The Ideal Hamster Cage

When looking for the ideal hamster cage you will have to consider a number of different factors.  You can purchase a specially design plastic hamster cage, a simple wire framed hamster cage or even use an old aquarium for housing your hamster.  Each type of habitat has benefits and drawbacks, but the number one consideration is to ensure that your hamster is safe and secure in their home environment.  This means that on wire and plastic cages you must ensure the door is properly latched when closed and that there are no areas in the cage which they can gnaw through and escape.  An aquarium should have a wire mesh cover to ensure that the hamster cannot escape somehow out of the top of the cage.

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.