We all have different cages of different shapes and sizes , but what does yours look like..?
Its such a shame to see so many hammies caged up in tiny cages which are far too small for them
Herbal has a bit of a palace really , and he's getting a new extention tomorrow, which i'll post a picture of as well , but here is his current set up

He has a 2 level rydon deluxe hamster cage at the top
then a pennine zoozone, with a bedroom made of of a 6ltr storge bin on the top
then he has a perfecto 2 level tank
and finally a savic cambridge , with one shelf removed to make room for his 12" wheel.

i figure as i can't let him go free range , i'll give him the biggest space i'm able to
I can't wait to get his Christmas pressie tomorrow....

Wow Becci, that's some set up you've got there, what a very lucky hamster.

Lucky hamster! I would love to have my hamsters like that, but I am not sure what john and diane would say! When the dwarfs move into my room I think I may buy another bin age and make it a second floor for the ham-hams - if I can pursuade John and diane  . Herbal is a very lucky boy and I can't wait to see his new extention!

Plastic bin cages are very good as they are cheap, easy to clean and are really good if you decide to add a floor or something to the cage. We have recently invested in two plastic bin cages as to split the male and female dwarf russian hamsters into, as spending anything up to £100 on two decent sized hamster cages. A more reasonable price of £12 for the two bin cages made us be glad we discovered bin cages!  It is great having them in it because it is also much easier to see them insted of glancing through several bars 5mm apart, and if we need to hold them it is quick and easy, also making it stree the hamster out less if it is a bit of a hands in thing. To hold the waterbottle in place without a drilling job we have purchased a special water bottle and a holder with sticking pads - also a small duck that bobs down as the water level goes to make telling if the water needs refilling easier (random!). Here are some pictures of their new set up....
- the hamster bin
- inside of the bin
- the stick water bottle

i use freecyle... i've only ever paid for one of herbals cages  
cool bin

Herbal's setup is incedible. He is one lucky hamster. We do like to give our babies the best. Laura, your bin looks a lot like mine. They are so easy to clean and move around. I like the easy access it gives me. I never liked the bars. I do use some for older quieter hamsters and I do have some double decker cages. Much of those cages were free. The bins were $10.00 and I paid less because I took the ones with the cracked lids(which I don't use anyhow). I hot melt glue gue things to the side of the cage because they can be removed with hot water. I still hang the water bottles because I need to regulate the height. I put them very low for young babies and then gradually raise the bottle as needed. I use twist ties for the small adjustments. It is not exactly high tech, but it works. Around here many things are jury rigged. My main hamster helper, Diana, does things very differently when I am on holiday, but everybody is fine when I return and I never worry about them. What ever works for the hamsters you've got is the right solution. I do glue shelves into the bins to give them extra levels(of course hot melt gue, I do wonders withthat glue gun).  

Yes I wondered how to get some shelving in the plastic bins as, although they are having fun in the wood shavings it did seem a bit 2 dimensional. This coming weekend I'll get myself a glue gun then and get to work making things a bit more interesting.

also adding a lava ledge to the bins might help... they're available from bet stores and  the pumice is good for nail and teeth up keep... they're made for chinchillas but herbal loves his .

Went to get herbal an extra add on to his cage set up today... here are some pics of it and his 1st exploration!


close up of one of the towers

wow that is great! Herbal must love it!

Quoted from John

Yes I wondered how to get some shelving in the plastic bins as, although they are having fun in the wood shavings it did seem a bit 2 dimensional. This coming weekend I'll get myself a glue gun then and get to work making things a bit more interesting.

Ooooooo I can't wait 'till this weekend!

from laura
(aka Johns daughter

Becci, we just voted your hamster cage the most incedible set-up we have ever seen. If I was a hamster I would want to be your hamster.    John, Have fun with the glue gun. I did little steps about 2inx2in and glued then like a stair case so the hamsters could reach higher shelves. Some of my pictures show shelves. I want to do a makeover of some of my cages and give them new wood etc. They are years old and need some upgrading. Wheels get replaced regularlly as they wear right through the plastic. That is a lot of little hamster claws and a lot of miles of running. I told you they hibernate and will sleep most of the time until it warms up. Around the summer solstice they go through a period where they do not sleep much(almost not at all and not all at once). I have refered to it as psycho week. It is not that bad although I did threaten to go to a hotel so I could get some sleep. They can run the spindle right off a wheel. It is like someone spiked their seed with coffee beans. Cages need a little maintainance after that. My glue gun gets a work out. I is the easiest and cleanest way to do it.

Becci,
An add-on! That is a massive hamster castle in itself and the towers look like great fun  
Herbal is a very lucky hamster, it's a pity Syrians need to live alone, as your set up would do justice to a whole herd of hamsters.

too true, but syrians need less space than dwarves, contrary to popular belief... i just figured if i can't let him go free running , why not give him the biggest home i can

i finally managed to get a few better pics of herbies home in situ
here they are
full view

and close ups

top cage/penthouse has bath and the thing is the corner is what he uses as a potty

this is mainly a connector hut , he doesn't spend much time in here unless he's eating , but spend most of his time sleeping in the nest bin thats attached to the top
this place is a dinner place and the place he has fresh food , plus sometimes he watches tv from the hammock but other than that , he doesn't spend a long time in here

this cage is a savic cambridge with a shelf removed to fit the large silent spinner... he loves it in here - the deep base gives loads of burrowing fun - instead of ladders in here, i've used the lava ledge ( - the yellow thing you can see ) so that he is keeping his nails in trim.

and this is the play zone , there is so many ins and outs - there are tubes right the way round the edges that you can't see in this pic but he's always running in and out of them having fun
there is another cage i intend to attach that was part of his old set up, but i need to get some more tubing before i can do so

Good grief, what a lucky hamster

Oh my gosh! Herbal is spoilet rotten (and loving it)! Its great his setup. I see you have geometric moduels, they are great arnt they, trouble loved his when he could fit  in them. I havent tried them with the dwarfs or sooty and riley. Alsi the tubing for geometric moduels is really cool, I must buy it. Yeah, most hamsters have a bedbox, yours has a bedROOM. Lucky boy! I will do the same when I am older, Im sure!

They are great Becci, even if it does look like some crazy hamster scientists lab  

I am going to print the pictures out to show the folks at the pet store. You beat even the most spoiled of my babies out there. Does he really use all those different levels? He must be busy all night just checking each cage. I love it!

yup he really uses every one , and if you keep him in just one for travelling reasons or whatever he gets really snotty.... even if its the biggest cage - he just loves adventure i guess. I hate to think of all the poor little hammies that live in a box smaller than the ones your shoes come in for the whole of their lives, its horrific...so i guess he is spoilt a bit   if i had more room , he'd have a whole room to himself i'm sure  

I don't like the small cages. I like the big plastic bins for the breeders. It is safe and it gives babies a chance to run around. The Pet Store that sells my dwarfies has double decker(and bigger) cages to give the animal places to go and they have Habitrail cages that parts and tunnels can be added to. They are good, but not for my setup. They take time to break down for cleaning and I can't do that. I need it fast and simple. Sometimes I have to do an emergency clean before work in the morning, if a real mess has happened during the night. When I move hamsters to smaller cages it is usually because they have become old and less space is easier for them. The infirmary is small, but the mother daughter in ther have both had strokes so they don't exactly walk any more. I took the wheel out because it was a problem for them. They can't use it and they might get hurt. They are quiet and comfortable and that is the best I can do. They get Special Food and treats. I will post the recipe for Special Food since it is a good food replacement for a hamster that can't eat normal food. It works as a starter food for babies as well.

my goodness whats a cool cage!!!! i got a question about the bins: can the hamsters climb out of them because i might use one of those wen i wean and sex the hamsters

Our hamsters do not climb out of our bin cages but it is better to add a lid (wire mesh works well), the hamsters could climb on a high toy or something and be over the top without you knowing. I have seen in places where it says that hamsters chew through them, I do not think they would. They are very useful and easy to clean.

ok thx  

The plastic bins are pretty thick and very cheap about £3 in UK and what I love most about them is the access they give you to the hamsters. I just put my hand in and 3-4 of our babies will come over have a sniff and climb on board, I don't even have to pick them up they just come willingly it is wonderful.

o thats so sweet. i try not to grow any relationship with the babies considering i have to sell them eventually and i dont want them to suffer any truama and i wen i grow relationships with things i have a hard time of leting go. unless i intend to keep one