Wire Cages

When thinking about purchasing a new hamster cage, I like to research what the best options are, but have found that there are very few, if any websites, that give an accurate and in-depth account of all the different types of cages. Luckily for you though, The Hamster Place is here to save the day!

Wire cages are often the most common cages found in pet shops. And they are the main culprits for the “Hamsters are small, so we’ll make the cage small” crime. Pet shops care more about how many products they can put on their shelves, not what an appropriate hamster cage size should be. The minimum size is 360 square inches. I will repeat this in all cage-related pages, as it is extremely important, as a hamster owner, to provide a good sized home for your pet. Of course, the bigger the better, so if you can, please think of spending a little extra, and helping your pet have a happy life!

That brings us to the issue of money. Of course, small cage equals a small price, and this is especially true with wire cages. From my own experience, pet shops can be very pricey when it comes to all cages, so my best bet is buy online. Fans of the site might know that all my cages come from http://www.petplanet.co.uk. They ship to UK and Ireland, as well as some parts of Europe. Buying online nearly always works out cheaper in the small pet industry, and you always get wider range of products.

Anyway, back to wire cages. A cage is a wire cage if it has a Plastic Bottom/base, and a wire cage top, coated with a paint. Please note, it is always better to have a large floor space and few levels, rather then a small floor space with multiple levels, as many levels can be dangerous. Wire cages have pros and cons:

Pros:

• Simple design, easy to clean, and see your pet.
• Great ventilation, especially good for hamsters with respiratory problems.
  relatively inexpensive, and quite common, though not as common as “combination cages” which are a mixture between wire and plastic.
• Cage bars provide a large climbing frame for your hamster, making their home just like a playground!

Cons:

• In some cages, the plastic tray isn’t deep enough. Hamsters like to burrow, so make sure the tray is a few inches deep, so they have room.
• Injuries from chewing or climbing cage bars are common. You need to provide other toys or “boredom breakers” to avoid this.
• Very small hamsters may be able to escape through the gaps of the cage bars.

Now, that’s all very well knowing about wire cages, will you be able to out your new found knowledge to the test, and be able to pick one? I’ve made a short list of wire cages I recommend, all of which, can be bought online.