What cage layout does a dwarf hamster need?

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What do you think should be the minimum cage enrichement for a (russian) dwarf hamster?
 
Oh I see. Well I think everybody will have their own opinion. This is mine. I think all dwarf hamster cages should have: a wheel, a sand bath, deep bedding, enough hides for the hamster to feel safe, a range of different substrates such as coco fibre, and some natural items such as cork logs.
 
I think the absolute basics that a dwarf hamster needs in their cage would be at least one large house, a sand bath with enough space to dig around and a wheel, plus of course food and water and enough general enrichment in the forms of hides, tunnels etc to fill up the rest of the space.

It's good to provide some different levels with platforms, though nothing too tall for a dwarf hamster.

I would say at least a couple of small hides such as coconuts or tealight holders (or similar) are good as they often to eat or just sit in these, more if you have space.

Tunnels are important too, such as cork logs, cardboard tubes etc. You can bury these to help them with burrowing or place them at the surface to provide overhead cover.

It's also nice to provide some different textures for variety. So aside from the main substrate, sand, and probably wooden platforms, you might include a terracotta tile or pot, other types of ceramics, hemp or grass mats, or moss (from a pet shop, not collected from outside). You can also get dried leaves for rodents and many people use dry coconut coir though this can hold onto moisture so is best used in a large and well-ventilated enclosure. Cork logs are very useful because they also provide an interesting texture for the hamster to climb on.
 
I think the others have covered it really.

Depending on the size/height of the cage I tend to keep things on one level but use platforms for the wheel & sand bath so they’re stable & safe but hams enjoy digging & burrowing under those too.
A good size wheel, multichamber house, sandbath, a few hides & tunnels would be my basic set up.
Leaving enough room to run around but hides & tunnels placed close enough so that there isn’t too much open space.
 
In my view, it's a difficult one to answer, because the more enrichment the better :-) But as an absolute basic I'd say:

Deep enough bedding
Shelter from above: Ideally a large house at least (could be a cardboard shoe box) and ideally a platform as well.
At least one large tunnel (eg a cork log) in the middle (so they can be undercover going from the house to the wheel eg)
Suitable sized wheel
A couple of extra hidey places (which could just be a cardboard square tissue box eg)
Sand bath (which could be an old ice cream tub eg)
 
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