Alaska Cage

[orangetails]

Hiya, newbie to the forum, but not new to hamsters per se. I haven't had one for a few years. Prior to that I had several (successively) as a teen.

Very pleased to see hamster care has moved on since I was a teen - I got a 'big' cage then (Ferplast Rainbow) but it was nothing like the sizes of cages now (that said, apart from a disaster with two little dwarf ones (Russians??) they were all happy hamsters, perhaps because as an autistic teen who stayed home a lot, they had plenty of time out with me in my bedroom!)

Anyway, I digress. When I had a hamster a few years ago, I bought a new Alaska cage. It seemed so lovely and big (and my hamster was happy, although he came from PAH and didn't live that long, only just over a year :'( ) but I understand now welfare standards have improved again and the Alaska is only just the very bare minimum and a 100cm cage would be better....

I don't really have space for a bigger cage. I don't want to get another hamster if it would be unfair to them to live in an Alaska, so I'm kind of thinking I shouldn't get one - but part of me does also think, I am a caring and responsible owner, I provide plenty of enrichment and can set up out of cage time in the evenings, and my Alaska would be a damn sight better than many of these smaller cages that are *still* being sold as suitable for hammies (the PAH 'XL' cage is still not even as big as an Alaska, so hardly 'extra large'! and don't even get me started on the connecting tube style ones that are designed to appeal to kids..!)

I'd want to be sure of getting a male Syrian (they're my favourite anyway, I've always preferred male pets, but I understand they tend to be easier-going with their accommodation than many females.)

We also now have cats - but the room the hamster would live in is my art room/office so it is shut off from the cats as a matter of course. My cat does come in and sit on me while I work sometimes - is the smell of a cat in the vicinity enough to upset a hamster? That's another consideration. The cage would be high up where the cat doesn't/can't go, so it wouldn't have the cat sniffing around in close proximity, but there would presumably be the scent of him. It goes without saying that the cats would be securely shut out in the evenings when I would hope to have the hamster out for handling and playtime!

I'm kind of leaning towards not getting one, but I do really miss having one, they are such sweet, engaging little pets!

 

[Member ID2]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Oh, i know, the 100cmx50cm recommendation nowadays is giving me doubts as well BUT i have a male Syrian living very happily in his Alaska cage with a 12in Silent Runner wheel, a set up tailored towards his preferences and plenty of freeroaming time in a hamsterproof room with lots of things to explore and enjoy.

Before that he was an uncared for and unloved hamster in a cage without a wheel.

Sad thing is that people like you and me couldn't adopt from a rescue but there are lots of unwanted hamsters in the small ads living in tiny cages who would love the chance to live in an Alaska. That is if you'd want to adopt one rather than buy.

As for cats, i can't comment on that because i don't have any.

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome I think if set up well, with plenty of enrichment, the Alaska would be ok for a male Syrian (but not a female one) providing they could have plenty of out of cage time and either a playpen or safe free roaming area to run around in - in your room maybe.

If the cats don't ever come in that room, that would be fine. If they sometimes come in then yes the hamster would be aware of the smell of cat. But the main thing is that the cats were shut out of the room when the hamster is out of the cage.

Having said that, the Savic Plaza is a very popular cage for Syrians now and does give a good sized living environment and is 100cm by 50cm. It is only actually just under 20cm longer and the same depth, so you probably could fit one in It's a great cage.

 

[elusive]

Hello & welcome to the forum.
It’s lovely to hear how caring you are & how much thought you are putting in to getting another hamster.
The Alaska may not reach the recommended size but it is still a good cage & has the advantage of being taller than some other cages so it’s easier to get a Syrian size wheel in without having to compromise too much on substrate depth.
I agree that it probably wouldn’t suit a female but a male could live happily in an Alaska with plenty of enrichment & out of cage time if you can’t make space for a larger cage.
As for the cats personally I would suggest keeping them out of the room completely.

 

[Frida]

Hello and welcome to the forum

I think if you're looking to rescue a male syrian hamster who lives in a very small cage and give him an Alaska cage, with lots of enrichment, love and care, then that would be a very lucky hamster

 

[orangetails]

Thank you very much for the welcome and supportive comments!

I would definitely only want a male Syrian (though I will have to refresh my knowledge on how to confirm gender - all I can remember is that males generally have a 'pointier' rear end?)

I have a lovely big wooden wheel in my Alaska - again, I can't believe how many small wheels are still being sold as suitable A quick look on gumtree/freeads and there are so many hamsters in small cages/small wheels. Sadly none locally to me at the moment, but I did think if I found a hamster somewhere like that, he would be very happy in an Alaska by comparison!

Sadly no legit rescues will rehome to less than 100x50 from my quick search - which is fair enough, but would mean me buying a 'rehome' rather than a rescue if I go that route... I have looked on some rescue pages for up to date checklists of requirements (housing, enrichment etc) though, as I am a few years 'out of date'

I think in time I would look to nudge some things around in the office to make room for a Savic Plaza... I don't have the extra 20cm at the moment but it's something I could work towards... I was looking at the new XL 120, which looks amazing! But would be too deep even if I could accommodate the extra length. Because of where I'd need to site the cage, a large front-opening is going to be essential I think (one of the things I liked about the Alaska, and obviously the Plaza has that style too).

As it's my office as well as my art room, I think I'd need a playpen for out of cage time, it would be too difficult to be really sure I had blocked off all hamster-sized nooks and crannies as well as the IT wiring around and about! It's only a small room so I'd need something foldable - I've seen people use fabric ball pit pens, do they really work? I used to have one of those little wire-panel play pens (like a scaled down puppy pen?) but I don't know what happened to it and I seem to remember it wasn't very good anyway!

The room can be totally cat secure for whenever I am not in there and/or the hamster comes out of the cage, but I think I would struggle to keep my one cat out of there during the day time. He is a hand-rear and likes to be with me, either on my lap or on the floor right behind my chair! The other cats don't come in here though.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Hello and welcome to the forum. The pop up ball pit types are quite small and I imagine a Syrian would chew their way out of it. I have the Getzoo playpen which is 110cm squared. I like it.

 

[elusive]

I think you would need a wooden playpen like the one Rainbow has for a Syrian, I have one of those wire ones & it’s only just safe for a little Russian, a syrian would be out in no time!
Not sure if there are any wooden ones available in the Uk but this is the Getzoo one.

Enclosure & Run

For hamsters and some types of mice, exercise is indispensable. In the wild, they cover many kilometres during the night, so it is not surprising…

www.getzoo.de

 

[elusive]

Have a look at this thread too for more ideas, I forgot it was here!

Playpens and Playareas

This is a thread about playpen options :-)

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[orangetails]

Have a look at this thread too for more ideas, I forgot it was here!

Playpens and Playareas

This is a thread about playpen options :-)

www.thehamsterforum.com

Thanks!

We are pretty handy, so we could probably make something of our own - the correx panel one looks very easy, or I could use board or perspex for more longevity/sturdiness... Four or five panels that I could slot against the wall when I need to use my office as an office (!) would be great. Some sort of floor covering (that I could then use to bundle the playpen toys into) and boards would work well I think... probably easier than a fabric playpen on balance, and without the risk of chewing through a fabric one!

Initially I was thinking as the whole room is secure that would be super and he could have free roaming time while I am in there drawing in the evenings - but then I looked at it from a hamster perspective and realised just how many tiny nooks and crannies there are

 

[Maz]

I can see you're ready for a hamster to use that wheel Yes the males have pointier ends . You may find in future, when you manage to make some more space after moving things around, that you could fit the Plaza 120 - it does stick out a bit more and is a bit longer, but doesn't seem quite as huge as I imagined.

Playpens - I haven't used a ball pit but a few Syrian owners do and it is an option and inexpensive. The wood ones mentioned are very good if you have the space for it. Happy Henry's homes sells one but it costs about £50.

Hamster Run Enclosure - Formaldehyde Free, Non Toxic, Wooden, Slot Together | Happy Henry’s Homes

Slot Together Wooden Hamster Run Enclosure - Made from pet safe poplar plywood, bonded with non toxic soy based glue.- Assembled without glue or nails- Flat packed to save on packaging materials- Disassembles for easy storageDescription:Designed for hamster play time, as a safe area to run and...

www.happyhenryshomes.co.uk

 

[Maz]

Sorry I posted late before I saw your last post. Yes actually just sectioning off part of the room would do = it doesn't need to be an actual playpen. Free roaming is good too - do you think it's possible to "hamsterproof" the room? I guess that would be back to blocking off part of the room.

I think it's better to start off with a smaller area until they are fully hand tame, and you can have them on the sofa/pick them up easily - before doing free roaming.

 

[orangetails]

I can see you're ready for a hamster to use that wheel Yes the males have pointier ends . You may find in future, when you manage to make some more space after moving things around, that you could fit the Plaza 120 - it does stick out a bit more and is a bit longer, but doesn't seem quite as huge as I imagined.

Playpens - I haven't used a ball pit but a few Syrian owners do and it is an option and inexpensive. The wood ones mentioned are very good if you have the space for it. Happy Henry's homes sells one but it costs about £50.

Hamster Run Enclosure - Formaldehyde Free, Non Toxic, Wooden, Slot Together | Happy Henry’s Homes

Slot Together Wooden Hamster Run Enclosure - Made from pet safe poplar plywood, bonded with non toxic soy based glue.- Assembled without glue or nails- Flat packed to save on packaging materials- Disassembles for easy storageDescription:Designed for hamster play time, as a safe area to run and...

www.happyhenryshomes.co.uk

I basically have the full Alaska set up still in the loft from when I lost my last hamster I checked on it all the other day and I had forgotten how much I had, nice hides, climbing frames for the playpen etc.So it’s kind of ready and waiting, not being used (I swore after I lost little Biscuit I wouldn’t have another as I get so upset when they die! Still not sure how I feel about that… so I’m not rushing in to anything, but we do have a suitable cat-safe room now with my office…

If the cage isn’t too awkward to lift down from the unit it occurred to me it could work quite well to pop it on the floor and use it as one side of a playpen - I can hamster proof part of the room with some boards or similar. The whole room, whilst cat-safe, has too many hidey holes I’d lose him in! So that’s no good. But the side the cage will go is pretty safe with no cables etc.

 

[Member ID2]

Getting a hamster from the small ads can be a rescue rather than a rehome.

The majority of those hamsters live in tiny cages like a Spelos or Crittertrail with a tiny wheel or no wheel because the noisy wheel kept the kids awake, a thin layer of stinking woodshavings, no enrichment or proper care and certainly no love.

A male Syrian hamster has very distinctive features. I have a good example photo of one of my own Syrians but unsure if i can post it on here.

 

[Maz]

It can have a few reminders temporarily when you get a cage and items out again, but once a new hamster is using them the significance changes and it seems more normal. The hamster makes things their own. It is best if a cage stays in one place though. A change of environment can stress them, even moving the cage to a different location, but especially if that was done regularly. There's no need to buy an expensive playpen - it sounds like you could rig something up to block off a section of the room For initial hand taming, you can also use the dry bath tub, which I've done before.

I think Beryl might be referring to the fact male hamsters can have quite prominent testicles. But with a younger/baby male these aren't always noticeable. However the shape of the back end is very different in male and female. Males do have that extra elongateed oval shape at the back. Females have a definite neater, quite round back end. I've attached a photo of my male syrian from the back so you can see the elongated oval shape at the back. It's not a particularly good photo. A female will be very rounded at the back.

In terms of hamsterproofing, it's maybe holes you need to consider - eg holes in the floor where pipework can go down through floorboards, or even gaps under doors. Wiring isn't so much of an issue if you're there observing them, mine tend to just climb over it and don't attempt to chew it. It's a possibility they might, but if you're observing them it's usually fine. Or you can just put something over the top of it.

Another thing to consider is bedding depth. These days it's recommended to at least filling the cage base to the top of the base (eg at least 6" of bedding) - and that can limit how much you can fit in the cage with the shelf and wheel as well sometimes. Bedding can fall out through bars of course, but some people put some cardboard round the bars to prevent this. The height of the Alaska should allow for the bedding height though.

Yes hamsters do unfortunately have a short lifespan, and when the first one goes, it can be very upsetting for quite some time. I think it's harder with the first one. However they also bring a lot of joy and we see them grow from babies, to teenagers, to middle age to old age - when they are technically older than us! And it's something we do need to prepare for as they get older. I've found getting another hamster helps. No other hamster can replace the hamster who has gone, but a new one can have a different personality altogether and look quite different.

Raffy's back end shape. Not the best example as he is slightly bent at the back at that angle, but you can see he has an elongated back end shape.