Civilization concentrated people in big cities, tearing them away from their natural habitat - nature itself. But people still try to surround themselves, as much as possible in a city apartment, with a piece of wildlife - pets. One of the most affordable and easy to care for animals can be called a hamster. Despite the fact that people have kept this small, restless rodent at home for a long time, wild instincts are quite strong with hamsters. Therefore, he needs to create the right living conditions.
Where can I look at the cage
Before you start a small rustling pet at home, it is important to first get everything you need to keep it at home. The main thing you can’t do without is a cell. You can buy a cage for hamsters of the dzhungariki, as well as any other breeds, in a pet store.
It is also not a problem to find them on specialized sites with pet products. How much it costs for a hamster depends on what size, quality, internal equipment it is. The price of an ordinary metal dwelling varies from 1,500 to 4,000 rubles; small plastic structures cost an average of 2,500 rubles. There are, of course, expensive models, the price of which exceeds 7,000-20,000 rubles.
Minimum Home Size
Only in old films can you see aquariums in which these animals were kept. The experience of many years has shown that this is not the best option for a normal life of rodents and the convenience of their owners. The zoo market offers many types of housing for the hamster. If you divide them by dimensions, then the smallest of them is 30 by 30 cm. It is simply impractical to buy a cage for a smaller Dzungarian hamster. He will be crowded and uncomfortable there. And if the pet is a rodent of normal size, then its habitat should be even more spacious.
Cell diversity
The height of the cells are single-story, two-story and more. In the cage for the Dzungarian hamster needs a lot of space. All utensils (a drinking bowl, a feeding trough, a running wheel) and a lodge should freely be placed in it. In nature, the mink of the hamster has many moves with separate rooms. The bedroom is located away from the place where the hamster recovers.
Large cages for hamsters not only provide freedom of movement, but also contribute to the mental health of the pet. Two-story structures with ladders, tunnels, pipes will be occupied during the period of the hamster’s activity.
Basic materials for housing
There are cells completely metal, with a plastic tray, all made of plastic (often transparent) and combined. The last cry of fashion is plastic collapsible structures, with several sections interconnected by tunnels. For such hamster cages, the price is slightly higher. But, as a rule, in this case, a person pays for quality and equipment. In the set, all the necessary things are surely already going on: a wheel, a drinking bowl, a house. In addition, the fastener system of such cells is quite convenient. It is designed so that cleaning does not turn into torture, but even vice versa.
Hamster house
Often, novice hamster owners do not consider it necessary to install a small house in a large cage for a hamster. But this is necessary for the comfort of a pet. If he does not provide this element of comfort, he can also design it for himself out of paper and dry grass. But still feel safer during sleep, and they do it more often during the day, hamsters will be in a closed house. You can buy it or make it yourself from wood, plywood or cardboard.
Do it yourself
Not always a newly-made hamster breeder can afford the purchase of a new, spacious cage for his prolific furry pets. Indeed, very often the price of cages for rodents is quite high. And not always, it would seem, a wide range of pet stores meets the needs and desire of the owner to provide the hamster with comfortable conditions. Therefore, very many people think about starting to make a cage for hamsters with their own hands. There are several good options.
Temporary shelter made of plastic containers
A solid cage for Syrian hamsters requires time, some materials and tools, as well as the ability to use them. First, consider the simplest version of a temporary home. For a very short time, a ten-liter bottle of water can become a shelter for the hamster. Of course, not a cylindrical shape (so as not to roll on a plane). But this does not mean that it is enough to simply push a pet into a bottle and sprinkle food. A plastic bottle is poorly ventilated and rodent waste products quickly accumulate at the bottom. All this mixture begins to "live its own life", which is dangerous for the health of the pet. Therefore, the following design is a purely temporary option.
Process of creation
First of all, a running wheel is mounted inside, so that in such a small space the hamster has the opportunity to release his energy. This is very important, because many do not take it seriously. But in vain. Under natural conditions, hamsters are very active. In search of food, they have to wind several kilometers a night. Without movement, the hamster will swim in fat and live much less than it should.
A running wheel is applied to the container and circled with a marker, so that it freely enters the bottle. A hole is cut through the marker marks with a knife, very carefully. The square hole can be cut immediately and put the wheel inside. It also serves as ventilation, but it is better to make additional holes for supplying fresh air. Through the finished slot, lower the wheel into the bottle, without fixing. Then the scissors are heated on fire (an ordinary candle is also suitable) and punch a hole in the center of the bottom of the container. Instead of scissors, you can use a thick nail. The main thing is that the diameter of the hole matches the diameter of the mounting of the running wheel. Now you can fill up the grass and sawdust for the hamster and run the furry guest.
These are not all the ways to make a cage for hamsters from improvised means. The main material may be not only a water tank.
From food container
For another option of temporary housing, instead of a permanent cage for a hamster, a food container is needed. Or as they are called by all mothers - sudochki. The volume must be at least 10 liters. The container is even more acceptable than the aforementioned plastic bottle. It is easier to clean, which will also need to be done often until a real roomy cage appears. As a rule, such containers have a rectangular shape, or rather a parallelepiped. In one of the long walls you need to make a hole for mounting the running wheel. For this, the wheel is first applied to the place of its intended attachment. A contour is drawn around the marker, the center is marked. It remains to punch a hole by heating the tip of a nail or knife in a candle flame.
But before you fall asleep sawdust, put a house and a drinking bowl with a feeder, you need to make a lid. For these purposes, a metal mesh is suitable for reinforcing walls before puttying, a few wires or plastic clamps, a knife, a marker, a ruler and wire cutters. The dimensions of the sides of the container are removed and transferred to the grid. The contour is marked on the grid, the lid is cut with pliers. Holes are cut along the edge of the side in one of the container walls. Clamps are threaded into them and a mesh cover is attached. All other household items are placed inside. You can run a pet.
In the meantime, he settles in his temporary apartment, it is worth starting to manufacture a permanent cage for the hamster.
DIY cell
First of all, it is worth deciding on the dimensions of the proposed design. The most comfortable sizes are 40 by 50 cm, height 50 cm. To some this may seem like a large space for a small hamster, but it is worth remembering that this will be his house for life, he needs movement. In addition, a large cell is easier to clean than a small one. But if this is still an unacceptable size, you can make a cage for a hamster measuring 30 x 30 x 30 cm. Less is simply contraindicated, the hamster will be too crowded, which will affect his health.
According to the size, it is required to prepare four pieces of plywood of a rectangular shape. Their thickness should not be less than 8 mm. Plywood will go to the side and back walls, as well as to the sliding tray. The floor of the cage must be retractable for easy cleaning in the future. The front wall will be a metal mesh. For a cover, it is better to use a sheet of plexiglass, through which it is easy to observe the rodent's vital activity.
Do-it-yourself cage assembly for the hamster begins with fastening the back and side walls. Also, at the beginning, thin straps are attached to the sides at the top and bottom. They are needed to support the roof and the sliding floor of the cage. It is possible to fix them with thin carnations or glue. Walls are mounted in the same way. Before fixing the metal mesh on the front of the house, the hamster is placed inside the running wheel. It is also necessary to place several chocks in advance for grinding the hamster's teeth.
It is advisable to make the floor in the form of a low drawer with a side board 3 cm high, with a small handle attached, so that it can be more conveniently extended and retracted. After that, a metal mesh is attached instead of the front wall. This can be done with small cloves, staples (from a stapler gun) or corners. The completion of this will be the fastening of the plexiglass cover. All parts of the house are adjusted so that the pet does not run away.
Cell interior
There are things without which a hamster in a cage cannot live. A drinker must be in his home so that an energetic rodent has free access to water. It must be located down and away from the toilet. Hamsters do not eat or drink where they defecate. The toilet location is calculated by observing the hamster for several days.
The feeder should be installed below. When installing a bowl of food on the second floor, many hamsters scatter food, and everything falls to the first floor. Also a mandatory attribute of the interior is the house, that is, a place to sleep. To clean the wool you need a bath with sand, which is desirable to purchase at a pet store. Not every sand is suitable for these purposes.
This list will not be complete without a layer of sawdust (or a special filler) at the bottom of the cage and in the sleeping house. It is especially interesting to observe how vigorous activity rages in the cage for dzhungarik hamsters, and its inhabitant restores his order by dragging sawdust. But the litter is not for rodent fun. Filler is a matter of commonplace hygiene. It absorbs the smell, and the better the material of manufacture, the less often it will be necessary to arrange a general cleaning of the animal. For example, in a cage for Syrian hamsters, a very popular breed, it is undesirable to lay simple cheap sawdust. This breed is characterized by fluffy wool, and particles of sawdust can be confused in it.