Advice on new cage & bedding options!

niphie

niphie

Active member
Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
31
Hello,

I have a long-haired Syrian hamster named Zuko, he's about 1 and a half years old. He's currently in an Ikea DETOLF that I've had for previous hamsters since 2018, but his predecessor Maisie loved chewing the wood (+reinforcements), and I'm looking to get a new cage for Zuko that's easier to manouver as I may be moving house soon!

I'm currently looking at the Bucastate Metal 2.0 cage (100*50*52.5cm) and was wondering if any one had any photos of their set-ups in this cage or similar? I like to offer sand baths and different textures etc. so curious to see what setups other people have.

ALSO bedding - I'm chronically ill & with moving out my budget is going to get hit hard. I currently buy either Carefresh or Kaytee from my local, but used to buy Fitch. What is most economical option these days? As I've noticed Fitch's prices seem to have skyrocketed but plan to bulk buy soon.

Thanks :)
 
Hello and welcome :) The Bucatstate sounds like a great option. If you don't mind barred cages, there's also the Savic Plaza 120, which is bigger and costs quite a bit less. But not so easy to fit deeper bedding into (without something inside the bars like grass mats, cardboard or perspex).

Yes Fitch prices have indeed skyrocketed. It was £23 for a 10kg bale and is now about £37 for a 70 litre bale (which I think is slightly smaller than the original 10kg bale). I think I used a bale and a half to get about 8" of bedding. I still use it but it annoys me that it's got so expensive. However once the cage is full you don't need much more for a long time and can just spot clean mostly.

You could maybe mix Fitch with aspen? Or finacard? To make it go further. I don't find Kaytee goes as far, for the equivalent cost.
 
Hello & welcome to the forum 😊

Agree with what Maz has said about cages, the Bucatstate would be a good option & a lot easier to manage if you’re moving house, the Savic is well worth considering too.
I’m not sure if anyone has posted set ups of the Bucatstate but if you have a look at the show us your cages threads you’ll get plenty of ideas that should help.
I haven’t used anything other than Kaytee for years now so I’m no longer sure about prices for other substrates.
 
@Daisy has two Bucatstate's but I think her set ups are for gerbils. It can start to get expensive when you have to get platforms as well. Happy Henry's homes has a variety of different platforms with screw in legs - you can choose the height of the legs. Eg if you want one for a wheel or sand bath you might want it the same height as the substrate. And another one a bit taller could be a general platform.

It all adds up doesn't it? However Happy Henry's homes are not that quick at shipping - it can take a few weeks! It's a family business.

Platforms | Happy Henry’s Homes

www.happyhenryshomes.co.uk www.happyhenryshomes.co.uk
 
If you're ok with a little bit of diy you can make your own platforms :) Just a piece of wood and some 2cm dowels - ideally though you need to drill holes in the wood and dowels to put the screws through.
 
Yes, I have Bucatstates but for gerbils so the setups are different. But they're good for hamsters too. You can get a set of wheels for them so they're easier to move around.

Fitch was still the cheapest option last time I checked but they do seem to be closing the gap between them and Kaytee C&C which is the next cheapest option. Kaytee is the nicest bedding overall - very soft and holds burrows well, but more expensive than Fitch. I don't particularly recommend Carefresh. It's not as soft as Kaytee, can sometimes be dusty, and is really expensive.
 
I'm not sure how hemp bedding works out pricewise - but that can be bought in bulk. I was going to suggest finacard for mixing in to make something go further but have just seen they have closed down, which is a shame.

Finacard, Dust free animal bedding for rodents, cavies, equines and felines

Finacard, Dust free animal bedding for rodents, cavies, equines and felines : - Shipping & Returns 15/03/24 -IMPORTANT INFORMATION ecommerce, open source, shop, online shopping, store
www.finacard.co.uk
 
Rat rations sell something similar though. Mixed in with another, more expensive bedding, it could last a very long time. I had a bag of finacard left for years. It doesn't say how big a bale is, but it's half the price of Fitch

 
Hemp bedding isn’t that cheap as you need to get a good quality one, the cheaper ones can be quite sharp & poky & not really suitable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top