What Makes A Good Set Up
Enclosure Size
We recommend that the enclosure should be at least 100cm x 50cm for ALL species of hamsters, this is unbroken floor space and is recommended by TVT veterinary research. With an enclosure this big your hamster will have lots of room to explore and you will have plenty of space to add enrichment in. Please take a look at our hamster cage page.
Bedding Depth
The minimum bedding depth where a hamster could start to burrow is 6 inches, but ideally you should aim higher as they are natural burrowing creatures so 10 inches or more would be more beneficial. With deep bedding your hamster is more likely to make their burrows and make them nice and deep and comfortable. It is important to use the correct type of bedding that can hold up the structure of a burrow (Do not use scented bedding or fluffy bedding), please look at our page about hamster bedding. Spot Cleaning of soiled bedding is a recommended technique that will also reduce smell. With a big enough enclosure you may not need to do a full clean for many weeks.
Enrichment
Hamsters need a lot to do in their cage so adding as much enrichment as possible will help your hamster not to get bored and stimulate their mind. You could add different textures such as coco soil, beach chips, coco chips. You could also add safe forage such as dried flowers and herbs. Adding sprays like millet, poppy heads, flax etc. will encourage your hamster to forage like they would in the wild. You could add plants into the cage like a spider plant or herb plants such as cress plant. Also, scatter feeding their food is super beneficial. Having chew toys such as wooden toys or pine cones or wood is beneficial to your hamsters teeth (Do not use flavoured chews as they can confuse your hamster to think it is food and they are dangerous to ingest). You could also DIY toys by cutting a toilet paper tube, adding soft hay and treats. Another beneficial item to have is rocks that can help them to file their nails.
Plenty of Places to Hide
As hamsters are prey animals they like to hide to feel safe. It is recommended to have at least 5/6 hides in the enclosure. Popular ones are cork logs, multi chamber hides and ceramic. When placing heavy hides please make sure to have it on a platform so it doesn’t sink and harm the hamster.
Correct Sized Wheel
A wheel should be atleast 28cm diameter for a Syrian Hamster and at least 20cm diameter for a dwarf hamster. The wheel should not be bared, meshed, have rods or sand paper on. You can find out more on our hamster wheel page.
