Syrian Hamster Basics

Syrian Hamster Basics: Enclosures

Full disclosure, I am not an animal expert. Information in this post is based on lots of research and my own experiences.

I will be talking about the basic things beginner Syrian hamster pet owners should have for their Syrian hamsters. Not all Syrian hamsters are the same so adjust according to your hamster.

In this post, I will be focusing on enclosure types.

Minimum standards for a Syrian hamster, in the US, is 24 inches long and 12 inches wide (60cm long and 30cm wide). There are different minimum standards at different parts of the world but that is the smallest minimum cage size in the world.

It is important to consider not only size but the shape of the enclosure, too. In general, it’s better to have a longer cage, more floor space, compared to having a tall cage with many levels. However, you should have an enclosure that is tall enough to have at least 3-4 inches (8-10cm) of bedding and tall enough to fit at least an 8-12 inch (20-30cm) wheel.

DIY Enclosures

Most of these DIY enclosures can be built with IKEA furniture. Popular pieces are the BILLY extension unit and DETOLF shelf.

With the BILLY extension unit, you have the freedom to make the enclosure as large as you want by combining two or more units together. One extension unit can become a nice cosy cage too with a size of 31 inches by 11 inches, or 80cm by 28cm.

The DETOLF glass shelf is a great enclosure because of its size, 64 inches by 17 inches, or 163cm by 43cm.

You can also take a look at the SAMLA box, 30.7 inches by 22 inches, or 78cm by 56cm. Pet owners call them “bin cages” and they usually cut out ventilation holes and cover them with wire mesh to prevent escaping.

Aquariums

One of the popular rectangular tanks to use is a 40-gallon tank measuring at 36 inches by 18 inches (91cm by 45cm).

An advantage to using aquariums is that there is minimal setup involved; you would not need to build anything and it is quite escape proof with a cover. However, some pet owners are worried about not having enough ventilation for their hammies, so do keep that in mind when looking for a suitable enclosure for your hamster.

Personally, I like the aesthetic of an aquarium and I was actually thinking of getting a 100 cm long aquarium once. However, I realized that the tank I was looking at weighed 10kg. I tend to move and carry my hamster’s cage around to clean my house so having a 10kg cage was too much for me.

Plastic Cages

Many hamster owners, including myself, recommend not to buy any of the plastic hamster cages from Habitrail or Crittertrail because they are way too small for hamsters, including the smaller breeds.

Some pet store cages you can get are the Zoozone habitat in size large, 39 inches by 20 inches or 101cm by 51cm.

Right now, I have the Zoozone habitat in size medium and I will buy the large size in the future. I have many toys for my hamster and the medium cage just does not have enough space for them.

Wire Cages

With wire cages, you will have to take note of the bar spacing. For Syrian hamsters, you should keep it at 1cm and no bigger. Syrian hamsters are master escape artists; trust me, they can escape from anything, so make sure your bars are not too far apart for your hamster’s safety.

It is much easier and cheaper to get nice and big barred cages. One example is the Alexander hamster cage, 39 inches by 20 inches or 101cm by 52cm.

Personally, I do not like wired cages and I have had bad experiences with them for my rabbits and hamster. My animals tend to chew on the bars and it is really bad for their teeth. Also, my hamster really likes to climb the bars and it was really dangerous because my cage was pretty tall.

I will make a more in-depth post about enclosures another time and will talk about the pros and cons of each type.