Setting up the Bucatstate 2.0

Winther1

Winther1

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After being sold a cage unfit for a Syrian by my local pet shot (shallow bottom, overall too small), I have decided to get the Bucatstate 2.0.
Perfect size, easy view and looks great. The little guy keeps gnawing on the bars and seems restless. I will use the same house and transfer the hay inside to reduce the stress of a new enclosure. Not sure what else I can do to make the transition easier.
I assume this type of cage requires more cleaning to look great. What type of bedding is least dusty but still offers odour and burrowing advantages? I'm leaning towards Kaytee Clean & Cozy.
I have seen comments on air circulation being inferior vs cages. Is that an actual concern and if so, can it be adapted to provide more air inside?
As I have only been a hamster owner for 2 weeks, any tips on setting up this cage would be appreciated
This little guy deserves the best:)
 

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Brings back memories of when Socks arrived! 💕 Enjoy, even the difficult bits become favourite memories!
 
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From what I have read, the temp in the Bucatstat stays the same as the room and they don't must up or anything like that. It is a very popular cage and a great choice! All bedding releases some dust once it breaks down, but this is usually at the bottom of the cage. Paper bedding is a good substrate to use. Socks is rather fond of finely shredded loo paper for his inner nest!
 
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There are some lovely multi chamber houses available from Happy Henry Hamster Homes.
 
Cleaning the cage is quite easy. You just spot clean soiled bedding most of the time. You can also get a hamster loo with sand (not dust, that is for chinchillas). I can always tell that Socks is urinating regularly from the little damp patch in his hamster loo.
 
Thank you! The cage will arrive tomorrow along with 45 litres of Kaytee Clean & Cozy white bedding (hopefully enough for around 7" of bedding in the 80x45cm enclosure), a large running wheel, sand bath and water bottle - all from Bucatstate. Also got a Niteangel wooden platform, a 3 chamber hideout for under the bedding, some rosewood naturals and I have two houses already. Might get a fence so I can split the bedding into various types. Not sure which they like the most though in addition to all the paper bedding.
 
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He'll love it :-) The Bucatstate is very popular and I don't believe there are any ventilation issues. A barred cage will obviously have more ventilation than a tank style cage, but as long as the roof is ventilated (which it is) then it's fine. The bucatstate also has side vents which is a big bonus for through air flow :)

I think most people get the 80 litre bags of Kaytee - you might find 45 doesn't go that far! I would aim for at least 8" with 6" minimum. Fencing isn't always advised as a hamster could land on the top and hurt themselves. It probably isn't necessary either. I've seen some german owners stick little bits of hemp mat to the top of fences though!

There's a whole article about cleaning on the home page - same applies to tanks as cages. You really only need to spot clean the pee area as and when needed. The rest of the cage stays clean and dry for a long time. I maybe go about 4 to 6 months before changing the substrate, with spot cleaning in between, and then only replace it on one half of the cage at a time with a gap in between (keeping back some of the old/clean to spread on top so it still smells familiar).

And as Socks Mum says, Syrians will almost always use a corner litter tray with sand in - depending on where you put it and where their chosen pee area is.
 
Bedding - I use Fitch and get this 70 litre bag. You'd probably have quite a bit left over afterwards. It's recycled food grade paper. Hamsters love it. I've usually found it less dusty than Kaytee but it varies.

www.fitchfirst.com

1 x 70LTR Fitch Paper Pet Bedding

Fitch 70L Paper Pet Bedding Bales size are 500mmx440mmx330mm Fitch Pet Bedding. It is very absorbent,may vary in softness and colour, our bedding is warm and is ideal for dogs,cats,rabbits,hamsters,guinea pigs and many other animals. The paper is shredded into small pieces of about 15-20mm...
www.fitchfirst.com www.fitchfirst.com
 
Or you could use a bit of both 😊
 
I like the look of the white paper so will stick to that for now, but considering a separate area with another bedding.
The setup is not finished as I need more bedding, but I got him in. He seems very happy.
Here he filled up his cheeks with paper and uses it to build his nest in the house (got hay in there too)1000087390.jpg
 
Agree! Such a gorgeous photo of your hammy and the Bucatstate looks great. @The Hamographer on here is also a photographer.
 
Wonderful looking set up. Are they expensive cages?
 
Cheaper than the Eco Habitat! It's usually about £178 - so not cheap. On the other hand a Savic Plaza plus the full perspex replacement panels costs about the same. They're really popular - and they have a front opening door as well as a top door :-)
 
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