Hamster Cages available to buy
Pet hamsters are usually kept in hamster cages. There are a wide range of hamster cages available to buy and they come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Some hamster cages are made of metal wire shaped over a plastic base – these are good for providing your hamster with plenty of ventilation. Alternatively other hamster cages are made mainly from plastic but may have wire mesh lids so you can hang toys from the roof and get easy access to your pet. The modular hamster cages are very popular – these have a range of larger compartments connected by plastic tubes to allow your hamster to use them as a mock ‘burrow system’ as they would live in the wild.
The most important thing to remember with any hamster cage is cleaning. You will need to thoroughly clean your hamster’s cage at least once a week and preferably more frequently. For the main floor of your hamster cage you can use wood shavings, dried paper pulp, recycled paper pellets or more exotic materials such as coco fibre or alfalfa bits. For a nesting area the best thing is shredded paper or cloth, hay or chopped straw, but you can also use a soft fleecy bed or tunnel.
Some hamster cages include a house or nest – this is great as it provides your pet a safe place to hide and snooze the day away. You will also need to include plenty of toys to keep your hamster active and healthy and you will need to provide a space for food and a water bottle.
Be careful where you position your hamster cage. You will need to keep it away from drafts, direct sunlight and excessive heat or cold. A garage or shed is not a suitable place for a hamster cage unless it is heated in the winter. If you have other pets such as dogs or cats you will need to keep your hamster cage in a room where they don’t have access or in a sheltered area so they are not continually harassing your hamster.
Most hamster cages are designed to house one Syrian hamster or between 2 and 3 dwarf hamsters. If you are interested in breeding your hamsters, the best thing is to buy a professional hamster cage from a breeder or specialist supplier – you can often find these hamster cages at small pet shows or on ebay. However, cages for pet hamsters are widely available from shops. You will get a better range of hamster cages from online pet shops such as NetPetShop.co.uk. High street pet shops can only dedicate a percentage of their space to displaying hamster cages, while online stores are not subject to these restrictions.
Jackie Sheppard is a veteran in the field of hamster cages, she has been writing on various aspects related with pets and their products. Net Pet Shop, UK’s most trusted online pet supplies store. Netpetshop stocks a huge range of dog supplies including dog toys.