Dwarf Hamster Cage Requirements

teeny_tiny_tony123

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Hello, I am considering giving a hamster a new home and I would just like to ask whether a hamster heaven cage is suitable for a dwarf hamster. I have Toni’s old one which includes the tunnels and penthouse. 🙂 I’m also wondering if a trixie 28cm wooden wheel is fine for dwarf hamsters or a smaller one is better for them?

Happy New Year 🎊
 
That sounds lovely :-) A very lucky dwarf hamster! The hamster heaven used to be considered perfect for a dwarf hamster - and some people still use them. A 100cm cage is recommended now, if it's not too tall, as they're very active.

The other thing is dwarf hamsters love to dig so the more bedding you can give the better. At least 6" but the more the better.

It can be expensive to buy a new cage, but these are popular options:

The Pets at Home Habitat 3 is an inexpensive option and only £44 - it's in the January sale at the moment - it's usually £55. It doesn't have a big front door like the hamster heaven but it does come with a shelf. And smaller doors on the side and top. It comes in pink, blue or grey. You could have a deep bedding end by putting cardboard inside the bars.


There is also the the tank style plastic home 3 at £50 which also comes with a shelf and large top access only. You could have one end with deeper bedding. It's a bit lower though so restricts how you set it up. Dwarf hamsters need lots of clutter - tunnels and hides etc - at floor level. Although cardboard ones are fine!


The 100cm Grosvenor cage is also popular for dwarf hamsters as it's about the same height as the hamster heaven, so not to tall - it has a large opening top roof and no front door. That's about £70 and comes with a shelf. You could have deep bedding at one end in that by putting cardboard inside the bars at one end. Amazon sell it as well.


If you do decide to use the hamster heaven, then you'd need to block off the tubes and penthouse and use it as a straight cage - dwarfs aren't good at climbing tunnels and would probably try and nest in the tubes as well and the penthouse wouldn't work.

The wheel should be fine :-) However it will restrict how much bedding you can fit in in the wheel area so in that cage it would be better to have a 9" wheel.

If it's from a rescue, you'll probably find they insist on a 100cm cage.
 
The HH cage is best used without the penthouse as the plastic around the door of the penthouse is quite flexible and a hamster could just possibly escape by pushing the plastic aside.
 
Hello, I am considering giving a hamster a new home and I would just like to ask whether a hamster heaven cage is suitable for a dwarf hamster. I have Toni’s old one which includes the tunnels and penthouse. 🙂 I’m also wondering if a trixie 28cm wooden wheel is fine for dwarf hamsters or a smaller one is better for them?

Happy New Year 🎊
I have to agree the bigger the better even for a dwarf...but... I got a Hamster Heaven for Pete and he is possibly different to most dwarfs in that he does not tunnel only makes holes to his sleeping area's. I got rid of the roof tubes and plastic shelves and custom made platforms. Pete is out of his cage a lot and so his cage is mainly used for sleeping and eating and using his wheel which is fixed to the back bars.
 
I also just remembered the Barney cage! That would be ok for either a Syrian or a dwarf hamster - providing the base is filled with bedding. It also has narrow 7mm bar spacing (which also means bedding doesn't fall out). It has the two small doors on front but also has one really large top door as well so you don't really need to take the bars off.

The downside is it costs £87.79. Although it does come with a shelf, ladder, good sized house and a basic 8" wheel.

 
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