Does anyone have the MEWOOFUN Sloping set up for a Syrian?

[MSKITTY]

Hi all

My current set up is kind of working I am struggling with access to clean it due to where is in in my house (in my office to keep him away from my cats). I have a barred lid and have built up the sides at one end with perspex to give him deeper bedding, but getting the lid fully on and off is a pain at times. I would like cage that offers full top access but some are just so god damn expensive. I came across the Mewoofun sloping lid cage which kind of seems perfect to fit in the space I have available but I do worry about the set up and making sure the bedding is deep enough and where the wheel may go. I can't find any set up images online at the moment so thought I would ask here to see if anyone has had one.

Just for context, Keith isn't a burrower or a chewer so I think that this would work ok for him if I can figure out his set up.

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome. So is it a barred cage you have at the moment? And if so, which one? There are some barred cages with big front opening doors, so then you don't need to take the top off And they can be available quite cheaply second hand. The perspex is likely to still fit. The sloping Meewoofun is quite new though so I don't think anyone on here has one, but I might be wrong!

If you could give some details of your current cage and/or photo, we could maybe help suggest the best option for the lowest price.

 

[MSKITTY]

Hi

I have a Pets at Home Habitat 3 at the moment (I now know it's not up to code for my boy, another reason to get something else)

If you can see on the attached photo, it sits on the end of my desk slotted partially down the side of a wardrobe. This is great for him, keeping that end of the cage dark and cool in the corner, but not ideal due to the positioning and size of the front opening which just lands on where the wardrobe ends. He's also a little shy and so I think having easier access might help in terms of building trust with him.

In terms of available space, I could have something up to 104cm long and up to 64cm deep, providing the access is in the right place.

Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Maz]

The cage is fine although a bit low for a Syrian to fit a wheel in as well as bedding. But workable! Is he a Syrian or dwarf hamster? I'm guessing a Syrian. And yes that is the issue with that cage - you need to take the whole top off because the doors are small. He has a nice cork log in there

You could get a second hand Savic Plaza 100. That has a big front opening door and I do everything through the door and never take the top off It also makes for easier interaction with the hamster, with the big front door - they seem happier to approach when it's a bigger open area and get used to the oppenness between you when you talk to them with the door open. They range from about £25 to £40 second hand. It's a 100cm x 50cm.

That's probably the cheapest option, but if you've got your heart set on a tank style one, then the Meewoofun is probably the cheapest. General feedback on the standard Meewofun is that it's "ok" - bedding can escape through the odd gap when it's put together apparently. So I assume the sloping one would be similar.

There are pros and cons. The hamster is more behind closed walls with a tank style one. I big top opening would be easier to access maybe but if the hamster is shy they might not like a hand coming from the top. Which is why I like the big front door The standard Meewoofun has an option with a front door in the Perspex as well but it's more expensive.

 

[Maz]

This is one of my Syrian's Savic Plaza 100's. It didn't have much bedding in at that point! But it's nice feeling nothing between you and the hamster when the door is open. You can use cardboard instead of perspex - I've done that before too. The height of where you have the cage or enclosure makes a difference too. For a cage like this, I like it at a decent height so the front door is waist height and makes it easy to do everything through the door. For a top opening enclosure you'd want it on a lower height stand or it would be difficult to reach through the top.

 

[MSKITTY]

Thank you - that is really helpful. Do you know how wide the front opening is and what the measurement is from the end of the cage to the start of the opening? I am just trying to work out if the door would open ok and not hit the wardrobe. I'd love to be able to have the door open when I am sat at my desk for when he surfaces at the odd time during the day for a drink or a quick forage to check there's nothing better than what he has stashed away in his bed for a midnight snack!

Just in answer to your other questions, yes he is a Syrian. He's called Keith and is black (although getting lighter as he is getting older). You can't really see it in the photo but to get around the wheel issue the bedding is on a gradient from one end of the cage to the other so he has about 8-10 inches of bedding at one end which then comes down to a couple of inches where his wheel is - his log and branch are on platforms as is his food, hides and forage bowls. I think I am getting there with his set up but love finding new things to try (without changing too much as to make him grumpy!)

 

[Maz]

I think I see what you mean about the wardrobe - is that the white part on the left of your photo with the current cage. I can't remember exactly the dimensions without measuring (which I can do later, but I'm pretty sure the door is 38cm wide, from memory and it's in the centre on that side of the cage. The full width of the bars is more like 93cm so it would be about 30cm either side of the door. From your photo, it does look like the door would catch on the wardrobe, if the cage was that way round, unless you could move the cage along a bit, away from the wall?

But if that isn't going to work, then maybe top opening would be better. I'd think you might have the same issue with the sloping Meewoofun front door though. So it would need to be full top access like the standard Meewoofun (which is about £125 from memory).