Historically, and mainly as a result of manufacturing limitations, the options that were available for you to choose from were limited when it came to small family pet cages.  They were either rectangular wire cages, or, well, frankly rectangular wire cages.  This obviously meant that choice was somewhat limited.  There are so many ways you can present a wire cage in an interesting way, indeed, some might say there is no way to present a rectangular wire cage in an interesting way.  However, at some point someone had the intelligent idea of using an old aquarium as a substitute hamster residence and because the idea is a good one, the idea caught on.  Thus the glass hamster cage became a reality.  Since that time a number of different manufacturers have started creating specially made hamster cages to capitalise on the demand for these more interesting environments.

Glass hamster cages are good choices for a home for you little pet.  They allow you to see into the hamster nest whilst the hamster is sleeping, they protect your hamster from drafts and generally provides a safe and secure home and perhaps importantly prevents your pet from having any chance of chewing through a door, or the plastic surround of a cage and never being seen again.

There are however drawbacks to glass hamster cages.  They are not particularly good for ventilation, the lack of can really be very harmful to hamsters and for this reason they should never be placed in an area where it is exposed to direct sunlight as this would create very unpleasant conditions.  They also suffer more than wire or plastic cages from condensation and as a result they require cleaning perhaps more often than alternative habitats. They are heavy and difficult to move.  And finally, a small point but it is sometimes difficult to attach a water bottle to the side walls.

All in all, as you will probably know, there is no right answer to the question of what is the best cage for your hamster.  A glass hamster cage that works well for one person may be totally unsuitable for another, but hopefully from this article you have gained a sense of what is good and bad about glass hamster cages.

Cost

It may well be that you have an old aquarium no longer in use somewhere in your home, in which case it is probably a really good idea to set up an aquarium hamster cage as a way of recycling the item.  But if you do not then you may well find that purchasing an aquarium specifically for the purpose of using it as a hamster cage is quite a lot more expensive than purchasing a wire hamster cage or a plastic hamster cage.

Cleaning

When considering what to use as a hamster cage it is important to think about cleaning your hamster cage once it is in use.  There is an argument that suggests that the glass walls and floor of an aquarium hamster cage makes cleaning quick and easy and that keeping them really clean is easier than other cages.  But you also have to consider that the only access into your aquarium hamster cage is from the top which may well make the practicalities of cleaning the cage quite awkward.  You should also give some consideration to its weight as the glass will be a lot heavier than alternative cages and mean that moving your aquarium hamster cage around is awkward and cumbersome.

Safety And Security

First, your hamster cage, aquarium or otherwise should be well ventilated.  Failure to provide adequate ventilation can harm your pet.  Clearly the only form of ventilation that you will be able to provide in your aquarium hamster cage is from the ceiling.  So if your aquarium has a cover you should remove it and attach a wire mesh as a ceiling instead.  This will provide good ventilation and also ensure that your hamster is not able to escape the cage.

Removing any top will also resolve another problem you may face with an aquarium hamster cage and that is condensation.  If you do cover the top you may well find condensation forming on the sides of the cage which will drip to the base and create an unpleasant environment for your hamster to live in.

Aquarium hamster cages do not suffer from draughts in the same way that wire hamster cages may well do but it is important that you do not place your aquarium hamster cage in direct sunlight as this will almost certainly be very unpleasant and even potentially fatal for your hamster.

Finally, you need to consider where inside your aquarium hamster cage you will locate a water bottle which is an essential item to provide your pet.  Clearly the bottle can’t easily be attached to the glass sides but you may well find that sticky backed velcro will solve this problem for you.

In summary, aquarium hamster cages can be a great alternative to wire or plastic hamster cages but you need to make sure that you consider all the above before finally deciding as by overlooking some of the above you might seriously harm your little pet.

Because it is also very important to make sure that your ideal hamster cage is kept clean you really need to make sure that the one you choose is practical and easy to clean.  Larger is better, and not just for the hamster, as large hamster cages are more easily accessible to clean.  A solid plastic bottom will always be easier to clean than wire mesh and will probably be much more comfortable for the hamster to live on.  Some plastic hamster cages have lots of in built tunnels and nest areas which make the cage look as though it is interesting when making you buying decision but may well cause you to reconsider later when it comes to cleaning them as they are fiddly and difficult to access.  Despite this it remains important to clean these hard to get areas as the ammonia present in urine can otherwise cause your hamster breathing problems.

Every hamster cage should encourage your hamster to play, exercise and climb.  One way to achieve this is to ensure your wire hamster cage has horizontal bars approximately half and inch apart which your hamster can climb.  But you can also provide ramps and ladders for you hamster to play upon.  These are particularly important if you are using an aquarium hamster cage as your hamster will not be able to climb the glass sides of the cage.

The size of your hamster cage is also important.  Even for the smallest hamster your hamster cage should be at least 18 inches long by at least 12 inches high and 12 inches across.  These sizes should be considered as minimum dimensions.  The larger your hamster cage the better.  Wire hamster cages tend to be larger than plastic hamster cages and are probably best for Syrian hamsters as they can grow quite large, well over 4 inches long potentially and they can also find that they get stuck in some of the tunnels and dens that are integral to the plastic hamster cages.  Aquarium hamster cages provide good visibility of the surrounding area but are less well ventilated and early on this should be watched carefully as it is important that the hamster cage is well ventilated as otherwise the hamster may well suffer.  Aquariums are a good choice for Chinese or dwarf hamsters due to their small size.

The other items that you should provide your hamster are a water bottle attached to the side of the cage filled with fresh water at all times and a shallow food bowl.  A hamster wheel should also be provided as this provides excellent activity for your hamster.  The only other thing necessary is something for your hamster to gnaw upon like an old piece of rope or a lump of soft wood.

You should locate your hamster cage in an area with good visibility, it should not be in a draughty location and not in direct sunlight, especially if you are using an aquarium as a cage.  The other factor you should ensure is that their cage is not easily accessible to any other family pets especially cats.

So, is their an ideal hamster cage?  The answer to this is of course that the ideal hamster cage is the one which suits your hamster the best, is kept as clean as possible, provides the most interesting and active environment and is located in a suitable position in your home.