Hamster cage

A hamster cage is a cage designed to house hamsters.

For pet hamsters, commercially available pens are made of wire or plastic.[1] Some pet owners house their hamsters in aquarium tanks or make their own wooden pens.[1] In laboratories hamsters are housed in pens designed for scientific use.[1] There are also special pens for exhibition, as in a hamster show.

Home built enclosure for a Syrian hamster, measures 200x60x60cm (1860 sq in)

Cage specifications

There are different recommendations for the appropriate cage size for hamsters. HSS (Hamster Society Singapore) recommends a minimum of 4000 cm2 (620 in2) for Syrian hamsters and a minimum of 2800 cm2 (434 in2) for Dwarf Hamsters.[2] While TVT (Tierärztliche Vereinigung für Tierschutz) recommends the owner give the Syrian hamster as much space as possible—at minimum 100 cm x 50 cm x 50cm (L x W x H) which is 5000 cm2 (775 in2).[3] BMEL ( Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft, the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture) like TVT also recommends a minimum of 5000 cm2 (775 in2) for Syrian hamsters.[4]

Hamsters prefer larger cages and want much more than the minimum required space suggested.[5][6] "Starter packs" or hamster pens advertised for new owners are almost never large enough to be the only housing for a Syrian hamster, even when these pens are advertised for this purpose.[7]

The ideal floor for a hamster is solid and covered with bedding.(around 6 in (150 mm) [8] Hamsters that have thick bedding for their floor are happier and enjoy better health.[8] Wire flooring can harm hamster paws and cause bumblefoot. For the benefit of the hamster, cover the cage floor with a solid material such as cardboard, ceramic plates which the hamster can not chew, or mats marketed specially for hamsters.[6].

Types of cages

Typically, wire-top cages are designed in such a way that there is some option for the hamster to climb on some of the wire.[9] Plastic cages do not have bars on which the hamster can climb, but can be expanded with plastic tubes for climbing.[7] Wire cages can expose a hamster to drafts. Additionally, some wire cages permit the hamster to throw bedding material through the wires as it burrows, digs, and plays.[7] Pens with solid walls contain all the bedding and prevent drafts of air from disturbing the hamster.[7] Syrian hamsters are larger than Chinese and dwarf hamsters, so they need a larger pen and hamster accessories than those smaller hamsters.[7][5] Hamster tubes come in two sizes. Smaller ones suit dwarf and Chinese hamsters of any age, while larger tubes are comfortable for Syrian hamster adults but too big for small hamsters to use. [7] Cages must have at least 450 in2 (2,900 cm2) of floor space, otherwise, one cannot fit all the essentials that a hamster needs.

Wire-top cages

A wire-top cage is a plastic base with a wire structure arching over it.[9] Wire-top cages may take many shapes, and for hamsters, may have one level or be multi story with tubes, stairs, or ladders connecting the levels. A wire top cage with wired stairs causes bumblefoot. Most colorful cages that are sold in pet shops are marketed towards children and cause stress for the hamster.[9] Wire-top cages for hamsters are often marketed in two varieties.[9] One version is for the larger Syrian hamsters, with the space between bars being about 12 mm (0.47 in).[9] The other version is for Chinese or dwarf hamsters, with the gap between bars being 8 mm (0.31 in).[9] Pens with smaller gaps, perhaps around 3 mm (0.12 in), are likely intended for mice, and are likely to be too small to provide a good home for any species of hamster.[9] It is very important when choosing a wire cage, that is it above the minimum cage requirement of 450 in2 (2,900 cm2) of unbroken floor space and make sure the height of the plastic base is at least 15 cm (5.9 in). Most wire cages that one may find in a pet store are not above the minimum so it is very important to check. Wire cages that provide more height than width or length is bad, because most hamsters do not need height, they need floorspace.

Well-designed wire-top cages have doors placed so that a human can open them as needed and reach into any part of the pen to access the hamster or clean the space.[7] A cantilever design for upper levels in wire-top cages may wobble if the cage is not well designed, and if it does, this fault could upset hamsters because they prefer stable ground.[7] Wire-top cages will ideally have a securely fastened plastic base attached to the wire frame so that the entire pen can be transported without risk of the parts separating or the cage structure failing.[7]

Plastic tank cages

Plastic tank cages may be simply designed like a plain box, or they may be elaborately designed to encourage hamster exploration of the tubes, levels, and rooms.[7] Plastic tank cages are marketed to be expanded with additional modules which connect to the main pen with clamps or connecting tunnels.[7]

Hamsters are able to gnaw on parts of plastic cages in ways that are less likely in other cages because of their different design.[7] Pens are not designed to be chewed.[7] If a cage is large enough and if a hamster has other things to gnaw, then most hamsters will not chew cage elements.[7] Syrian hamsters are especially likely to chew small tubes and cages designed for smaller hamsters.[10]

Most plastic cages are too small for a hamster and cause the hamster to become bored and display unwanted behaviors. As well, smaller modules may not have good ventilation posing health risks for hamsters.

Aquariums

Aquariums can be modified to be glass hamster cages.[10] Hamsters are unable to chew glass pens because the walls are smooth and there are no projections.[10] The disadvantages of glass are that the tanks are heavy and difficult to move and it may be challenging to find an appropriate top for the cage especially if modules are put in the pen which give the hamster an option to attempt an escape over the sides.[10] An aquarium must provide at least 450 in2 (2,900 cm2) of floorspace.

40-gallon aquariums are the smallest size that can keep a hamster but larger sizes are recommended.

Wooden cages

Wooden cages are not mass marketed so are an option for hamster owners who are handy and wish to make their own or for breeders who need to custom make a large number of pens for a large number of hamsters.[11] Wooden cages must be made of untreated wood of a sort that a hamster can gnaw and eat, because over time, they will chew the pens.[11] Wood glue to hold the cage together is not usually appropriate because it is poisonous.

Accessories

Hamsters enjoy getting toys for behavioral enrichment.[12] Hamster toys should be non toxic and sanitized.[12] Broadly, hamsters enjoy going inside objects and climbing things.[12] Plastic toys and accessories absorb heat which is bad for hamsters in hot weather.

Hamster wheel
Main article: Hamster wheel

Hamster wheels are exercise devices. Hamster wheels allow them to run even when their space is confined.

Many commercially marketed hamster wheels do not acknowledge that Syrian hamsters are larger than dwarf and Chinese hamsters, and that they require a larger wheel size than the other types of hamsters. TVT recommends wheels should be at least 20 cm (7.9 in) for Dwarf Hamsters and at least 30 cm (12 in) for Syrian hamsters, since smaller diameters can lead to permanent spinal curvature, especially in young animals. TVT also recommends a solid running surface because rungs or mesh can cause injury.[13]

It is very important to get a solid bottom wheel as wire or mesh wheels can cause foot lesions.

Hamster house

A hamster house is a hide box or hideout for hamsters. The house can be as simple as an opaque PVC tube closed at one end, 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter.[14]Wooden houses or hideouts made of natural materials can cool hamsters in the summer.

Hamster houses should have enough ventilation to not collect condensation and become damp.[15] Having a hide box improves the mental health of a hamster and not having a hide box can make a hamster feel vulnerable.[16] Some hamsters will choose to nest and hoard food in their hideout.

Hamster toilet

Hamsters are clean animals by nature and prefer to urinate in a place in their cage which they designate as a toilet.[15] If their cage includes a suitable enclosed room, then the hamster is likely to recognize that room as a toilet area and begin to use it.[15] People keeping hamsters may suggest a toilet area to a hamster by putting soiled hamster bedding into the area which the person wants the hamster to consider using.[15] A large jar may be used as a toilet, then removed from a cage and cleaned regularly as the hamster uses it.[15]

Sand bath

Any breed of hamsters require a sand bath to groom themselves.[15] The sand keeps their fur clean and digging in it helps maintain their claws. [17] When choosing sand for the sand bath make sure it is fine but not dust. Reptile sand can be used as long as it does not contain calcium or any other additive. Some hamsters will also use their sand bath as a litter box.

Other toys

Hamsters like chew toys. Salt licks and mineral chews contain dangerous chemicals poisonous hamsters. The owner must provide wood chews for their hamster or their teeth will get too long, which causes pain for the animal.

Escape

Hamsters will exploit any opportunity to escape from their cage.[18] Most commonly they escape when someone has not closed a door properly.[18] They have the ability to flatten their bodies to squeeze through holes that humans do not expect them to be able to use.[19] Hamsters may sometimes open latches or unscrew connections, in which case they open the cage themselves.[18] If any part of the cage can be gnawed to create a hole then the hamster may chew its way out.[18] If the hamster passes time with free access to both the inside of its cage and the outside world, it may collect some of its bedding and hoarded food to establish a new den.[18] A bucket mousetrap is the most common way to catch a hamster. In this scheme, food such as leafy greens is placed in a bucket, and a staircase is built leading to the top of the bucket.[18] The hungry hamster will climb the stairs, fall into the bucket, and be captured.[18]

Society and culture

The National Hamster Council in the United Kingdom maintains recommendations for hamster cages for pet owners and breeders.[5] United States regulations which apply to hamsters are in the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 and described further in the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research's Guide for the care and Use of Laboratory Animals including legal regulations for hamster cages in the United States.[20]

Notes
  1. Logsdail 2002, p. 24-28.
  2. Hamster Society Singapore
  3. Tierärztliche Vereinigung für Tierschutz e.V., Merkblatt Nr. 156 - Heimtiere: Goldhamster (Stand: 2014), pets: golden hamster, Housing
  4. Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft, the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Haltung von Säugetieren, 15.4.1 Enclosure requirements
  5. National Hamster Council (n.d.). "Hamster Housing". hamsters-uk.org. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  6. Siperstein, Linda J. (21 October 2009). "Hamster Housing - Choose your hammie's cage wisely". humanesociety.org. The Humane Society of the United States. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  7. Logsdail 2002, p. 25.
  8. Field 1999, p. 20.
  9. Logsdail 2002, p. 24.
  10. Logsdail 2002, p. 26.
  11. Logsdail 2002, p. 27.
  12. Field 1999, p. 23.
  13. Tierärztliche Vereinigung für Tierschutz e.V., Merkblatt Nr. 62 - Heimtierhaltung, Tierschutzwidriges Zubehör (Stand: Jan. 2010), II. Anti-animal welfare accessories for small mammals, 7. Wheels
  14. Veillette, M.; Reebs, S.G. (2011). "Shelter choice by Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) in the laboratory". Animal Welfare. 20: 603–611.
  15. Logsdail 2002, p. 31.
  16. Potegal, M.; Huhman, K.; Moore, T.; Meyerhoff, J. (1993). "Conditioned defeat in the Syrian golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)". Behavioral and Neural Biology. 60 (2): 93–102. doi:10.1016/0163-1047(93)90159-F. ISSN 0163-1047. PMID 8117243.
  17. "Leaflet no.156 - pets: golden hamster". TVT. 2014. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  18. Logsdail 2002, p. 48.
  19. Field 1999, p. 19.
  20. Field 1999, p. 16, referencing
    • 9 C.F.R. 9 / 1 1
    • 54 FR 168
    • Committee for the Update of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National Research Council of the National Academies (2011). Guide for the care and use of laboratory animals (8th ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0309154000.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

References
  • Logsdail, Chris; Logsdail, Peter; Hovers, Kate (2002). Hamsterlopaedia : a complete guide to hamster care. Lydney: Ringpress. ISBN 1860542468.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Field, Karl J.; Sibold, Amber L. (1999). The laboratory hamster & gerbil. Boca Raton [u.a.]: CRC Press. ISBN 0849325668.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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