260 replies to this topic

[Azayles]

I'll be happy to do a review on Megazorb as pretty much the only other person that uses it regularly, Amy, is in the hospital still.

[tbiM20]

I can do a review on the Heartz Play City Extreme Home (I have one hooked up to my bin cage

OK sounds good! Is that the only cage that Hartz makes? Because Google isn't coming up with any others (edit: the Townhouse too). So just review it as an add-on - quality of materials, durability, etc. Use the post you've already made, and create a heading with #18 bold font, like what tinypixie and HH have done. No rush! OOoooooohh...... are the Hartz tubes widely available enough to review? Do they connect to the other tube & cage brands?

I would like to recommend a few more products to add to your review list. For your consideration...

Under Cages: Aqueon 40 gallon breeder tank (Petco), Ferret Kit 100 (large Syrian cage). For UK/Europe: Alaska, Alexander, Imac cages, Hamster Heaven

Under Bedding/Litter section: Petsmart brand Aspen, Native Earth (Harlan Teklad) Shredded Aspen, Boxo/Boxo Comfort (they're different, I think), Fitch (UK), Auboise (hemp bedding, UK)

Under Water and Food Accessories: Oasis Bell Bottle

Under Toys/Furnitures: A lot of stuffs by TopFin (aquarium decors suitable for dwarf hams), All Living Things brand, Zilla/ZooMed/Mac's (reptile decor brand, but usable for hamsters also), a bunch of small Ikea things (Glimma, Magasin, Mixtur, Forhoja box sex, etc).

Ahh yes that's exactly what I was hoping for! Thanks I'll be sure to add those in there. Are the Alaska and Alexander by Zooplus?

I'll do a review on crittertail tubes

Wonderful! Use your post and put a #18 bold fond heading like what tinypixie and HH did. Remember that both dwarfs and Syrians need considered.

I'll be happy to do a review on Megazorb as pretty much the only other person that uses it regularly, Amy, is in the hospital still.

OK awesome! Is it a UK-only product, or available elsewhere (I wasn't sure but remembered it was a good product)?

Edited by tbiM20, 23 February 2013 - 10:29 PM.

[HoppingHammy]

OK awesome! Is it a UK-only product, or available elsewhere (I wasn't sure but remembered it was a good product)?

Sorry to butt in, but I know SyrianPumpkin also uses Megazorb all the time and she's in Canada.

[Biscotti]

Ahh yes that's exactly what I was hoping for! Thanks I'll be sure to add those in there. Are the Alaska and Alexander by Zooplus?

Zooplus is a online retailer like Petsmart.com, so I'm not sure whats the brand exactly.

I can do a review for the Native Earth Aspen and the Petco 40g breeder tank. I can probably do more reviews later but for now I can tackle these two. How long/detailed would you like the review to be? And how do we submit the finished review, should we PM you or just post here?

Edited by Biscotti, 24 February 2013 - 03:46 AM.

[Creative Hamster]

Sorry to butt in, but I know SyrianPumpkin also uses Megazorb all the time and she's in Canada.

Oh really? Doesn't SP use BOXO bedding though....

[HoppingHammy]

Oh really? Doesn't SP use BOXO bedding though....

Oh dear, I'm sorry you are totally right Ch! Eeep, brain fart hehe. Thank you for setting me straight and it's Boxo that is in Canada and Megazorb in the UK. OOPSIES. Let's pretend that didn't happen........

Sorry for the hijack. Carry on please!

[mothedog]

OK sounds good! Is that the only cage that Hartz makes? Because Google isn't coming up with any others (edit: the Townhouse too). So just review it as an add-on - quality of materials, durability, etc. Use the post you've already made, and create a heading with #18 bold font, like what tinypixie and HH have done. No rush! OOoooooohh...... are the Hartz tubes widely available enough to review? Do they connect to the other tube & cage brands?

I have the tubes but I only found them online and they do not attach to any other kinds

[tbiM20]

Zooplus is a online retailer like Petsmart.com, so I'm not sure whats the brand exactly.

I can do a review for the Native Earth Aspen and the Petco 40g breeder tank. I can probably do more reviews later but for now I can tackle these two. How long/detailed would you like the review to be? And how do we submit the finished review, should we PM you or just post here?

K, I wasn't sure. Zooplus is the only place I could find it so I was wondering if it was a store brand or something.

I'll mark you down for those two reviews. Just put your reviews in separate posts on here whenever you get done. There's no real review process, just make sure you cover most of the points you can think of. Pros and cons, things that need fixed, how durable it is, how well it works. For the aquarium I s'pose mention a couple other sizes too (like why the breeder and not just the regular 40g).

[tbiM20]

I have the tubes but I only found them online and they do not attach to any other kinds

OK well then we'll just do the cage unless someone else pops up using the tubes

[WeepingMilkshakes]

please can i do the alaska cage and the wodent wheel? xxx

[Biscotti]

Review submission for:

Native Earth Shredded Aspen by Harlan Teklad

Description: Laboratory grade low dust shredded aspen bedding
Starting Price: $9.30 per 4.38 cubic ft (124L), expandable to 9 cubic ft (~255L)
Availability: Pet360.com
Pros: Economical, low odor, absorbant
Cons: Need large storage space, some people might be allergic, some bags are dusty

This is *THE* most economical substrate in the U.S. right now, and is a very high quality lab grade aspen. Unlike most pet store aspen marketed toward small animals, which are often large shavings with sharp chips, this is a soft shredded aspen that compresses very well for burrowing. It has minimal dust, and smells lightly of clean aspen. As someone with a very sensitive nose, this substrate gives me no issues with 2 detolfs worth of it right next to my bed. It comes packed in a thick paper bag (like the ones for large bags of dog/cat food) so less chance of the bag breaking during transport. Each bag is 35 lb (15.9 kg). Highly recommended to use on it's own, or mixed with other substrate as filler.

Comes well packed from Pet360, quick shipping also:


Consistant quality for the entire bag, no large wood chips found:


Edit 8/8/2013: A lot of people have reported that the bedding can be very dusty, and I've found this to be true of my recent bags as well, much more so than before. I would suggest scooping out the bedding and placing it in your cage lightly, instead of dumping it, so the dust won't fly all over the place. There's some amounts of very tiny almost saw-dust-like layer on the bottom of the bag that I'm now tossing out, but overall I still feel that this is one of the best aspen bedding out there right now. 

Edited by Biscotti, 10 August 2013 - 12:46 PM.

[tbiM20]

@hunni's_mama - yeah you can do them lol. Be sure to put them each in a separate post.

@Biscotti - looks great! Can you make the heading #18 bold font?

[mothedog]

I am done with my review!!!

[MintChocolate24]

Silent Spinner Wheel

The Super Pet silent spinner wheel is overall a wheel that will to the job but does not necessarily cater to everyone's needs. They come in 3 sizes, 4'' , 6.5'', and 12''. They also come in many colors like blue, purple, green, and red. 

 

Silent Spinners are heavy duty plastic, solid base wheels that are good for rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters(4'' to 6.5'') and chinchillas, and guinea pigs, and syrian hamsters (12'')

 

Pros- Silent spinners are ,well, Silent! I have not had a problem with mine too loud or squeaky! They are also very durable, colorful and available in almost all pet stores ( in the US and Canada at least) Also, the 6.5'' wheel is great for dwarf hamsters and chinese hamsters.

 

Cons- Unfortunately, there are a few faults in this product. Since it is very hard plastic, if your hamster ( like mine) hoards their food, and dumps it out in the wheel, then proceeds to run on the wheel, it is EXTREMELY loud. and there is no way to stop your hamster from hoarding in that location. It's so loud that I hear it every night when I'm trying to sleep. Mind you, my hamster is in the guest room which is 4 large rooms away from my bedroom and the guest room door is shut and my bedroom doors are shut. Also, the adequate size for a syrian is 12'' but this is very expensive and hard to find. The 6.5'' bends my hamster's  back. It looks very painful and I'm hoping to upgrade ASAP.  The 4'' wheel is very small for all hamsters except *maybe* a robo hamster. Stick to 6.5'' for dwarfs and chinese hamsters. Try to avoid silent spinners unless it is 12'' for syrians. One more note, my syrian can easily tip the wheel upside down even with 2 rocks at the base.

 

                                                          Overall Rating : 6.5 out of 10

 

      

Edited by MintChocolate24, 12 May 2013 - 12:52 AM.

[tbiM20]

Looks great! But remember, the review is supposed to be a lot more thorough than the quick reference - more detail, maybe some pictures. Take a look at what Biscotti did for an idea.

Mint - could you make it an overall review for Silent Spinners? So including other sizes too... maybe mention that 6.5 is ok for dwarfs, but you need X size for Syrians.