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  

How many do you have on average hammybreeder210? Yes, my friend is taking 2 of the babies - even though we have 7 I will miss them 2! Yes, it is the best thing to do really, if you are having to let go of lots of them then it would be torture if you had got attatched to them. So do you breed Campbell russian dwarfs?

yeppers!! well most the time i have about 10-12 but really depends on the dwarf hamster and how much its body can handle.

adventually i want to breed all the types of hamsters but i just want to start out with one breed at a time

Cool, Cool. Yeah all types are cute in their own way. Syrian pups are very very cute, we have not had them but I have seen videos and pictures.

Hi Hammybreeder210, we have a lot in common as hamster breeders. The plastic bins work great!!!!! They are cheap and easy to clean. I have some 12 in deep and some 8 in deep. The 12in are better. I don't use lids so I can reach in and also so i can see at a glance. I have seven litters of newborns today so have to be on top of things. I handle babies at birth to get them used to the sent of humans, but all I do is touch or cup them in my hand. Dwarfies are weaned at 3 weeks and I try to get them out of the house soon after. If I develop a special attachment, I keep the hamster. I have 80+(todays count was 85), so keeping one more is no problem. I am using about 35-40 cages at any given time. The bins are the easiest to clean and the safest for babies. I had to do an emergency move of a female having newborns to get her back into a breeding cage. She fooled me, I thought she wasn't pregnant.
  Letting go of babies is hard, but I deal with a really great pet store. It was founded by Pam's grandfather and he is still around once in a while. They provide good pets for nice people in a fine neighborhood. I can't ask for more than that for my babies. I let some go to a big chain one christmas, but never again. I see my babies when they board at the pet store and I can tell that they have good homes. I also am willing to meet owners at the pet store to help with health issues. I have cleaned out Bubbles cheak pouch 4 times this year. He keeps stuffing things in and packing it too tight. Then he is stuck and it gets uncomfortable after awhile. All my babies know me when we meet again. I hate to part with them, but I am giving chidren in the area a chance to have a good, healthy, happy pet. Someone has to hand raise dwarfies if hand raised dwarfies are going to be available. I give them all a kiss on the head as I put them in the pet store cage and then I walk away.(okay, if they don't sell by 6 weeks, I take them back as breeders). Sigh. Anyhow plastic bins are the best bet for a breeder.  

do you seperate the babies from the mom as soon as they're born???because if you touch them the mom will most likely eat them or abandon them. ussaly i dont handle the babys for at least two weeks. and wen i clean out the cage i wear plastic gloves so i can pick up the babies and the mom won't smell a diffrence.  

Catherine - where do you put the hamsters whilst you are cleaning out their cages? 7 litters a day, wow. Riley is the master of filling here pouches - even bigger than trouble could fill his!!! You see, I gave her a treat, then she looked cute so I had to give her another, and another, and another!!! It must be good to know they will go to good homes, what age to you put them in the pet shop?

hammybreeder210 to have tame babies you should really handle them from the two week period - before that there is no need to clean out the cage or touch them

if your providing pets at a good quality they should be used to human contact at least

after two weeks the mother shouldn't have an adverse reaction to the babies being touched. Its important this happens for the hammies to become used to human contact , but its important to watch them and make sure mum is still ok with them... sometimes she might get antsy....its just something to keep an eye on

Our baby hamsters are getting so tame! as oon as you put your hand in the cage then crawl up onto it. Elly is being very good second time round with babies - she has not got protective or aggresive and even she climbs on our hands even though she has young!!!

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do you seperate the babies from the mom as soon as they're born???because if you touch them the mom will most likely eat them or abandon them. ussaly i dont handle the babys for at least two weeks. and wen i clean out the cage i wear plastic gloves so i can pick up the babies and the mom won't smell a diffrence.  

You leave them with the mum until they are 3 weeks old, at the most four. Its best not to touch them until they are around 2 weeks

yea thats wat i've been doing mostly then i handle them till there six weeks

I handle from birth and the moms don't reject them! I am careful about it though. Usually I just touch or cup babies in the hand. This is with permission of the mom. Somethines I help by gathering stray babies back to the  nest. Of course all of my breeding females were handled by me at birth so it is not a shock for me to handle their babies. Remember I am the head hamster, I have hamster status. I respect the females' territory and they in turn give me a lot of privledges.
Babies are ready to go at 21 days. Mom can sometimes be nursing a new litter at 18 days so the babies are not still nursing. I never wear gloves. I want them all to smell my presence. I sing to them and talk to them so they are used to my presence. The whole colony is in my kitchen so they are used to me doing things around them. In the morning before I go out I glance around at the cages, but I can't check them all, they tell me if there is a problem. We have been doing it this way since my first litters were born in the summer of 2000. Around ten days old when they start running around, I let them smell my hand and explore my fingers. I pick them up and hold them and let them get comfortable with being touched. By three weeks they are ready to bond with anyone. If a female has just given birth, but has not settled into a nest, I can get away with moving them, if I really have to. Females nursing newborns, I don't like to do a full cage clean and disturb them that much. I will move the parents out and clean the dirty shavings away from the nest of babies and replace them with clean shavings. It is a partial clean. It will keep them until the babies are old enough for a full cage cleaning(5-7 days). I have a basin/baby bath that I put hamsters in while their cage is being cleaned. They are used to it and they know it means clean cage and fresh treats etc. They like it. I also do a quick medical check and any teeth clipping etc. Often females will wait and give birth after I have cleaned their cages. I think my hamsters and I are very close. That is how I have always handled them. Even after they go to new homes my babies know my scent and my voice. Voice is important, they remember the voice.

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I think my hamsters and I are very close. That is how I have always handled them. Even after they go to new homes my babies know my scent and my voice. Voice is important, they remember the voice.

Thats wonderful the bond you and them have, you must feel good to be acepted into their "pack". Its much better on this second litter, we know what we are doing much more now. I love the pups - they have a hamster mum and a human mum. Its nice that you are deeply trusted by your hamsters, they do not mind if you touch the babies etc, they treat you as one of them. Thats sweet. Our pups are becoming so so tame, I think we will always be special to them.

I think it is an attitude thing. I never feel "ownership" of animals. I share my life with them, I share my space with them and I share whatever else I can with them. I consider my adult hamsters to be adults of their own kind. I do have to make decisions for them, but I try to consider what would make them happy. I have 85 adults and pretty much everybody is happy.(there will always be someone who complains). All my animals relate to me in a similar way. I can often extend this bond to other animals. It is not that I never get bitten, but rather that I expect some of that as part of dealing with animals. Nervous animals do react sometimes, I just don't fear it or let it stop me from working with creatures. I suppose I should get a rabies shot because one of these days a wild animal is going to bite me again(I mean again) and I will have to go for treatment. I was lucky last time.  Even my garden wasps and I have a good relationship.

Riley bit we shortly after we got her, my fault really, it was in her way and I guess it looks kinda yummy! He he. She is really tame now, I love her to pieces. Aww the bond you and your animals have just sounds so nice  .

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wild animal is going to bite me again(I mean again)

- eeek.

Trouble only ever bit somebody once, the vet! She had him on his back and was squeezing him to hard, so he bit. Thankfully the vet laughed (even though it drew blood, alot of it!), it was funny. I doubt any of our hams will ever bite.

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I never feel "ownership" of animals. I share my life with them,

- thats so nice. What would we do without our animals? Its such a shame they live such a short time compared to us humans, they really brighten up our lifes.  We are all called animal lovers for a reason!!!

We are so much bigger that nervous animals sometimes bite. I take it as part of the territory of working with animals. They are not being agressive, just stressed. Even a frantic hamster can't do that much damage. Sometimes  it hurts, but not that much. Certainly any bite will heal pretty fast. So I don't fear what they can do to me. It's nothing. The squirrel bite was not so good, but it didn't have rabies so I was okay. If I get nipped by a rabid animal I will just have to go for treatment. Not great, but better than the alternative.
It is a matter of attitude towards animals. They are all essentially gentle and I have no trouble. If I am rescuing something or doing a medical treatment, I know animals can nip to feel they are in control. I can handle that. I bit a dentist once(I was 19). He had his hand in my mouth. I was sedated so they could remove my wisdom teeth. I really clamped down and he couldn't get me to open up right away.
I try to relate to the animal as if I am part of his world and not try to force him into mine. I don't think of my animals as little people, I think of myself as the head hamster. It is an attitude thing. I get away with a lot of things with all my animals. I had to transfer the baby spider into my container to bring it home. The owner was not managing to do it. I also wanted to choose one not just take what fell from the jar. If I act with confidence the animals respond accordingly.

Oh my gosh, how did you manage to get bitten by a squirrel!!! Hey good luck with Mr manylegs, if that is his official name. *Googles baby tarantulas on images* - cute!

Baby T is looking much more robust this morning. I think having some water helped and maybe some space as well. The squirrel incident! He was a weird squirrel and acting strange. My neighbor was out in the garden with her two ancient cats and he attacked her. I grabbed some peanuts and came running. I did not get too close as he was so agressive. I wanted to toss the peanuts over the fence so he would go after them. He went for my hand and bit it and then he went for the peanuts. I used the peanut supply to lure him into a cat carrier so he could be tested for rabies. He got me right on the finger, but at least he did not have rabies.
I will look up baby tarantulas. I should have done that already. Then I would have known what to expect.

Wishing said young spider all the best. Just coz I don't think they are cute doesn't mean I wouldnt wish him well

When i get a picture and send it you will see just how cute the little guy is. It is not an easy picture to take as it is so small. The camera can't find it to focus.

Also on that subject, is your new camera good? Now your "animal tribe" can become stars, he he. The number of pics we have of our animals is amazing, hundreds and hundreds, maybe thousands!

I have a bad case of new camera syndrome. If it moves I photograph it. If it doesn't move I photograph it. If it might have moved or consider moving in future I photograph it. If it doesn't fit any of the aforementioned categories, I photograph it just in case. Think of it as good practice. I have a 2 GB photocard and two sets of the rechargeable batteries. I can do a full day at the zoo and still have some space left for a hamster of twelve. I will sent pictures. I have pets you have not seen. I did get a good shot of the Fire Skinks. They are really beautiful.

He he, I remember when I first took Dianes old camera outside - I took pics of the sky, dandilions, fences, animal food, mud - you name it! I love photography , just not very good at it! Supermunchie - you are a very good photographer, your pics are perfect  .

I figure if I take enough pictures something will turn out. I do have some cool shots of elephants  eating snow. And some very cool(temperature-wise) shots of our latest blizard, the third in a week. But who's counting?

thats mine

Wow! reduckto that looks more like some crazy rollercoaster ride! Does your hamster use all the tubing regularly?

Hey redukto great cage! Oh and welcome to the forum!

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I do have some cool shots of elephants  eating snow.

- Elephants eating snow? Great. You must show the pics, sounds cute!