# Rotastak Cages



## higgy (Aug 21, 2008)

Hi all. Im getting my daughter a hamster and shes been looking at the rotastak cages. Just wondering if these are ok for dwarf hamsters as ive readthey are not? ideally she would like one of these so she can see wander about and it looks a lot better than a normal cage. Any help is greatly appreciated.


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## Evangeline (May 23, 2010)

A normal rotastak cage is built big enough for a syrian sized hamster so the tube are a bit wide for dwarves to climb. I have a Habitrail Dwarf OVO cage http://www.habitrail.com/ovo/eng/images/featuredproduct/dwarf_big.jpg and is great for dwarves, I have robos who love it and you can get parts too add such as the original habitrail mini cages all fit.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Evangeline said:


> *A normal rotastak cage is built big enough for a syrian sized hamster* so the tube are a bit wide for dwarves to climb. I have a Habitrail Dwarf OVO cage http://www.habitrail.com/ovo/eng/images/featuredproduct/dwarf_big.jpg and is great for dwarves, I have robos who love it and you can get parts too add such as the original habitrail mini cages all fit.


 


I would never use a rotastak cage for a syrian as they are far to small


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

Shell195 said:


> I would never use a rotastak cage for a syrian as they are far to small


I used a Rotastak cage with my Syrian, but I had like 3 large different sections connected by tubes which she loved... mostly to block some up with sawdust but she certainly had a fun time! £90 worth of caging equipment wasn't too bad :lol2: I used the biggest cage bits I could get a hold of to give her the best space I could.


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## Evangeline (May 23, 2010)

My robos block up all thier tubes too!! Hence the reason why they only have the main bit set up now and not the tubes as they have ruined it for themselves.


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## samurai (Sep 9, 2009)

Shell195 said:


> I would never use a rotastak cage for a syrian as they are far to small


I had a rotastack for one of my Syrians, the kits you get are far too small on there own but i had so much it spread to 4.5ft long and about 3ft high. It took ages to clean and was very unstable unless well supported but looked good. It was very easy for my hamster (Meril) to escape from so eventually put her back in a large cage with tank attatched and lots of tubes inside.

I used it also for 2 of my russians, not as big and all on the same level as they cannot make it up the large tubes even with the little ladders. One of my chinese hamsters came to me in a habitrail and ran up the tubes really fast with no trouble. They have changed the style of the habitrail since i used one, i found it too small and the tubes were odd shapes (u & - shaped) at the time so attatching new parts was awkard.

Which variety of dwarf are you getting?


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## DarkCarmen (May 17, 2009)

personally I don't rate the rotastack cages as like others have said you really need lots of it to make a descent cage and when you do it needs to be well supported. plus I'v heard about Hamsters getting out of them before.
and also the cleaning issues and hamsters stuffing bedding up them.
the ovo cage I'd say is only really slightly bigger than the rotastack but spare parts are widely available, but with the tubes I'd say dwarf hamsters would have rough time getting up but I do know a friend of mine made the cage so that the tubes went horizontal instead of up, but again I've heard some hammies have escaped these cages and stuffed the tubes up.
can I ask how old your daughter is?
only because if you haven't had a hamster before sometimes the dwarfs arn't best option to go for as they can be fast and easy to wriggle out of your hands. where as a syrian is bigger and once it gets use to you is abit easier to handle, not saying that the dwarfs arn't but there's a big difference between them.
which dwarf were you going to go for?
I believe there's 3 types from the russian (biggest), chinese, roborovski (smallest) and are you planning to get one or 2? as more than one would need a bigger cage and also depending on which breed you go for some sex's need to be kept alone or can be kept together but someone who keeps them can tell you, i can't remember right now.
I think with chinese hamsters females have to be kept singly.
I usually recommend the all plastic cages as their slightly bigger floor space no worries abut any escaping and you can take the top off so that you can handle hamster over cage base, if hammy jumps it's just gonna hop back into cage.
I'd say have a good look at the different type of cages that you can get but for dwarfs stay away from the barred cages.
maybe see if a petshop (or anyone on here close to you) can let you see what the hamsters are like to handle and offer advice and such, perhaps even better a breeder.
by the way don't get me wrong i do like dwarfs hamsters I just hear so many bad stories about them escaping and being dropped.
hope you find right hamster your looking for: victory:


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## DarkCarmen (May 17, 2009)

Home - Mythic Hams
this person's (myth on here) site is very good site with lot's of information and advice about hamsters. majority of it is for syrians but it's still good advice.
plus there is a section about cages and advice about which are better etc
plus a d.i.y cage.


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## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

you can also pop onto Hamster Central for loads of cage reviews and dwarf hammie information :2thumb:


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

DarkCarmen said:


> personally I don't rate the rotastack cages as like others have said you really need lots of it to make a descent cage and when you do it needs to be well supported. plus I'v heard about Hamsters getting out of them before.
> and also the cleaning issues and hamsters stuffing bedding up them.


 Okay I'll have to agree with you there - my hamster Loki did indeed manage to escape her Rotastak cage by somehow managing to dislodge a tube, but once I realised how she was doing it, rest assured I taped up everything that could be pushed or chewed open! I have since upon Loki's passing given her cage to a friend of mine (after thoroughly sterilising, of course!) and her hamster has learned how to dislodge her bottle and escape through the hole it creates, but again we have made sure it can't happen again.
Remember hamsters are natural escape artists! If there's a way out, they will find it (even if the conditions they live in are fit for a king :lol2: ). Granted the Rotastak cages could do with some more consideration to their target animal's escapist behaviours, but on the whole it is a fair environment for hamsters to be living in, providing you get some extra bits and pieces to extend the room.
Honestly in the 3 years I had her I had absolutely no problems cleaning the behemoth of the cage, and although she did stuff her tubes with sawdust and bedding, it didn't take much effort for her or me to unplug it if it was problematic.


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## samurai (Sep 9, 2009)

Ophexis said:


> Okay I'll have to agree with you there - my hamster Loki did indeed manage to escape her Rotastak cage by somehow managing to dislodge a tube, but once I realised how she was doing it, rest assured I taped up everything that could be pushed or chewed open! I have since upon Loki's passing given her cage to a friend of mine (after thoroughly sterilising, of course!) and her hamster has learned how to dislodge her bottle and escape through the hole it creates, but again we have made sure it can't happen again.
> Remember hamsters are natural escape artists! If there's a way out, they will find it (even if the conditions they live in are fit for a king :lol2: ). Granted the Rotastak cages could do with some more consideration to their target animal's escapist behaviours, but on the whole it is a fair environment for hamsters to be living in, providing you get some extra bits and pieces to extend the room.
> Honestly in the 3 years I had her I had absolutely no problems cleaning the behemoth of the cage, and although she did stuff her tubes with sawdust and bedding, it didn't take much effort for her or me to unplug it if it was problematic.


Syrians can escape with little effort but i think most dwarf would struggle to dislodge the tubes, mine never did. They could chew a hole to escape from after a while.

You could make your own if good at diy or use a large aquqrium and make a mesh top. this is a nice home made cage is found on google http://www.coolhamstercage.com/pics/cool-hamster-cage.jpg

if you havent decided which dwarf to go for i would say if you want to handle it a lot a roborovski is not a great choice as they are very fast and easy to loose, although rarely bite. russian (there are winter whites-smaller and campbell's). i have found that russians from pet stores tend to be very nippy as i think they are bred in large number with little care taken to breed ones that have a good temperament, so take longer to tame and then may be nippy at any time. winter whites are less commonly for sale and i've notfound them as nippy but have known them to fight. i have found russians to be very messy and require cleaning out more frequently than other types of hamster (they wee loads). chinese hamsters are good to handle 9although can move very fast if startled so still be careful) and like to climb alot, they have a short prehensile tail to manage this, so are fun to watch as well. I would not keep chinese together, neither male or female as all but a few have either seriously injured or killed each other (one of the pair obviously). All are easy to keep. Syrians need more space and a very interresting environment as quickly develope stereotypies (Stereotypy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia read the bit for animals if not heard of this) if not provided with enough to do. They can be nippy at first but i have found them easy to tame.


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## Myth (May 22, 2009)

Evangeline said:


> A normal rotastak cage is built big enough for a syrian sized hamster so the tube are a bit wide for dwarves to climb.


:roll2:

That's really FUNNY !!!!!!
Besides the fact some of my Syrian hamsters would be_ super_ cramped in Rotastak...
and would struggle to squeeze through the small tubes...

The only real problem I have with the stuff is the lack of ventilation.
Can also be nigh on impossible to tame a skitty new hamster living in the stuff.
(as they can easily scoot and hide where you can't reach them)

The triangle units are OK for providing much needed ventilation...
but seems designed by someone who has never had a small pet.
Thing that put me off those is they will be able to dig substrate out all over your floor through the barred section 
- would it have been that much to ask that they put a 4/5cm base lip on it ? useless. 
Don't think the triangle units would be suitable for a baby dwarf ham either - I reckon they'd soon squeeze out.

Is OK for smaller Syrians and fine for a single Dwarf *if *set up right.
Rotastak is OK if you can be bothered cleaning it out,
have enough to provide a suitable living space 
- and most importantly set it up to suit what you're keeping in it.

Wouldn't recommend for more than one dwarf hamster either.
Most dwarf species can get territorial and having a modular cage with different 'sections' can cause trouble. 
Small Dwarfs would have problems climbing vertical tubing but if you layed it out with them in mind then it could be OK.
Only real trouble you may have with a dwarf is getting them out of the cage. 

If you go for the Habtrail ovo stuff be aware ALOT of people have had trouble with the water bottle bit 
- with their hams not drinking from it.


I'd go with a Male Chinese - not long got one myself - 
When he's a bit bigger I may dig out my creepy castle Rotastak for him.
(so he can take up residence on my computer table)
He's *totally* different to my female Chinese.
Super laid back and lovely - sleeps in my pocket and sits on my shoulder snuggled up by my hair. 
My 7 yr old can handle him no problems too.

:2thumb:


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## Shadowz (Aug 6, 2008)

I hate the stuff.
Designed to grab kids attention with no regard for the animal that has to live inside the small cramped non ventilated hell hole.


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## higgy (Aug 21, 2008)

Well my daughter is 4 and is good with animals. Shes held leos and snakes before but she likes "fluffy" animals. I would prefer a syrian with them being a bit bigger and from my experience have always been nicer. Ive had russians before and they always bit. Shes already set her heart on a pink rotastak cage and a seperate exercise ball. The hamster would be out and handled every other day under supervision. I was thinking of getting 2 to keep together either syrians or a dwarf but not sure what dwarf id end up getting.

Ive been looking at the standard metal bar cages with a 1cm bar gap that are best for dwarfs. Is this right? Does anybody know any good cages that would be for either? I shall check out the site linked and have a look to. Thanks for the help so far and keep it coming :2thumb:


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## Shadowz (Aug 6, 2008)

I think you need to do some more research before u take on a hamster then.
Syrians can not be kept together as they will kill each other.


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## higgy (Aug 21, 2008)

I am currently doing research on both syrian and dwarf hamsters. Ive asked on here for suitable housings for each. Ill then decide which hamster would be better to get and then research a lot more into that specific type. I dont just get a pet without doing research on then before hand as it will be months before she gets a hamster. Thanks for your advice.


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## Evangeline (May 23, 2010)

Well you cant keep 2 syrians together if thats what you mean by thinking of getting 2.
I have had 'Russian' Dwarves before and have never had one bite me, I have always found dwarves more friendly overall than syrians, they seem more interested in what you are doing but maybe a bit too quick for a 4 year old. The rotastak cages are designed for bigger hamsters but as people say they are not big enough for syrians. I always had syrians as a child infact I had 1 when I was 2 that lived for 4 years, then had another 1 for 2 then my last one actually died 2 months before I knew about it (my mum knew it had died but cleaned it out and kept the cage up there to see how long it would take for me to notice) my littlest sister kept putting my male and my sisters female together so we kept them up high out of the way and only got them out when she wasnt around so after a while I simply forgot about him. Most of my cages were always Savic Rody Hamster Cages but my family of robo's live in a mini duna cage at the moment which is very nice.


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## Evangeline (May 23, 2010)

Have you thought about this cage : Fantazia Hamster Cage The Pet Express - Fantazia 2 Hamster Cage - £25.99 - Small Animals - Cages it is also available in pink and orange, I am looking into the orange at the minute, also available in 1, 2 and 3 tiered.


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## higgy (Aug 21, 2008)

The russians i had were many years ago so maybe it was just the ones that i had that liked the taste of me. Im still looking around on caresheets and getting help of ppl who have kept/ breed them is very very helpfull as they have first hand experience. Im thinking of a rotastak but putting the tubes horzontal so they can still wander about. Obviously i will make sure the hamsters are from a breeder and have been sexed so i dont get any unwanted babies (if i do get hamsters). Your help so far is very much appreciated.


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## higgy (Aug 21, 2008)

Evangeline said:


> Have you thought about this cage : Fantazia Hamster Cage The Pet Express - Fantazia 2 Hamster Cage - £25.99 - Small Animals - Cages it is also available in pink and orange, I am looking into the orange at the minute, also available in 1, 2 and 3 tiered.


Ive actually just bee having a look at them just now lol. They seem to have a few tubes for them to wander about and seem like a decent sized floor space. Could you put more tubes on these?


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Evangeline said:


> Have you thought about this cage : Fantazia Hamster Cage The Pet Express - Fantazia 2 Hamster Cage - £25.99 - Small Animals - Cages it is also available in pink and orange, I am looking into the orange at the minute, also available in 1, 2 and 3 tiered.


 
Ive got a 3 story Fantazia cage, what they dont tell you is that you have to slide it all together and when you unclip the levels for cleaning they fall to bits:bash: It is a very frustrating cage and I am looking into getting a hamster heaven for my Syrian girl as this cage was only a temporary measure until I had more money


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## Evangeline (May 23, 2010)

Shell195 said:


> Ive got a 3 story Fantazia cage, what they dont tell you is that you have to slide it all together and when you unclip the levels for cleaning they fall to bits:bash: It is a very frustrating cage and I am looking into getting a hamster heaven for my Syrian girl as this cage was only a temporary measure until I had more money


Ohh well maybe I wont look into getting one then lol, I have 3 cages at the moment, my habitrail dwarf ovo which atm houses Harry one of my males, I have a mini duna cage which housing the 2 mums and 9 pups and I have a little plastic tank which houses harry another male while he gets better. Im wanting another cage but not really with the tubes and that as it takes an hour to clean and refill the habitrail cage as it it let alone the other 2 added it.


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

I know your daughter wants one, but I agree with others, it really is a bad home for the hamster, and when you mention getting from a breeder as was said before a good breeder sized Syrian WILL NOT fit down a rotastak tube easily, and definitely will injure itself or get stuck if it attempts to turn around, which they will do. 

Breeder sized Syrians need rat sized wheels, they will get back issues from using a rotastak sized wheel.

You will not easily be able to tame it as there is so far to run away so you end up having to open everything frustrating yourself and stressing the hamster before you can even lift him out.

Cleaning is a nightmare. 

In short a REALLY bad idea. Sorry I really want to not read as being unpleasant here but yes your child may want one, but maybe now is the time to start teaching doing the right thing for the pet rather than what is pretty for her. There are many accessories she can buy in pink, there are things like Puzzle Playground- 42 Pieces at UKPetSupplies.com which you can buy a few sets off with the money you save on the overpriced and unsuitable rotastak and build up together, to get it perfect before the hamster comes home. You can go and buy pink or pretty stickers to stick around the outside of a normal cage base etc fun things to make a good cage more attractive to her. Im sure she is old enough to understand if explained to why she should buy something else.


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