Cage help

[Elliebeck]

Hey everyone - we have had our little guy for about 6 weeks now. I still can't get the enclosure quite right and I feel bad every time I change it as I know this can cause stress. I recently added more bedding to the left hand side and he made some tunnels - but today I added legs to his multi chamber niteangel house so I could make a deeper bedding area and now I'm worried it's too deep- and if he can get out easily enough. I think he's below the hole that connects the chambers. In my trying to make it better I think I may have made it all worse! I haven't seen him come out since which again concerns me.

I tried to add some coco for a little variation under his wheel and now I'm worried his food is too high as it's on top house. The enclosure is above the recommended size but I just can't nail the layers ramps etc. I have a larger sand bath to add but again worried I'm going to make him lose his marbles by changing!

I have the niteangel corner unit and the coconut (which he doesn't really go in). The bedding is now deeper all around but not sure if it's good space for burrows. Any help would be appreciated.

Sincerely, a worried hamster mom

 

[Maz]

It looks nice I see what you mean that the house looks quite high. Is the house the one with the food dishes on top? The bridge hide leading up to it will help with that, but not much room for him to get on to it at the front possibly. Could that be turned sideways on so the ramp leads up the side of the house? I guess it would mean blocking off the entrance to the hide/ramp but at least it might be easier to access the house roof then. The only other real solution maybe is saw an inch or so off the house legs! But that would be a real pain (I've done it myself).

I don't quite understand the bit about him not being able to get out. If he can tunnel under things, he'll be fine. Or has something blocked him in underground? I can't see how that could happen really.

 

[Elliebeck]

Thanks for your quick reply! I guess I'm just wondering how he comes up through all of that bedding to find the hole at the front of the house. There is only one round circle way to get in and out. Maybe I'm underestimated his digging abilities! There is one hole connecting the chambers but I think he's well below that and one hole getting out.

That ramp is closed on the other side unfortunately. The goal was to give him more burrow depth but now I'm worried lol!

I like your saw idea, I was bummed there weren't different sizes!

 

[Maz]

So where the bridge sits against the house, is there an entrance door to the house behind it? I assume so. It might be easier just to have a bendy stick bridge tunnel over the house entrance as then the ramp up will be pointing the right way round.

An alternative to making the house legs shorter is just raise the bedding level in the whole cage. But then you'd have to raise everything else as well! If they're beech legs it's really tough to saw through. I'd just try a bendy bridge over the house door making a ramp to the roof.

Don't worry about him being underground or digging his way out - they're very good at that. The substrate will allow air through so he can breathe ok.

 

[Elliebeck]

Yes hole connected to the hole - but think this is better ? How steep of an incline is too steep?

 

[Maz]

Could you turn the bridge round so it makes a tunnel shape over the door? Then the hamster could climb up the side?

 

[Maz]

Like this?

 

[Elliebeck]

ah see what you mean. It's not big enough unfortunately but I made it slightly less steep and may just move his food and bev over to the corner platform which is easier to get up on. Thanks for all your help!!!

 

[Maz]

I wondered if that might be the case - too big a gap between the top of the bridge and house roof That's a good idea to move his food etc to the lower platform Im sure he'll get up on the house roof somehow, if he really wants to get up there! But important his food etc is accessible.