Setting Up a Hamster Cage
Setting up a hamster cage is so much trickier than you’d think. You’re trying to get all these things in there, make sure everything is stable, safe, accessible, stimulating and aesthetically pleasing! It’s a puzzle I quiet enjoy trying to solve, but my work is never done! I’m always striving towards what could be better about my hamster’s enclosure.
In this walk-through I’m using a Prolee, 800 sq in hamster cage - it’s very comparable in dimensions to the 200 qt bin / 50 gallon stacker. Although dimensions might be different from what you’re working with, the overall method remains the same!
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STEP ONE - INFRASTRUCTURE
Before you add any bedding, you need to plan out how your hamster cage will look! I like to start my set ups by adding platforms first to help drive the set up of the space.
Whenever anyone asks what they can do to upgrade their hamster cage, I always say, “get some platforms!” Platforms help maximize the space by giving your hamster burrowing room AND space on top of that for additional enrichment like hides, sand baths, etc. You can buy platforms from Niteangel on Amazon or on their website, or you can make them with some supplies from a craft store like Michaels and a non-toxic, glue gun.
When I was first starting out, I made all my platforms using chop sticks and very sturdy & clean cardboard. I’ve slowly upgraded my cages to have platforms over time, as I find they are easy to clean and use again and again.
This is the point I also like to add in the other items I’d like to put in the space (like sandbaths or other digging bins, wheels, hides, water bottles etc). That way I can start visualizing how to make it all work and know what kind of bridges I might need to connect it all.
*I like to use the sanded wood bendy bridges as linked to below. The “natural” wood bendy bridges that are darker in color have inconsistently sized rungs and can result in a hamster toe getting stuck! A stuck foot can be a very serious injury for a hamster.
**I also like to provide a water bottle AND a water bowl in case one malfunctions / hamster preference. The placement of these is a large part of my set up- as I must ensure that the hamster can reach them but that they won’t become filled with bedding or tip over.
SET TWO - BEDDING & SUBSTRATES
Once you know where everything is going to go, you can add your substrates!
The bedding & substrates you provide your hamster is very important! It gives them a place to burrow and forage in. I like to add a variety of textures in different parts of the cage for my hamsters to enjoy. My cages tend to be a combination of white, paper bedding, hemp bedding, moss (in sheet or loose, sphagnum form) & a coconut soil digging area.
Although aspen chips are safe for hamsters I do not use aspen - as someone with a lot of allergies, I find aspen bothers my allergies a lot. It is also not very soft and I’ve found my hamsters do not prefer it (one hamster, Steven, actually angrily pushed it all out of his hides!).
Niteangel now offers a variety of different specialty digging textures, like cork granules. I haven’t tried these yet, but they would also do well in a digging or foraging area (similar to how I use hemp or loose coconut soil)!
I also do not use orchard grass hay. Some hamster owners like to use it for texture, but again, I find it bothers my allergies and I don’t really see that my hamsters particularly like it. It does smell great though!
Please do not use timothy hay as it can be very sharp and cause injury to your hamster’s eyes.
Pine or cedar bedding in the US is also not safe for hamsters - it emits an odor that is toxic to hamsters (and other small creatures - it’s why we put sweaters in cedar chests to protect them from moths!)
Cotton fluff or kamuk is also dangerous to hamsters- they can eat it and it can cause a blockage in their intestines. They can also get a foot stuck in it and seriously injure the foot in a panic to get free.
I like to pile one side of my cage high with paper bedding and use hemp bedding on the other side for a variety texture and as a foraging area. I use moss as a soft “carpet” on platforms and around the cage, and loose moss can be sprinkled into the help bedding
STEP 3 - PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Once you have all of your substrates in there, you can now add back your hides and other items to polish it off. Make any tweaks necessary to ensure that the cage is accessible to your hamster with no large drop offs for them to fall and get injured.
This is a great time to add seed sprays and hamster flowers!
I get my hamster flowers and sprays from a variety of places, including Etsy & Oakwood Forest.
STEP 4- ADD HAMSTER, OBSERVE, MAKE TWEAKS
No hamster set up is complete without a hamster!
Introduce your hamster to the space and watch them explore. See if they have trouble accessing anything, or trouble climbing on anything (wooden platforms and cardboard can be slippery!). If my hamster is having trouble climbing up something I’ll often place adhesive cork or adhesive nail file paper on the item to help them climb up it.
If you don’t already have a Wyze camera, now is the time to get one! You won’t get a true idea of how your hamster is doing in the space until you watch them at night. For a small subscription fee, Wyze will store five minute clips of your hamster in action to the cloud for your to observe in the morning.
*in this cage set up- I had trouble making it all work once I added the bedding- so I added a few coffee cup holders to act as bridges and help the little guy climb around. I will be posting any cage changes I made below after observing!
Some of My Set-ups:
More Advice On How To Set up a Hamster Enclosure From Some of My Fav Hamster-ers:
From DogsHamsters- Elements of a Hamster Cage
From Hamstertivity- How to Plan and Setup an Enclosure
From Hamstertivity- About Water Bowls and Where to Place Them
Check out Niteangel Pet’s Instagram page for some AMAZING cage setup ideas.
Other Insta accounts I recommend checking out: DogsHamsters, Natural.Hamster.Cages , TheHamsterTails, BenjiAndBaloo, HamsterSiem, Hamstertivity, LordOfTheHamsters
YouTube: Dogs Hamsters , Pluschraupe , TheHamsterTails, this video from Victoria Raechel showcasing her natural setup