a Quick, Simple, Bin Cage Set-up

I recently took in an unexpected hamster and found myself setting up a quick bin cage for him.

Wait. ANOTHER hamster?! Okay yes, hear me out.

I found myself at Pet Supplies Plus last weekend, buying some more bedding and sand for Dexter’s new set-up (after I finished cleaning Thor’s things). And what do you know? There were TWO hamsters on sale for 75% off. So I inquired - why were they on sale? How long had they been there?

One, a dwarf hamster named “Ginger”, the other, a robo named “Speedy”.

Ginger was this large, dwarf hamster, with a tiny, 4.5” silent spinner he could hardly use. The sweet employees said he had been there probably close to a year. It broke my heart. This poor guy.

After some consideration, I decided to take him home. There was no reason I couldn’t give him a home, and, he was probably over a year old already… how much time did he have left? Poor thing!

So, we boxed him, up, I signed the forms, paid (just $5.49) and I found myself at home, with another hamster, urgently in need of a home.

(Wait, what about the robo?? Okay, well later that day, I actually did go back and get him too. He hadn’t been there as long and the 4.5” wheel wasn’t quite as horrible for him… but I still felt it was the right thing to do. More on him later!)

I got to work, quickly creating a space for this sweet little hamster. I felt so happy with my impromptu setup, I had to share!

Side-view of the 200 quart / 50 gallon Sterilite stacker

It felt so good, four years into my hamster journey, to feel more confident in my set-ups. To know exactly what items I need and how to easily arrange them.

Not like there isn’t room for improvement of course! But I do feel like I’ve come so far from the days when I used to have to really work to figure out how I wanted to arrange things. Even a simple bin cage used to take a lot of planning and thinking. Now I can whip one up for a hamster in need and feel happy knowing they can have their needs met for the time being.

I don’t think this is a great, long term set-up. I plan to add things like platforms and bendy bridges to give the space more areas to explore and burrowing space… but for now, I’m happy, and I think (I hope!) this little guy is too. 🤞

…and for those asking, what’s his name? Well, his name was Ginger (based on his gorgeous, red fur), but I felt this was a little bit feminine for this big boy. So I decided to name him “Fred” (as in Fred Astaire), Ginger Rogers talented dancing partner.

The store employees told me he was a bit nippy, but so far he’s been a slow moving, slightly shy but sweet little potato. When I give him my hand he gently sniffs it and moves on. He doesn’t even flinch if I try to pet him! I can’t wait to get to know him more!