much she uses every cubic centimeter in it (including her 40cm of bedding in most of it), I'm starting to feel less sure that I would be happy with this cage for a Syrian in future. Apart from extra floor space, I would love to have a deeper cage to allow for 50cm+ bedding. I am on a waiting list with an ethical Syrian breeder, and plan to get a male Syrian after my dwarf passes on (she's already over a year old). So this is obviously not an urgent question, but something I've been mulling over a lot.

 

But here is my dilemma. I have scoured all my IKEA/hardware store options for materials, Pax included, and the reality is that bigger is more expensive. Because I already have my current cage, which myself and my partner put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and late nights into, it would be incredibly more cost-effective to keep what we have and upgrade only if necessary (i.e. signs of stress). I want to be able to give my future Syrian the best possible life, but materials, bedding, and other items are expensive in my country. 50cm bedding in a 10,000 cm cage alone is a lot of money.

 

TLDR: where do you draw the line between giving your hamster (especially Syrian) the biggest possible cage, and the most possible enrichment, and keeping within a reasonable budget? I know many people here have very happy Syrians in similar cages to mine, but I don't think many would consider it the absolute ideal. If you were starting from the beginning with a Syrian, would you have a number in mind of square inches that is good enough to draw the line, or a percentage of your monthly salary that just isn't worth spending beyond for an initial set-up?

 

I'm not sure I worded this well, but I'm very curious to hear any thoughts any of you have on this! Thanks so much for reading.

[♥️ ♥]

Hi all,

 

I've been lurking around here and learning huge amounts from old threads over the past few months. I started researching hamster care in April, and adopted a rescue dwarf in July. I went DIY for the cage, and I wanted to build something as large as my budget would allow. I especially wanted to make a cage that would feasibly be big enough to house a Syrian. I went with a 120x60cm size, 60cm tall. With some internal loss of size included, it's about 6500cm2 or just over 1000 sq inches.

 

My dwarf girl seems to love her cage, but seeing just how much she uses every cubic centimeter in it (including her 40cm of bedding in most of it), I'm starting to feel less sure that I would be happy with this cage for a Syrian in future. Apart from extra floor space, I would love to have a deeper cage to allow for 50cm+ bedding. I am on a waiting list with an ethical Syrian breeder, and plan to get a male Syrian after my dwarf passes on (she's already over a year old). So this is obviously not an urgent question, but something I've been mulling over a lot.

 

But here is my dilemma. I have scoured all my IKEA/hardware store options for materials, Pax included, and the reality is that bigger is more expensive. Because I already have my current cage, which myself and my partner put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and late nights into, it would be incredibly more cost-effective to keep what we have and upgrade only if necessary (i.e. signs of stress). I want to be able to give my future Syrian the best possible life, but materials, bedding, and other items are expensive in my country. 50cm bedding in a 10,000 cm cage alone is a lot of money.

 

TLDR: where do you draw the line between giving your hamster (especially Syrian) the biggest possible cage, and the most possible enrichment, and keeping within a reasonable budget? I know many people here have very happy Syrians in similar cages to mine, but I don't think many would consider it the absolute ideal. If you were starting from the beginning with a Syrian, would you have a number in mind of square inches that is good enough to draw the line, or a percentage of your monthly salary that just isn't worth spending beyond for an initial set-up?

 

I'm not sure I worded this well, but I'm very curious to hear any thoughts any of you have on this! Thanks so much for reading.

Syrians vary a LOT. Some Syrians may be happy in a 40 gallon tank, whereas so may need 3,000+ sq inches. It really depends on how much enrichment you can fit in. Larger enclosures would be VERY expensive to fill up. I recommend watching Victoria Raechels videos. She has a lot of good videos about that.

 

In answer to your question, I think you should start with your budget and go down from there if that makes sense. So for me, my budget was $175. I said "what's the biggest possible cage I can build within my budget? For me, this was a 4' x 2' diy cage.

 

You also have to calculate how much enrichment you can afford. If you can afford a giant enclosure, but not the enrichment, it's better to go with a smaller enclosure filled with more enrichment. This is a bedding calculator. It just depends on what you can afford. 

Hope this helped and ell me if you have any questions!

[Kikya]

4ft by 2ft by almost 2 ft seems to be my comfort zone. I use the Nite Angel large cage for my Syrians and they love it. Could I have a bigger DIY? Probably, is it worth it? Not to me at this time. I wouldn't be able to foster as many hammies.

Also, I think of enrichment as something you do as you go along. Doesn't have to be a big upfront cost. Add a bit when you have the extra money. Keeping in mind your hamster lives in a palace compared to others.

[Lillias]

That's a fairly sizeable cage. While size is important, it's not the end of the story. Rather than upgrading the cage to a larger one, I would see if there are ways to optimize the cage by adding enrichment or platforms (maybe your setup already has as much enrichment as you can reasonably fit in the space). It's large enough that I don't think you need to automatically upgrade. Maybe set aside some money in case the new hamster really does need more space.

[ChloesCritters]

i agree with everyone here!

I think if you want to make the area bigger you can combine the cage you have right now with another cage but you can also connect it using a tube.