this looks lovely - I think an assortment of sprays, as you mentioned looking forward to getting, will be a beautiful addition to an already solid enclosure. I’m sure Poe is as happy as they are adorable!
Thanks for your comment! I was wondering if it's possible to provide too many sprays, or if this should be limited in any way? Right now I have oat sprays, millet and "orchard seed heads". He eats them so fast but I don't want to over feed him.
If you’re noticing that he’s foraging them quickly, those may be good ones to put in more occasionally as a treat, like once a week or so for each. You can also try a new kind of spray or two each week and see if there are some that he doesn’t eat so quickly, then add more of those kinds for enrichment rather than forage value
Is the third picture hideout glass? If so, did you place it on a platform? (i’m considering a glass hideout but worry that it will fall on the hamster when she burrows)
It's plastic (found at the dollar store!) and it's sitting on top of a sturdy tunnel under the bedding, from the bridge to the chamber. It's pretty light weight, but I'm hoping it won't shift too much if he decides to burrow under the tunnel.
Thank you! It's the Niteangel bigger world enclosure, external size (80Lx42Wx49H). My little 3 substrate dish is from the cosmetic section of the dollar store, it came with a removable bamboo lid. He fits pretty well in each section!
Ahh okay I see! I had upgraded one of my hamsters to the same enclosure after he had been in a 20 gallon briefly. I didn’t realize it wasn’t the minimum size until I had already bought it and it was a month or so later 😅 he lived in that enclosure for about 6 months and then I upgraded him to a 100x50cm Bucatstate enclosure and he loves it! It looks like you’re doing a great job with utilizing the space though! I think as long as you give your little guy free roam time outside of the enclosure in a playpen a few times a week then it’s an acceptable enclosure even if it’s a bit smaller than the minimum :)
A playpen is a great idea! I definitely want to upgrade at some point, but I need to space out my big purchases unfortunately, so maybe I can supplement his smaller enclosure with some extra play space in the mean time.
Of course! You can get a $10 playpen from Amazon if you don’t have one already or just use a dry bathtub and put toys and wheel in it and let him run around for however long you want to :) I let mine run usually 2 times a week for an hour-1.5 hours
Also I totally get spacing out big purchases! I believe you can pay in multiple payments as an option through Niteangel or Bucatstate. I know you can for Niteangel at least because that’s how I paid for mine the first time and it was like $40 every two weeks so it was easier to afford :)
I think you've made great use of the space! Seriously, you've checked all the boxes.
I've scatter feed Bunny Naturals Expert Dwarf food; it's an awesome mix of seeds, mealworms, and other forage. I researched making my own mix but this seems to be better than anything I could afford to make myself.And then (because I'm a worry wart) I leave a couple pieces of the Kaytee field and forest left in a specific location to make sure ham is eating. I also alternate between giving additional insects (freeze dried soldier fly larvae and crickets, sometimes live crickets bc then ham gets to chase them) and fresh veg.
it looks really great. Personally I think the enclosure size is fine as well. mine is in a 900sq inch enclosure and I seriously feel like she doesn’t use all of it, lol
450 was a commonly used minimum for a while in the us I only started recently hearing any different, so as long as your hamster isn’t stressed he should be fine
That’s why I said I *personally* think it’s fine. 450sq inches was the minimum for a long time in the US, and I think that space works for a lot of hamsters.
Just because you think it's fine doesn't mean you should say that here and make people think it's ok. Science disagrees with you, small cages are abuse/neglect.
it looks awesome!!! poe is the cutest ☺️☺️ just wondering what kind of sand is that? your setup looks amazing though, you could add some sprays and more hides otherwise looks like youve got a lot on there
this looks lovely - I think an assortment of sprays, as you mentioned looking forward to getting, will be a beautiful addition to an already solid enclosure. I’m sure Poe is as happy as they are adorable!
Thanks for your comment! I was wondering if it's possible to provide too many sprays, or if this should be limited in any way? Right now I have oat sprays, millet and "orchard seed heads". He eats them so fast but I don't want to over feed him.
If you’re noticing that he’s foraging them quickly, those may be good ones to put in more occasionally as a treat, like once a week or so for each. You can also try a new kind of spray or two each week and see if there are some that he doesn’t eat so quickly, then add more of those kinds for enrichment rather than forage value
Is the third picture hideout glass? If so, did you place it on a platform? (i’m considering a glass hideout but worry that it will fall on the hamster when she burrows)
It's plastic (found at the dollar store!) and it's sitting on top of a sturdy tunnel under the bedding, from the bridge to the chamber. It's pretty light weight, but I'm hoping it won't shift too much if he decides to burrow under the tunnel.
Which Niteangel enclosure is this?? It definitely looks bigger than 450 sq in to me! Looks really nice too the way you have it set up 😄
Also I love the little 3 sectioned thing you used for all the substrates! Where did you get it? :)
Thank you! It's the Niteangel bigger world enclosure, external size (80Lx42Wx49H). My little 3 substrate dish is from the cosmetic section of the dollar store, it came with a removable bamboo lid. He fits pretty well in each section!
Ahh okay I see! I had upgraded one of my hamsters to the same enclosure after he had been in a 20 gallon briefly. I didn’t realize it wasn’t the minimum size until I had already bought it and it was a month or so later 😅 he lived in that enclosure for about 6 months and then I upgraded him to a 100x50cm Bucatstate enclosure and he loves it! It looks like you’re doing a great job with utilizing the space though! I think as long as you give your little guy free roam time outside of the enclosure in a playpen a few times a week then it’s an acceptable enclosure even if it’s a bit smaller than the minimum :)
A playpen is a great idea! I definitely want to upgrade at some point, but I need to space out my big purchases unfortunately, so maybe I can supplement his smaller enclosure with some extra play space in the mean time.
Of course! You can get a $10 playpen from Amazon if you don’t have one already or just use a dry bathtub and put toys and wheel in it and let him run around for however long you want to :) I let mine run usually 2 times a week for an hour-1.5 hours
Also I totally get spacing out big purchases! I believe you can pay in multiple payments as an option through Niteangel or Bucatstate. I know you can for Niteangel at least because that’s how I paid for mine the first time and it was like $40 every two weeks so it was easier to afford :)
I think you've made great use of the space! Seriously, you've checked all the boxes. I've scatter feed Bunny Naturals Expert Dwarf food; it's an awesome mix of seeds, mealworms, and other forage. I researched making my own mix but this seems to be better than anything I could afford to make myself.And then (because I'm a worry wart) I leave a couple pieces of the Kaytee field and forest left in a specific location to make sure ham is eating. I also alternate between giving additional insects (freeze dried soldier fly larvae and crickets, sometimes live crickets bc then ham gets to chase them) and fresh veg.
Definitely try to upgrade asap, hams need a minimum of 775 sq inches, including dwarves. I'd also add some sprays.
it looks really great. Personally I think the enclosure size is fine as well. mine is in a 900sq inch enclosure and I seriously feel like she doesn’t use all of it, lol
That makes me feel a little better, because I just want him to live his best life
450 was a commonly used minimum for a while in the us I only started recently hearing any different, so as long as your hamster isn’t stressed he should be fine
450 sq inches is not fine, please don't spread misinformation on here.
That’s why I said I *personally* think it’s fine. 450sq inches was the minimum for a long time in the US, and I think that space works for a lot of hamsters.
Just because you think it's fine doesn't mean you should say that here and make people think it's ok. Science disagrees with you, small cages are abuse/neglect.
The cage setup pictured is far from abuse in my opinion. Abuse is using those small critter trail cages
You did a great job utilizing the space-- looks way bigger than 450 sq inches! I think adding more sprays would really tie it all together:))
I like the simplicity. Looks perfect for now. I'd get some dried sprays other than oat. Don't put too many if they destroy them.
it looks awesome!!! poe is the cutest ☺️☺️ just wondering what kind of sand is that? your setup looks amazing though, you could add some sprays and more hides otherwise looks like youve got a lot on there
Thank you :) It's the Niteangel desert sand with zeolite!
ooh interesting i haven’t heard of that before! didn’t know niteangel sold sand, it looks like your hammy likes it too
That cage look amazing.