# Do you need a 80cm long cage for syrian hamster?



## Hazel 1952 (May 20, 2012)

Have my new syrian hammie in a Rydon Playhouse 3 tier just tempory-this cage looks nice,neat,compact & colourful,but do you think its too small a cage for a full grown syrian-especially as you cannopt fit an 8 in wheel anywhere in this cage-you can only fit in the small Rydon wheel this cage comes with.There isnt hardly any floor space in this rydon cage either-but it is a very big seller in my local petshop so it shows a lot of people do keep their hamsters in cages like this permanently & just have them out a lot on an evening.
Do you know of this cage folks-what do you think of it-do you think a hamster should have an XL cage to give it more space or if money is tight and you dont have any big enough cupboards or tables to stand say a 80 or 100cm long cage on would it be ok to keep the hamster in this Rydon cage but making sure the animal has a Lot of out of cage time at night?

At this time our new hamster is quite small so she fits on the small rydon wheel in the cage-shes happier in this cage than she was in the cage pets at home pressurized me to have when i bought her,which was a mickey max.In the Rydon Playhouse 3 tier shes enjoyng running up and down the 3 levels and on her wheel,whereas in the mickey max which was way too small so i sold it,she seemed lethargic,bored and depressed but since put in the Rydon Playhouse 3 tier shes really livened up a lot.

However, i would like to get her a 80cm long cage like a Savic Mickey2 XL from ECF website-when they have more in stock,or a Alexander or Barney cage from Zooplus website-she'd then have loads of space but whether such a lot of space would overwhelm her and cause her tohide away.

The other problem is i dont really have the space in my small flat for a massive big cage-none of my cupboards or tables are big enough for a cage which is around 3ft in length-plus money is tight as am on disability benefits-so what should i do folks as i want what best for the hamster-should i get a bigger cupboard second hand or maybe go for a cage a bit smaller like a Savic Cambridge which is about 65cm long instead-as that would fit on my furniture and its only about £35 on Zooplus website.
The cambridge would also be easier to move around unlike a big 3 ft long cage which would be too awkward and heavy to manouve thru doorways etc as i move our hamster into the bedroom by day so she can sleep as my son has his playstation 3 games on really loud all day.On the evening i move the hamster back into our living room once she wakes up.

So would should i do-keep her in the Rydon 3 tier Playhouse-except you cant get a big wheel in which is a worry cause of arching their back-or maybe go for a Cambridge because of not really having the room for a XL cage nor the funds?


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## Spider Call (Mar 23, 2007)

They don't HAVE to have an 80x50 cage, however it is highly recconended by hamster keepers now, years ago keeping a hamster in a small cage was seen as ok, however times have changed. 
Even the RSPCA now reccomend 70x40 minimum floor space (not including shelves).
Both of my girls currently live in 80x50 Hamster heavens, and I am starting to feel unsure about whether that is even big enough. 
We wouldn't put a reptile in something too small, so why a hamster?


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## morning-star (Jan 1, 2010)

Rotostacks are never that big but they are 'designed' for hamsters? :/ 

My hamster is in a 47cmx32cm at the movement, which is retentively small (though still bigger floor space than the rotostack) but my hamster is pretty old bless and he kinda hobbles about and sleeps a lot so he doesn't really need the space. he also refuses to use a wheel and needs his claws cutting every couple of months now. 

When growing up I had hamsters which we kept in relatively small cages, but they lived for years (one lived 4 1/2 years!) 

When this one passes I will get another hamster (I want a long-haired!) 
but i'll adapt the cage so it has more boxes of the same size on top (aka layers). 
(we home make our enclosures) 

I see why over all especially for young hamsters the bigger the better.


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## Spider Call (Mar 23, 2007)

Rotastack are terrible, designed to be pleasing to children and nothing more to be honest. Syrians grow too big to safely be kept in them for a start due to the size of tubes 
Recently a cage has been being sold in 'bargain' shops, pretty much a 27cm cube. Apparently it's a hamster cage, not sure how. A member off of one of the hamster forums I am a member of was given one to take pictures with. Her Syrian could just about use the wheel as a seat, and could have walked the length of the cage in just over a step. 
Just because small cages are sold it doesn't mean that they are suitable. 
It saddens me just how much people don't seem to think it matters because it is 'just a rodent.' A friend of mine recently gave me back the HH I gave her after moving her hamster in to a tiny cage, she then suggested that it would be fine for a rat. 
I later gained a hamster in the same cage she had just given her hamster, I really can't get over the size of it. The same size my local pet shop sells as a hamster starter cage. 

I don't understand why people say that a 3x2x2 isn't ok for a bearded dragon, but also say a small cage is fine for a hamster. 100% sure my hamsters move around a lot more than my beardies did. I guess it's because they are rodents, don't live long and they seem to be a replaceable pocket pet. 

I spent £97 on one cage alone. I now have two the same, plus a ton of toys in them, and am currently trying to buy my hams 12" woodent wheels. They deserve as much care/space/responsibility taken as my geckos that are going to be with me for the next 10+ years.


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## morning-star (Jan 1, 2010)

my current hamster chewed his way out of the rota-stack, but was struggling to climb up the tubes by that point anyway. 

First hamster I had (I was 8 ) we had a small gerbil cage, (as I wanted a Gerbil ) but the pet store had none in but assured us that the cage was fine for a hamster :/ 

She lived her whole life in that cage (4 1/2 years) and I feel a little guilty about it but we just went on pet-shop advice. I was in charge of cleaning and feeding, though I vaguely remember being yelled at a fair few times to clean her out. :lol2:

it's surprising how times change.


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

I recently adopted an adult syrian after the guy didn't want her anymore. When I got her she was in a cage that must have only been about 14" x 12", she could hardly move! The guy said she was unfriendly, bit and couldn't be handled. I think it was more likely she was bored to death as she's been absolutely fine with me.
Initislly I put her into a 24" tank with a mesh topper. Although she had toys, a wheel and space to move around she still chewed the mesh a lot.
So I've just got her the Criceti 15 cage from pet planet which is 80 by 50cm, and she loves it. She's beavering about in there all the time and has only chewed the bars briefly once or twice so far. The wheel and house it comes with are too small for a Syrian, but she uses the house to stash her food and I've got a wodent wheel on order for her.
I've got 2 rats in a Furet XL cage which is the same footprint as the Criceti 15 but twice the height, and they make less use of their space than the hamster does. Rats are lazy but Syrians are active creatures and I really think they benefit from lots of space.


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

here's her new pad


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## Moony14 (Aug 20, 2011)

When I had my hamster I had a Savic Cambridge but after a while I felt so guilty as I didn't think it was big enough! By the time you have toys in there they don't have much room to move about.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Depends on the hamster tbh. One of mine is incredibly lazy and really cant be bothered to do much whereas the others arent. I really dont recommend rotastacks at all due to them being far too small for an adult syrian. Remember even if the cage seems to big a lot of them walk miles at night and you can always add loads of toys etc to them. I also prefer the plastic sided cages because it stops them from chucking shavings everywhere and chewing bars. Your best bet is to go for either a savic or ferplast which are both fantastic brands.


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