How Large Ought to a Hamster Cage Be? What the Analysis Says

Hamsters is perhaps petite animals, however they nonetheless want loads of room of their cage to forage, burrow, run, and discover. Our pet’s wild cousins run as much as 6 miles a day, going forwards and backwards whereas foraging and bringing the meals they discover to their underground chambers. It’s necessary to permit our pets to precise their pure instincts and supply sufficient stimulation by selecting a spacious cage.

Whereas protecting hamsters in small cages that lack enrichment continues to be quite common, the phrase is slowly getting on the market, and an increasing number of individuals are selecting bigger enclosures.

Should you’re questioning how massive of a cage your hamster wants, we carry you an summary of minimal cage measurement requirements by completely different animal welfare organizations and the requirements we comply with ourselves.

Minimal Hamster Cage Measurement Requirements

How massive ought to a hamster cage be, precisely? That relies upon significantly on who you ask.

Most pet shops are solely thinking about filling their money registers with cash; animals’ well-being is secondary at finest. Promoting small cages additionally makes hamster protecting extra accessible to potential pet homeowners who need an inexpensive pet that doesn’t take a lot room. This advantages pet shops by growing the “pool” of potential prospects.

Alternatively, animal welfare organizations and charities attempt to enhance the requirements and work on pushing legal guidelines that profit our pets. Whereas there are various completely different opinions on how massive a hamster cage needs to be, all animal welfare organizations agree on one factor – the larger, the higher!

Let’s take a look at what animal welfare organizations worldwide suggest because the minimal hamster cage measurement.

RSPCA

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) used to have cage measurement necessities however has since stopped recommending the minimal resulting from an absence of proof on what hamsters want. Now, they counsel hamster homeowners “purchase as massive a cage as they will.”

Beforehand, they’ve used the next measurement necessities:

Syrian hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 620 sq. in. or 4000 cm²
• Minimal Cage Dimensions: 80 cm x 50 cm

Dwarf hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 430 sq. in.or 2774 cm²
• Minimal Cage Dimensions: 70 cm x 40 cm

Many hamster homeowners and animal welfare organizations nonetheless comply with RSPCA’s earlier tips.

Blue Cross

Blue Cross is a registered animal welfare charity based in the UK. They be aware that the cage should not have any lower than 80cm x 50cm of ground area and be 50cm tall for each Syrian and dwarf hamsters.

Syrian & dwarf hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 620 sq. in. or 4000 cm²
• Minimal Cage Dimensions (LxWxH): 80 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm

Woodgreen

Woodgreen is an animal charity and shelter based method again in 1924 within the UK. They’re a multi-species charity, caring for a broad vary of pets needing assist, together with hamsters.

Syrian hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 620 sq. in. or 4000 cm²
• Minimal Cage Dimensions (LxWxH): 80 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm

Dwarf hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 620 sq. in. or 4000 cm²
• Minimal Cage Dimensions (LxWxH): 80 cm x 50 cm x 35 cm

TVT

The Veterinary Affiliation for Animal Welfare (TVT) is a non-profit affiliation based mostly in Frankfurt, Germany, based by 150 veterinarians dedicated to enhancing animal welfare.

Germany has a number of the finest requirements for hamster care on the planet, they usually suggest the most important cage measurement. Based on them, 100 x 50 cm is absolutely the minimal cage measurement for protecting pet hamsters of all species.

Syrian & dwarf hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 775 sq. in. or 5000 cm²
• Minimal Cage Dimensions: 100 cm x 50 cm

German Ministry of Meals and Agriculture

The German Ministry of meals and agriculture advises the next cage minimal:

Syrian hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 775 sq. in. or 5000 cm²

Dwarf hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 465 sq. in. or 3000 cm²

In 2014, a legislation was enacted that requires German pet retailers to tell prospects of the minimal cage measurement necessities. That’s most likely one of many causes massive hamster cages are so common in Germany, and also you gained’t see many tiny cages on their native hamster boards.

Whereas the minimal cage measurement for dwarfs is way smaller than for Syrians, most skilled hamster homeowners in Germany comply with the minimal measurement of 775 sq. in. for all hamster species.

California Hamster Affiliation

California Hamster Affiliation is a membership of hamster breeders and homeowners working to enhance how hamsters are handled. Based on them, an acceptable hamster cage meets or exceeds 600 sq. inches for all hamsters.

Syrian & dwarf hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 600 sq. in. or 3870 cm²

Hamster Society Singapore

Hamster Society Singapore is a non-profit group of volunteers and animal lovers who help, rescue, foster, and rehabilitate hamsters. The minimal necessities that in addition they count on from their adopters are 90x50x50cm.

Syrian & dwarf hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 698 sq. in. or 4500 cm²
• Minimal Cage Dimensions: 90 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm

Hamsters South Africa

Hamsters South Africa is a go-to hamster care web site for folks in South Africa. It offers hamster homeowners with recommendation and ideas based mostly on the most recent analysis. Based on them, an absolute minimal unbroken ground area needs to be 5000 cm2 (for instance, 100 cm x 50 cm) for each Syrian and dwarf hamsters.

Syrian & dwarf hamsters

• Minimal Ground Area: 775 sq. in. or 5000 cm²

Why Do Hamsters Want This A lot Area?

These necessities may look like rather a lot, however contemplating how lively hamsters are within the wild and the way massive their pure territories are, the really helpful cage sizes are literally only a tiny glimpse of that. 

Though hamsters in captivity won’t ever have an area practically as massive as they might within the wild, it’s necessary to offer a cage that permits them to precise their instincts which is crucial for his or her well-being.

Let’s see what the analysis says about hamster cage measurement.

Results of Cage Measurement on Hamster’s Welfare

A research from 2007 investigated the habits of golden hamsters stored in 4 cage sizes:

• 1,800 cm² (280 sq. in.)
• 2,500 cm² (387 sq. in.)
• 5,000 cm² (775 sq. in.)
• and 10,000 cm² (1550 sq. in.)

Every part apart from the cage measurement was the identical, they usually all had a 30-cm operating wheel. Researchers used completely different hamster behaviors, akin to stereotypic wire-gnawing and weight acquire, as welfare indicators to determine how cage measurement impacts hamsters’ stress ranges.

Whereas stereotypic wire-gnawing was seen in cages of all sizes, it was considerably extra frequent and longer in smaller cages. Based mostly on that analysis, we are able to say that Syrian hamsters profit from a cage with a bigger ground area, and 10,000 cm² can be a fair higher measurement for them than smaller cages.

Impact of Cage Measurement & Enrichment on Hamster’s Febrile Response

Two different research checked out how the dimensions of a cage and the presence of enrichment within the cage impacts the thermoregulation (regulation of physique temperature) of golden hamsters.

The research discovered that the rectal temperature of hamsters in small cages was larger than these in massive cages. By growing the dimensions of the cage and including enrichment, the febrile response elevated whereas the baseline rectal temperature decreased. This implies that housing hamsters in small cages can trigger persistent stress, which negatively impacts thermoregulation. [source] [source]

What Measurement We Purpose For

Having varied tips from completely different sources may be fairly overwhelming and complicated. How you can determine which one to comply with?

Overwhelming proof from the research above reveals hamsters want and do higher in bigger cages. Moreover, bigger cages can match many extra enrichment objects and permit hamsters more room to discover and specific their pure behaviors.

When you have sufficient area in your house, I counsel a cage that equals or exceeds 775 sq. in. or 5000 cm² which is ready to be a naked minimal by The Veterinary Affiliation for Animal Welfare in Germany. The second neatest thing can be a cage that’s at the least 620 sq. in. or 4000 cm² or larger.

Purpose for the largest you’ll find and afford whereas not jeopardizing different necessary facets of the cage within the course of – akin to correct air flow, bedding depth, wheel measurement, and many others.

What to do if you happen to can’t afford a big cage?

If you have already got a small cage in your hamster and would love to modify to a cage that meets the minimal – if solely you had the money – there are some out there choices:

• Low cost second-hand aquariums (see aquarium sizes under) from Fb market, Craigslist, and many others.
• Massive plastic storage bins may be reworked right into a hamster cage, however you’ll must create a mesh lid for air flow, as defined on this video.
• Second-hand IKEA Detolf would make a really spacious hamster cage.

Our favourite presently is the IKEA Detolf which offers 1074 sq. inches and is less expensive than many smaller hamster cages in pet retailers. You may see different appropriate hamster cages right here.

What Else is Essential Different Than Cage Measurement?

Whereas cage measurement is of utmost significance, it’s not the only real think about a hamster’s happiness. One factor that impacts hamsters simply as a lot as cage measurement is cage enrichment. A big cage that lacks enrichment objects akin to a operating wheel, deep bedding, a sand tub, and hideouts is simply as unhealthy for hamsters as a small cage.

Deep Bedding

A research by the College of Berne investigated how completely different bedding depths and stressors affected the habits and well-being of golden hamsters. They housed 45 male golden hamsters in cages with completely different depths of bedding (80 cm, 40 cm, or 10 cm) and monitored their habits, together with how a lot they used their operating wheel and the way a lot they gnawed on the wire of their cage.

The outcomes confirmed that the hamsters within the group with the least bedding (10 cm) had extra wire-gnawing and extra operating wheel exercise than the opposite teams, and the hamsters within the group with probably the most bedding (80 cm) have been probably the most lively in digging and developing burrows which they occupied.

The research signifies that offering golden hamsters with at the least 40 cm of bedding can enhance their welfare and decrease their stress ranges.

Hamsters within the wild create burrows that vary 36 – 106 cm in depth with a number of chambers for various functions, akin to nesting and stashing meals. Whereas we are able to’t present them with that a lot bedding in our humble properties, we are able to nonetheless work inside our potentialities to present them a deep substrate to dig and create burrows.

That’s why it’s necessary to purchase a cage massive sufficient to suit a deep layer of bedding that permits your hamster to dig and burrow. Listed below are the really helpful requirements for bedding depth:

• Minimal 6 inches of bedding, ideally 10 inches – for dwarf species and Chinese language hamsters 
• Minimal 10 inches, ideally 12 inches or extra – for Syrian hamsters

Enrichment Gadgets

Aside from bedding, it’s necessary to offer completely different textures akin to a sand tub, chewables, foraging vegetation, cage equipment akin to hideouts, platforms, bridges, tunnels, and, in fact, a operating wheel.

Learn my hamster cage setup information for more information on making a enjoyable and fascinating hamster cage.

Conclusion

Hamster care requirements have massively improved lately, from protecting pet hamsters completely in tiny cages to massive hamster enclosures resembling their pure habitats getting more and more common.

By higher understanding the wants of hamsters and the way a lot area they want, we are able to work on enhancing our pets’ lives, demand higher care from pet shops, and promote improved requirements amongst new hamster homeowners.