When I was first starting out as a hamster 🐹 caretaker 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 “Rainbow Themed” hamster enclosure!

*this page contains affiliate links, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

Here’s What You Need:

Get Inspired:

Check out Niteangel Pet’s Instagram page for some AMAZING cage setup ideas! Other Instagram accounts I love for their colorful setups:

YouTube: a few videos below, including one of my own! I also recommend the channels: theHamsterTails & HoppingHammy, I’ll keep adding as I find some good inspiration!

*Please note that the Kaytee original Fun-Nels for hamsters are only 1.75” wide an only appropirate for Roborovski hamsters (the smallest type of hamster). Some dwarf hamsters and Syrian hamsters have gotten stuck in these and perished. If you would like to include these colorful tubes in your habitat but you don’t have a Roborovski hamster, I recommend the Kaytee GIANT tubes, 4.75” wide, (link to Amazon) also linked to below.

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 for a wellness check and $100-$300 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-

In the US the minimum amount of space required for a hamster is 450 sq inches of unbroken floorspace for your hamster- but this is bare minimum, the bigger the better! I personally believe that even the smallest hamster should at least have 600 square inches, so I am only giving options below that meet this threshold. If you place your hamster in a larger cage you will truly see the difference in behavior and activity!

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

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 below detailing how to make a lid for your bin cage. You can also purchase a 200 qt bin from Walmart here or from Home Depot Here. For more on bin cages and how to make a lid for you bin cage, please see my Bin Cage Page!

Niteangel Bigger World or Vista: if you are looking for a cage that is ready to go and an appropriate size for a hamster, the Niteangel Bigger World (link to Niteangel website) 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.

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.

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 (link to Amazon)

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 (link to Container Store). 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 about how to DIY the lid of your bin cage, please see my All About Bin Cages Page!

Playpen:

Out of cage time is a great way to get to know and bond with your hamster. Playpens are a great option for safe, out of cage time. Always supervise time in playpens so your ham is relaxed and enjoying the experience and isn’t frantic or trying to escape.

I love these simple, nylon, pop up playpens for my hamsters - they are lighweight, easy to set up & break down and keep my hamsters from escaping while providing a fair amount of space.

Some hamsters don’t enjoy time outside of their space and it’s best to be gentle and let them tell you what they are ready for.

Most importantly, please ensure that your hamster is safe from young children or other pets (like dogs and cats!).

For more on playpens, please check out my playpen page!

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 or cage agressive hams out of the cage and into a play area.

Travel Carrier:

Get this before you get a hamster so you can carry them home in this! This is so handy and great for trips to the vet, you’ll definitely want one on hand! The size small is a perfect size for a hamster.

Hides & Things to Crawl Through, Over & Under

you never know what your ham is going to like, get some variety of shapes, sizes and textures. The strawberry might be a bit small for a Syrian. You will never have too many bendy bridges! :)

Including the “Giant” size Kaytee hamster tubes. These have a diameter of 4.75”. Please use caution for any plastic items you place permanently in a hamster cage- some hamsters are more apt to chew than others. If you see your hamster is chewing on these plastic items, remove them and use for monitored playtime only.

Glass jars from natural peanut butter or jellies also work great for hides for dwarf hamsters! So do terra cotta pots, ceramic pots or ceramic jars.

Please make sure that any hide you use for a Syrian hamster has an opening of 4”, for a dwarf - 3” and a robo - 2”. Any smaller and you risk your little hamster getting stuck (they also might damage their cheek pouches if they are full and squeezing through an opening).

Love Drizzle Studios also has a lovely selection of adorable hides!

This cheese-y looking hide with multiple holes is great for a robo! I would not recommend this for a Syrian hamster or larger dwarf due to the size of the holes.

Sandbath & Sand

Sand is a must for dwarf hamsters (including robos) as they use it to groom and keep their coats looking good. Syrian hamster may enjoy sand too. Not all sand is safe for hamsters, make sure the sand you buy is not calcium sand or labeled “dust”. Particles that are too fine can cause your hamster to develop respiratory issues.

Currently the safe sands available for purchase are: ReptiSand, Niteangel Sand, and childrens play sand. Children’s play sand is availalble at your local hardware stores or Lowes. You will need to sift this sand to remove any large chunks and then bake it to sanitize it. The ReptiSand and Niteangel Sand is ready to use from the bag.

Robos & dwarves love sand baths and I encourage you to provide more than one! One idea is to get a large baking dish, fill it with sand and put the wheel and a hide in this dish.

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

You can often find some Pyrex dishes at your local thrift shop, they also work very well as a sand bath.

If your sand bath is not on the floor of your enclosure, I highly 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.

You can also place your sand bath on top of a sturdy shelf, like the one shown below from Niteangel (https://amzn.to/3iX4587 ).

Wheel

8-10” for robos and dwarves, 12” for Syrians. I use the 9” for one of my robos, the 12” for the other (see this video for more info). My personal opinion is that Roborovski hamsters need larger wheels due to their very, very fast running speed. Although robos are small, I would recommend 9-12” for a robo hamster.

The Silent Runners 🏃‍♀️ are great, but a little harder to clean. I love the Niteangel wheel (link to my review on YT), and it comes in many colors & sizes!

The Niteangel enclosed wheel is brand new and I haven’t seen it in person yet, but have heard great things!

For more on wheels, please see my (welcome to the) Wheel World Page!

A Multi Chamber Hide & Flat Surface (or two)

Multichamber hides are one of the key items in your cage, your hamster will most likely make their multichamber their main nest, or at least the main entry point to their nest. Buy the larger size for Syrians, smaller size for dwarves and robos. . Stilts are nice to provide some burrowing space beneath the hide.

Don’t be afraid to provide a few different types of hides, your hamster may have their own preference you might not know about!

I love multichamber hides because they also provide a great, stable surface to place a wheel and a water dish on top of. You will find having a few, flat-topped hides to be very handy for placing water dishes and wheels on top of.

Bedding & Substrates

I suggest White Kaytee Clean and Cozy (link to PetCo) so you can easily spot pee spots and remove them. Give your hamsters at least 8” of bedding depth, more for Syrians (at least 10” to 12” or more if you can for any species).

Small Pet Select now makes their own line of paper based bedding, I’ve included a link to them below. I just ordered my first shipment from them, I’ll let you know what I think! This brand is well known in the small pet world for their high quality hay.

Some hamster owners are adding hemp based hamster bedding (link to Chewy), as it is more sustainable than paper or aspen, and quite soft (it feels like soft, wood shavings). I just received my first shipment of it and will update with my review once I get a chance to use it. I don’t believe it will hold burrows well, but might do well mixed with paper bedding or on it’s own in a section of the cage not for burrowing (say, around the wheel or sand bath).

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!)

Many hamster caretakers mix or layer orchard grass hay (link to PetCo) 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 use Sheet moss (link to PetCo) for reptiles for my hamsters. It looks gorgeous and is nice and soft for the hammies.

***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. ***

You can also grow “cat grass” -aka wheat grass! This is safe for hamsters, they love it and it looks pretty! You can also purchase cat grass from the check out isle at PetCo.

I also like to include loose coconut fiber (link to PetCo)in my hamster enclosures (from Zoo Med). I sprinkle seeds in it and my hams love to go digging to find it! Please freeze this for 24 hours to kill any bugs before using. Video below of my hammie, Sofia, going to town in it!

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 seed 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, 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.

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 about how to feed and hydrate your hamsters!

Hamster Sprays & Foraging Items:

My hamsters LOVE to to go hunting for their food. I sprinkle their food around their cages, in bowls of coconut fiber, and I also give them seed sprays and hamster flowers (hamster flowers also look gorgeous!). Hamsters love having a job to do and they particularly love finding their food. I highly suggest purchasing a hamster flower mix and a spray box. So far I have only had the chance to try Oakwood Forest Shop and my hamsters loved it!

If you want to see some cute hamsters in action trying out their hamster sprays, see here

Food & water dishes

I like to provide both water dishes and bottles for my hamsters. Food bowls are not necessary (I often scatter feed or place seeds around their enclosure to be found). I do use food bowls for “wet” items like egg or vegetables. Hamsters like to get in the bowl with their food, so I suggest a wide bowl, the green one linked to below works well for my dwarf hamsters.

I use distilled water for my hamsters to ensure that their water is clean and healthy.

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

Chew toys

Chew toys help your hammies keep their teeth from growing too long in addition to providing them a soothing, stress-relieving activity. Provide a few textures to see what you hamster prefers. All of my hamsters love Whimzees. They aren’t as cute as some other chews, but if it makes them happy, I’m happy! Cheese chews are have also been a big hit!

Cleaning supplies

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 per week and replace water at that time). Splurge on some beautiful, air-tight containers to store your food and keep any little bugs from getting in!

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.