When I was first starting out I found it really overwhelming to figure out what I needed or wanted to buy.

So, to help simplify, I’ve created a curated package of everything you need to create a “Natural Themed” hamster enclosure!

(This page contains affiliate links to Amazon and PetCo, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Here’s What You Need:

Get Inspired:

It’s time to get excited! It really helps to see how others configure their cages as getting it all neatly arranged so that everything is functional for your hamster and also engaging is trickier than it seems! I highly suggest perusing Instagram and YouTube for some great hamster setups you’d like to emulate.

Instagram: 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

YouTube: Dogs Hamsters , Pluschraupe , TheHamsterTails, this video from Victoria Raechel showcasing her natural setup

Vet Fund:

Before you commit to a hamster, if you need to save for a vet fund, start saving now! Vet bills can vary from $20-30 for a nail trim (some hamsters need this monthly) to $75 - $100 USD for a wellness check and $100-$300 USD for surgery. Just because they are a small animal doesn’t mean their life doesn’t matter. If you commit to a hamster you are also committing to the financial responsibility of taking on their medical needs. Before you get a hamster, please look for an exotic vet in your area and inquire if they take hamsters. I also suggest checking out this video from Hopping Hammy & Taxonomist about Hamster First Aid Kits.

Enclosure/cage

You will need 650 sq inches or more (or more)! And your hamster will need free roam time/safe space to do additional exercise, so having extra bins to let them explore is always handy.

I personally do not believe that a 100 qt bin is an acceptable long term home for any hamster, it is too small (approx 450 sq inches).

Here are my top suggestions for a hamster cage available in the US:

1. 200 Qt Bin Cage: The 200 qt bin is one of the best bins out there! it is fairly large as far as floor space (at the bottom about 650 sq inches) and is also quite deep (17”) so there is a lot of room for the recommended 10” -12” of bedding for burrowing. Instructions on how to make a bin cage lid are here. You can also purchase a 200 qt bin from Walmart here.

2. Niteangel Bigger World: if you are looking for a cage that is ready to go and an appropriate size for a hamster, the Niteangel Bigger World is the way to go. It sometimes can be hard to get, but it always comes back in stock. The size M is about 780 square inches, size large is approx 940 sq inches. I would recommend going with size L if you can. Size S is too small in my opinion.

3. 40 Gallon Breeder Tank: If you want something attractive and great for photographs, a tank is a great way to go! The 40 gallon breeder is popular for hamsters and gives them about 648 sq inches of living space. It’s also 17” tall- plenty of room for burrowing. You may want a friend to help you carry this- it weighs 58 lbs empty! You can purchase it locally from PetCo here. Lid here.

4. 75 Gallon Tank: You may be thinking… I skipped the 55 gallon! Nope, this was on purpose. The 55 gallon tank is very long, narrow and tall. This gives your hamster only 680 sq inches of room, which in my opinion isn’t worth it for such a large tank. If you want to go big, go big with the 75 gallon tank - this will give your hamster approx 930 square inches of living space! Be warned- a 75 gallon tank weighs 140 lbs when its empty! You’ll probably want a dolly, a moving blanket and some experienced friends or movers. Available at PetCo lid here: https://amzn.to/338BnrP

5. The Iris Christmas Tree Bin is also a good option, it gives approx 730 square inches of living space. They can be difficult to find outside of the holday season, but the Container Store carries them year round, you can find them here. This bin is limited in height (only 14” including the raised lid). Most 12” measure 14” including the base. For this reason, I only recommend this bin for dwarf hamsters, who could use a 10” wheel. For more info on bin cages, please see my All About Bin Cages page!
   

Playpens:

Playpens are a great way to bond with your hamster and provide enrichment to their lives. Always supervise time in playpens so your ham is relaxed and enjoying the experience and isn’t frantic or trying to escape.

I started out by using 100 qt Hefty bin from Lowes as a play bin for my robos since they are very nervous and I wanted to keep the space confined and packed with hides and tunnels (since hamsters are prey animals they do not enjoy wide open spaces).

I have now, slowly worked them up to a large, nylon pop up playpen. For my most nervous hamster, a robo named Steven, I turn off the lights for him so he feels more comfortable to explore.

Soft, Cotton, Woven Baskets:

I have found these so helpful in creating a safe space to interact with my hams or as a way to scoop nervous hams out of the cage and into a play area.

Travel Carrier:

Hides & Things to Crawl Through, Over & Under:

Sandbath & Sand

A sand bath is an essential part of a dwarf hamster’s enclosure. Syrians also benefit from sand (some really love digging in it!) but for dwarves (including Roborovskis) it is a must. I encourage you to provide more than one sand bath!

Make sure the sand you buy is not calcium sand or “bathing dust”- these are dangerous to hamsters. Calcium sand can cause intestinal blockage if ingested, bathing dust can be inhaled and cause lunch and upper respiratory infections. The ReptiSand linked to below is highly recommended and reviewed by hamster owners.

One idea is to get a large baking dish, fill it with sand and put the wheel and a hide in this dish (as seen in the video below).

The acrylic trays are also great, lightweight and come in many sizes.

The Niteangel sand baths (shown below) are very popular as well! Hamsters seem to love the partial coverage of the Niteangel variety. Make sure you get the larger size for a Syrian hamsters. Dwarf hamsters will be able to use either size but might need a bendy bridge or another way to get in and out of it.

If your sand bath is not on the floor of your enclosure, I suggest purchasing a riser or platform of some sort to keep it from crushing your hamster if they decide to burrow underneath it (guaranteed, they will!). The ones I currently use are from the Container Store, you can purchase them here.

Alternatively, you could place your sand bath on top of a very sturdy shelf, like the one from Niteangel (buy from Amazon). Also shown below.

Wheel

8-10” for robos and dwarves, 12” for Syrians (although robos & dwarves can and sometimes do better on the larger size wheels!)

I love the Niteangel Super Silent Wheel (link to amazon) because it’s so quiet, comes in many color (or color-less) options, and is easy to clean (most hamster will pee in their wheels, so cleaning frequently is highly recommended).

One of my robos uses the 12” Silent Runner Glow (link to Amazon) and does great on it. He runs very fast and flies out of the smaller sized, 9” Silent Runner. It’s a little harder to clean but is mostly quiet, glow in the dark and provides some cover for the hamsters to feel safe in.

The Zacro Acrylic Wheel (link to Amazon) is only appropriate for dwarf hamsters (as it only comes in one size, 8.7”) but is a good wheel that is always silent! Roborovski hamsters have trouble pushing this wheel since it is a bit on the heavy side, I wouldn’t recommend it for a robo.

Niteangel also has an acrylic wheel (link to Amazon) This is a good wheel, although I personally prefer the “super silent” version over their acrylic version.

Some people prefer wooden wheels or cork wheels (link to Amazon) (it is softer on hamster feet, which is good for the hamster). I personally prefer plastic since many hams (ahem, MY hams) will pee on their wheels and it is much easier to clean a plastic wheel. See a cute pic of the Niteangel cork wheel here!

For more on wheels, please see my Wheel Page!

A Multi Chamber Hide

Buy the larger size for Syrians, the smaller size for dwarves & robos. I think it’s nice to provide a variety of cozy corners and larger hides, so just make sure there’s variety in the size of hides you provide for your hamster. Stilts are nice to provide some burrowing space beneath the hide.

Most hamsters will make this multi-chamber their main hide.

If this is sold out or you cant afford one right away (if you are limited budget, definitely spend it on a great wheel first), I suggest making one out of cardboard. Make sure the cardboard is an interior layer (meaning it wasn’t the outer box something was shipped in). The outer boxes are sometimes sprayed with a disinfectant or may just be dirty and not good for your hams to be nesting in. I found the boxes wine gets shipped in are GREAT for this!

Bedding & Materials

I suggest white, Kaytee Clean and Cozy (paper based bedding) so you can easily spot pee spots and remove them. Give your hamsters at least 8” of bedding depth for dwarves, 10” for Syrians.

Buy the unscented kind of bedding as hamsters have delicate respiratory systems and a heightened sense of smell.

You can also use aspen wood shavings (the only safe, wood bedding). I wouldn’t use this for all of your enclosure, maybe a portion or mixed in with the clean and cozy. It smells great but I am allergic to it so I don’t use it (I have heard many others say the same thing- if you are someone with allergies, maybe it’s best to avoid aspen!)

Small Pet Select now has their own brand of paper based bedding and aspen that many hamster owners love. I haven’t tried it yet but the brand has a good reputation and I’m excited to give it a try!

Many hamster owners include hemp beddings in their enclosures. Hemp is a very sustainable plant to grow and Erin’s Animals even says it’s her favorite substrate! It is also quite affordable for how much you get.

I just got my first shipment of this a few days ago. It is softer than aspen but feels a bit like wood shavings… like soft, wood shavings, if that makes sense? I’m not sure that it will hold burrows well, but I might mix it with my paper bedding or use it in one section of the cage as an alternative/additional experience for my hamsters.

Additionally, many hamster caretakers mix or layer orchard grass hay into their paper bedding. Make sure you don’t get this confused with timothy hay (which is pointy and can cause injury to your hamster’s eyes!). Orchard grass hay is soft and easily breakable. Some people say it provides structure to tunnels (I have yet to see a scientific study on this…) but it does add some color and can be quite attractive.

I find orchard grass hay very helpful in creating boredom breakers. I am allergic to it so I wear a surgical mask while handling it.

I also use Sheet moss for reptiles It looks gorgeous and is nice and soft for the hammies.

You can also provide an area of the enclosure with Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber. It’s very lightweight and gives your hams another texture to dig and play in. This isn’t good for the whole cage, since it does not support burrows. You may want to share this with a friend- a single bag is quite big!

You can even use this coconut fiber to grow your own wheat grass for your hamsters to enjoy!

***It is suggested that you freeze all bedding for 48 hours to ensure no mites come with the bedding and start feasting on your little, furry friend. I usually put it in big ziplock bags before I put it into my freezer. ***

Food

Hamsters are omnivores and need approx 18-20% protein in their diet. In the US the easiest way to get a quality, balanced died it by mixing one full bag of Mazuri Rat & Mouse blocks with one full bag of Higgins Sunburst seed mix. I have additional links below for other healthy treats to be used for the taming process or in boredom breakers or hidden around a playpen for some enrichment.

I suggest freezing all food for 48 hours to ensure there are no bugs in it (I have experienced this… don’t let it happen to you!)

Studies have shown that hamsters prefer variety in their diet, so I frequently feed my hamsters small pieces of carrot, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, and (unsalted, plain & cooled) scrambled egg as a treat. Give small pieces of fresh foods to your hamsters so they don’t store them in hoard for later. I mix it up depending on what I’m cooking that week, this way my hamster gets to experience the same variety of foods I do!

If you think your hamster may have stashed away a piece of fresh food it never hurts to give their nest a once over just to make sure, you don’t want them to get sick if they try to eat it later.

Please see Hamster Hideout Forum for more detail about nutrition and a list of safe vegetables. I also now have a dedicated Food and Water page that I will keep updated with more detailed info on how to feed and hydrate your hamsters!

Hamster Sprays & Foraging Items:

Hamsters love to hunt for their food so I generally scatter their food around their enclosures, in addition to supplying them with hamster seed sprays and flower mixes. They go crazy for these things and it’s so much fun to watch their excitement as they dig into some hamster flowers.

So far I have only tried out Oakwood Forest Shop (based in the Netherlands) but have also heard great things about Redwood Grove Shop (based in California) and Tiny Flowers Hamster Shop (based in France).

Food & water dishes

The first two links below are for water dishes. I like to provide both water dishes and bottles for my hamsters. Food bowls are not necessary for dry food (I often scatter feed or place seeds around their enclosure to be found), but I do use food bowls for “wet” items like egg or vegetables.

I use distilled water for my hamsters to ensure they have clean and healthy water.

Please see this post from Hamstertivity all about how to place and maintain a water bowl.

Chew toys

Proovide a few textures to see what you hamster prefers. All of my hamsters universally love Whimzees!

Chews are a must to help their teeth from overgrowing. My hamsters tend to chew on their chew toys when they are sleepy before they drift off to sleep, it’s very cute.

Cleaning supplies

A sifter to sift out pees and poops from the sand, mini dust pan to keep flat surfaces clean. Straw cleaner to clean the ends of hamster water bottles (I clean these once a week and give fresh water in their bottles at that time as well). Splurge on some beautiful, air-tight containers to store your food and keep any little bugs from getting in!

For more on cleaning, please see my Cleaning Page!

Kitchen Scale

(for hamster weigh-ins)

It’s suggested that you check your hamster’s health on a regular basis (weekly or bi-weekly) by weighing them and checking under their belly to make sure everything looks clean! If you have skiddish little robos, I suggest using a clear, plastic cup to scoop them up and check their under bellies.

Hamster Cams:

I found my ham cams so valuable to making sure my hamsters are happy and healthy! Hams can be shy, especially in the beginning. Ham cams allow you to make sure they are getting out and about, in addition to cluing you in on the activities they prefer.

The Wyze Cam V3 (I have V2, but V3 is the newest) allows you to view 5 minute clips on the cloud with a small subscription fee. it is a great value for what you get!

For more on hamster cams, please see my ham cam page!