Cage for a hamster: selection criteria, types and recommendations

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Civilization has concentrated people in big cities, tearing them away from their natural habitat - nature itself. But a person still tries to surround himself, as far as possible in a city apartment, with a piece of wildlife - pets. One of the most affordable and easy to care for animals can be called a hamster. Despite the fact that people have been keeping this little restless rodent at home for a long time, hamsters have quite strong wild instincts. Therefore, he needs to create the right living conditions.

Where you can look for a cage

Before you get a little rustling pet at home, it is important to first get everything you need to keep him at home. The main thing you can't do without is the cell. You can buy a cage for Djungarian hamsters, like any other breeds, at a pet store.

Also does not amount toproblems to find them on specialized sites with pet products. From what size, quality, internal equipment it is, it depends on how much a hamster cage costs. The price of an ordinary metal dwelling varies from 1,500 to 4,000 rubles, small plastic structures cost an average of 2,500 rubles. There are, of course, expensive models, the price of which exceeds 7,000-20,000 rubles.

Minimum dwelling size

Only in old films you can see the aquariums in which these animals were kept. The experience of many years has shown that this is not the best option for the normal life of rodents and the convenience of their owners. The zoo market offers many types of housing for a hamster. If we divide them by size, then the smallest of them are 30 by 30 cm. It is simply impractical to buy a cage for a smaller Djungarian hamster. He will be cramped and uncomfortable there. And if the pet is a rodent of the usual size, then its habitat should be even more spacious.

Cell Diversity

According to the height of the cells, there are one-story, two-story and more. A cage for a Djungarian hamster needs a lot of space. All utensils (drinking bowl, feeder, running wheel) and a house should be freely placed in it. In nature, the hamster mink has many passages with separate rooms. The bedroom is located away from where the hamster recovers.

Large hamster cages not only provide freedom of movement, but also promote mental he alth. Constructions on two floors with ladders, tunnels, pipes will occupy during the period of activity of the hamster.

Basic materials for housing

There are cages all metal, with a plastic pallet, all plastic (often transparent) and combined. The latest fashion cry is plastic collapsible structures, with several sections interconnected by tunnels. For such cages for hamsters, the price is slightly higher. But, as a rule, in this case, a person pays for quality and equipment. All the necessary things are already included in the set: a wheel, a drinking bowl, a house. In addition, the fastening system of such cages is quite convenient. It is designed in such a way that cleaning does not turn into torture, but rather the opposite.

Hamster house

Often novice hamster owners do not find it necessary to install a small house in a large hamster cage. But this is necessary for the comfort of the pet. If he is not provided with this element of comfort, he can construct it himself from paper and dry grass. But still feel safer during sleep, and they do this more often during the day, hamsters will be in a closed house. You can buy it or make it yourself from wood, plywood or cardboard.

DIY

It is not always possible for a newly minted hamster breeder to afford the purchase of a new, spacious cage for their prolific furry pets. After all, very often the price of cages for rodents is quite high. And not always, it would seem, a wide range of pet storessatisfies the needs and desire of the owner to provide the hamster with comfortable conditions. Therefore, many people think about how to start making a cage for hamsters with their own hands. There are several good options.

Temporary shelter made of plastic containers

A solid cage for Syrian hamsters takes time, some materials and tools, and the ability to use them. Let us first consider the simplest version of a temporary dwelling. For a very short time, a ten-liter bottle of water can become a haven for a hamster. Of course, not a cylindrical shape (so as not to roll on a plane). But this does not mean that it is enough to simply stuff the pet into a bottle and sketch out food. The plastic bottle is poorly ventilated and rodent waste products quickly accumulate at the bottom. All this mixture begins to "live its own life", which is dangerous for the pet's he alth. Therefore, the following construction is purely temporary.

Creation process

First of all, a running wheel is mounted inside so that in such a small space the hamster has the opportunity to release his energy. This is very important, because many do not take it seriously. But in vain. Under natural conditions, hamsters are very active. In search of food, they have to wind several kilometers a night. Without movement, the hamster will swim in fat and live much less than it should.

A running wheel is applied to the container and circled with a marker, with the expectation that it freely enters the bottle. By marker marks cut with a knifehole, very neat. A square hole can be cut out at once and put the wheel inside. It also serves as ventilation, but it is better to make additional holes to supply fresh air. Through the finished slot, the wheel is lowered into the bottle, without fixing. Then the scissors are heated on fire (an ordinary candle will do) and punch a hole in the center of the bottom of the container. Instead of scissors, you can use a thick nail. The main thing is that the diameter of the hole fits the diameter of the fastening of the running wheel. Now you can fill up the grass and sawdust for the hamster and launch the fluffy guest.

These are not all ways to make a cage for hamsters from improvised means. The main material can be more than just a water tank.

From food container

For another option for temporary housing, instead of a permanent hamster cage, you will need a food container. Or as all mothers also call them - sudochek. The volume must be at least 10 liters. The container is even more acceptable than the aforementioned plastic bottle. It is easier to clean, which will also need to be done often until a real roomy cage is available. As a rule, such containers have a rectangular shape, or rather a parallelepiped. In one of the long walls, you need to make a hole for fastening the running wheel. To do this, the wheel is first applied to the place of its intended attachment. Its outline is outlined with a marker, the center is marked. It remains to punch a hole by heating the tip of a nail or knife on a candle flame.

But before you fill up the sawdust,put a house and a drinker with a feeder, you need to make a cover. For these purposes, a metal mesh is suitable for reinforcing walls before putty, a few wires or plastic clamps, a knife, a marker, a ruler and wire cutters. The dimensions of the sides of the container are taken and transferred to the grid. The contour is marked on the grid, the lid is cut out with wire cutters. Holes are cut along the edge of the side in one of the walls of the container. Clamps are threaded into them and a mesh cover is attached. All other hamster household items are placed inside. You can launch a pet.

In the meantime, he is settling into his temporary apartment, it is worth starting to make a permanent hamster cage.

Make a cage with your own hands

First of all, it is worth deciding on the dimensions of the proposed design. The most comfortable dimensions are 40 by 50 cm, height 50 cm. For some, this may seem like too much space for a small hamster, but it is worth remembering that this will be his home for life, he needs movement. In addition, a large cage is easier to clean than a small one. But if this is still an unacceptable size, you can make a cage for a hamster measuring 30 x 30 x 30 cm. Smaller is simply contraindicated, the hamster will be too crowded, which will affect his he alth.

According to the dimensions, it is required to prepare four pieces of rectangular plywood. Their thickness should not be less than 8 mm. Plywood will go to the side and back walls, as well as for the pull-out tray. The floor of the cage must be retractable for easy cleaning infurther. The front wall will serve as a metal mesh. For the lid, it is better to use a sheet of Plexiglas, through which it is easy to observe the vigorous activity of the rodent.

Assembling a cage for a hamster with your own hands begins with fastening the back and side walls. Also, at the beginning, thin planks are attached to the sides at the top and bottom. They are needed to support the roof and retractable cage floor. They can be fixed with thin nails or glue. The walls are mounted in the same way. Before attaching the metal mesh to the front of the hamster's home, a running wheel is placed inside. It is also necessary to place in advance a few chocks for grinding the hamster's teeth.

It is desirable to make the floor in the form of a low box with a side of 3 cm in height, with a small handle attached so that it slides in and out more conveniently. After that, a metal mesh is attached instead of the front wall. This can be done with small nails, staples (from a staple gun) or corners. The completion of this will be the fastening of the plexiglass cover. All parts of the house are adjusted so that the pet does not run away.

Cage interior

There are things a caged hamster can't live without. In his dwelling, there must be a drinking bowl so that the energetic rodent has free access to water. It must be located below and away from the toilet. Hamsters do not eat or drink where they defecate. The location of the toilet is calculated by observing the hamster for several days.

The feeder should be installed at the bottom. When placing the food bowl on the second floormany hamsters scatter food and everything falls on the ground floor. Also a mandatory attribute of the interior is a house, that is, a place to sleep. To clean the coat, you need a bath with sand, which is desirable to purchase at a pet store. Not every sand is suitable for these purposes.

This list would be incomplete without a layer of sawdust (or special filler) on the bottom of the cage and in the sleeping house. It is especially interesting to observe how vigorous activity is seething in the cage for hamsters of the dzungaria, and its resident puts things in order by dragging sawdust. But the litter is not for rodent fun. The filler is a matter of banal hygiene. It absorbs the smell, and the better the material of manufacture, the less often the animal will have to arrange a general cleaning. For example, in a cage for Syrian hamsters, a very popular breed, it is undesirable to lay simple cheap sawdust. This breed has a fluffy coat that can tangle with sawdust particles.