Your hamster’s cage is pretty much his entire world. While you should get your hamster out of the cage occasionally (at least with most hamsters), the little critter is likely to spend at least 90% of his time in whatever habitat you set up for him.
As owners, we are responsible for making that little hamster world the best we can. It all starts with choosing the right cage, tank, or terrarium and making sure it’s large enough. You then need to set up the cage, decide where to put it and what to place inside Hammy’s home. Finally, you need to know how to maintain that enclosure in the long run and how to help your hamster adjust and live a happy life in his beautiful cage.
Sounds daunting?
Don’t worry, we’re here for you. We’ve put together this page to quickly cover the basics and then refer you to the best resources we have on the site on these topics. Please take the time to click through and read them. Your hamster’s well-being – and possibly life – depends on how well you care for him. And that begins with setting up the best possible cage.
Choosing the right cage for your hamster
Choosing the right cage is one of the most important decisions you have to make when bringing home a new hamster. You should decide on the type and size of the cage before you actually adopt your new furry friend.
Why? For several reasons. You need to figure out the size of the cage that’s needed and make sure you actually have enough room to place it where you want. You should also figure out what kind of habitat you want for your new pet: a wire cage? a glass tank? or perhaps a DIY plastic bin that you’ll turn into a magnificent new hamster palace? What kind of budget do you have? How handy are you with tools? There are many questions to answer before making the final decision.
Your new pet will be spending almost all of its life in this enclosure, so making sure you get one that is large enough and of good quality is crucial. Check out all of our posts about types of cages, tanks, and enclosures and how to choose the right one for your hammy.
Setting up the cage
Once you know which tank or cage you have, it’s time to set it up. You need to decide on the exact final location, based on many factors, including wind drafts and room temperature.
Next, it’s interior design. First, you need to familiarize yourself with everything that needs to go into any hamster’s habitat. Things like the proper bedding, a wheel, a water bottle and feeding dish, and of course, toys. Just to make sure you don’t forget anything, we have a checklist for you, along with inspirational posts that will show you just how amazing a hamster cage can end up being.
What to put in your hamster’s cage?
A checklist of things to get for the cage simply isn’t enough. There’s plenty that you need to know about the items that end up in your hamster’s cage, to make sure they’re safe and suitable for your little furry friend. To help you out, we’ve prepared detailed guides on the various items that help make a cage into a home for your precious hammy.
Using and Maintaining the Cage
Finally, everything is in place! But we’re not done just yet!
The following guides will help you make sure the cage is the perfect habitat for your little pet throughout his life. How to maintain the cage, how often to clean it and how to make sure your hamster is enjoying the cage in a safe way. We even included a guide about when and how to let your hamster out of the cage – because that’s not a bad thing for most hammies to do from time to time!