Do aquariums make better hamster habitats than cages?

Question

I want to get a hamster, but I want to make sure I get a good home for one. I am looking into a syrian or russian hamster, so size is a bit of a concern. Any help would be appreciated!!

Answer 1

I have always found wire cages irritating. Shavings get kicked out, they're cramped, hard to clean, and very loud when the hamster decides to chew on the bars or plastic pieces (and they will). Aquariums are generally favored as cages, especially for the tiny dwarfs, who are excellent as escaping through narrow bars. However, aquariums also have a down side. They are heavy and can be awkward to clean because of this and the air flow isn't the best, which can be bad during the hot months.

I breed dwarf hamsters and usually have between 10-20 hamsters here at all times. Instead of wire cages or aquariums, I decided to make my own habitats. They're the latest craze for hamster real estate and they're called bin cages. They are made from the rubbermaid bins that are readily found in walmart and are perfect for containing your little critter. They are roomy and each can be designed to suit your needs. I found them quite simple to make and ventilate properly.

Below are some sites that explain how to make the bin cages.

Answer 2

Get a male hamster. They usually have a better temperment than females and are less jittery. A Syrian hamster, teddy bear hamster or russian hamster are all good. Don't go by looks - try to pet one in the store. Find one that doesn't run hide squirm etc. They can really bite though, be careful. Watch them for a while and see which ones are active but not aggressive. If you are going to get two - get them straight off at the beginning. If you get one and then get one later the first one may see the new one as an invader and fight, but if you get ones that are already used to sharing space together they probably won't fight.
Aquariums are good, but make sure the tank is well ventilated. Hamsters need to climb so put surfaces inside for it to climb on - a thick tree branch is good (minus the bark). Your hamster need to have something to gnaw on - again, the tree branch is good. Get a decent hamster wheel - one that doesn't squeak like crazy and keep you up all night.
Interact with it every day if you can, even if just for a minute. Take a little piece of carrot or cheese and offer it to the hamster. Let it sniff you. Talk. Hamsters don't see very well they mostly recognize you by sound and smell. They also love ground beef in small doses (raw).
Hamsters will live about 2-4 years so be prepared. They can also be master escape artists so make sure you watch carefully while the hamster tries to find the weaknesses in your cage. If it does get out, you will probably find him in a closet or somewhere small, dark and quiet. A trail of sunflower seeds will always find him.

Answer 3

Aquariums do make good habitats for hamsters... There are a few things that you need to consider first. Although they have room to roam there isnt as much air circulation in a glass aquarium. Although if you clean your cage often and keep a close eye on the little guy you should have no problems at all. Need to just make sure he stays warm and active and he should be fine. Since you choosing those breeds I would stay away from the cheap small cages anyway... If you have anymore questions you can get in touch with me through [e-mail]. I am a pet care specialist at PetSmart and would be happy to help

Good luck!

Answer 4

I guess that depends on what you plan to put in the cage. I have used aquariums before. Just make sure that the lid stays on tightly and lets lots of air in. A 10 gallon tank is about equal to the size of a hamster home like habitrail. I think that you can buy a lid that allows you to add the plastic tunnels to it. if not, I'd say that is the only difference that matters between an aquarium and a regular cage, just what size and amount of accessories you put in it.

Answer 5

I have ALWAYS had my rodents in a tank, except for my guinea pigs. I am a previous dwarf hampster owner, and I had 2 in a 20 gallon. They were fine, but you must be dedicated to making sure that tank stays as clean as you would want your living quarters.
Just make sure that if you get a 10-20 gallon tank, take into effect of the toys and huts you'll be putting in there with it. That takes up space.
Also, I did ONCE have a hampster in a wire cage setup, and let me tell you that it was the worst mistake ive ever made. There was mess every where every day. They always wanted out. Tanks are the best way to go.

Answer 6

I think so. That is what I had. I had a plastic cage that I bought for my hamster. She chewed on it and go loose the first time. Then I got the aquarium. She couldnt get out. I got one w/ a lid w/ two opening on the top for tubes. And when you dont have tubes in there, you can close it. They can't crawl up there, so its not a prob.

Answer 7

I'd get a multistory cage, if its of a large size it's a lot better for the hamster and they have a lot more fun in them, you can really tell that. Oh, and get it a wheel as well, my hamster was never off hers, =( i miss her, anyways, so yeah, just a nice big cage with plenty of secret places to explore.

Answer 8

Yes get an aquarium with a mesh wire lid. A metal running wheel and you will need a ceramic food dish and either a glass water bottle or a chew guard for plastic bottles. Keep some chew sticks in there as well so it can keep its teeth worn down as they continiously grow and they are avid chewers.

Answer 9

no they hold moisture and bacteria, go to petsmart or petco, choose one of their crittertrails, they have about 6-8 different ones, syrian hamsters make better pets, i have three right now, and the blackbear is the friendliest and most active.

Answer 10

in reality they are the same (the second one is a dwarf version of the first), so i ought to opt for the second one one in case you had to, because the tubes should be difficult to climb interior the first one for a pair of dwarfs, regardless of if I imagine the second one one does not be person-friendly to climb both. regardless of if in case your in any respect interested in my view, i ought to dodge both one in all them, for 2 important causes, a million, Product high quality & possession - Its plastic, so its continuously in threat of breaking,snapping and in uncommon circumstances - chewing, its between the hardest to sparkling cages on the marketplace (it comes pre-packed in a large number of goods, you should smash it down and sparkling each and each man or woman piece, and then placed all of it again jointly again... believe me, its a lot extra sturdy then it sounds. 2, puppy pride - both are small, in case you seem on the in simple terms proper product, its person-friendly to be fooled, yet seem on the important compartment, you quickly comprehend that the actual floor area and room isn't any placed on close to sufficient for a pair of dwarfs - truly pondering as a large number of hamsters will opt to brush aside the tubes (a large number of individuals come on the following moaning that there hamster wont use the tubes interior the first one, meaning they could't get to water. also bare in ideas that tubes are over-rated, maximum breeders have a tendency now to not use them, and they are fairly a gimmick. you even don't have any room for toys, and the wheel will be dodgey, which signifies that they'd get no workout and develop into actual bored) i ought to target seem into getting a bin cage,aquarium, or ZooZone *in simple terms my opinion as you seem in touch about them)