dont give up dude!

Thanks for the support. Will try to get more advise from my architecture friend

make sure post the pict after u finish the project ..so i can ciplak..

Haha, sure I will

just came back from PLC the Mines to buy things for my guinea pigs and survey hamster stuff for my sisters... they sure have a lot of good stuff... but i really dont care bout their staff! i saw a family who want to buy hamsters+stuff for their kids... can see that they are new to hamster and dont know anything(tho they SHOULD read about it some more before buying them!). but what really make me feel a bit angry is that the PLC staff dont even suggest or give any advice about it. the girl just take 2 syrian hamster(male + female) and a very, very, very small cage. when i point it out to them that syrian is better off being alone, the girl just give me an angry stare and said that the family cannot give back 1 of the hamster eventho the family havent paid yet for it! after that the family change the hamster to winter white. what i think is, even if they are just workers there, they should at least have some little knowledge of animals and most of all... some love for them!!

why must syrians be kept in those tanks??? im thinking of buying a syrian with the cage that have many tubes on it...

Syrian are solitary just like most other hamsters, Syrian will grow bigger, hence a larger cage/tank is needed, the best option to go is a 2ft tank. You can always DIY those big TOYOGO thing. Google for more: DIY hamster cage

The answer:

A tank is easier to clean, easier to keep. Of course it doesn't look as nice as those hamster cages sold with tubes. I have used both cages and tanks and I can certainly give you the pros and cons for both.

A cage with tubes will give you a headache during cleaning. The hamster would pee and poo in the tubes. If you don't clean it right away, it will become crusty and moldy. Also cages does increase the chewing habit of a hamster. It will chew on the bars, causing it to rust. Consuming the rust will cause problems to the hamster's liver and kidneys. Toxin buildup. A cage is of course good when it comes to ventilation, but super messy. Your hamster would dig and kick a bit, and the wood shavings will all come out. Also, the plastic used for cages is of poor quality, unless you go and invest in Critter Trail or Habitrail. The ones that are super colourful and sold at most pet shops are made in China, the plastic is very soft so the hamster chews it easily. Some times it gets ingested and sometimes a hamster can play jail break if it manages to chew a big hole.

A tank is safe. And it is easier to clean if you get the plastic tank. If you get glass, it's good too but just a bit heavy. Ventilation won't be as great as a cage, but you won't deal with messy wood shavings coming out. And your hamster won't be chewing anything metal and get rust poisoning. You can use your own creativity to decorate the tank. A hamster is less likely to escape a tank if it has a good cover on it.

And the best point here.... Syrians don't do well in cages. They are big, so they need a tank size of about 2ft if you can provide it. Cages are normally 30cm.... which is.... less than 1 feet. The tubes can be quite horrible if your syrian is one of those big bone ones. It's difficult to crawl through them. And the wheel that comes with these cages are too small. A syrian can get back problems if their wheels are less than 7 inches in diameter.

however, those bins wont give the best view like the glass and plastic tank

glass tank is the best!

yup, but a bit pricey and heavy to.. not for rental like me

i use a habitrail ovo pad for my syrian...it has a wheel and a tube leading tu the water bottle anyway thx for the reply

This post has been edited by cookie23: Mar 21 2010, 04:35 PM

anyone.. how to make hamster chubby like nezu's?

To be a Nezu's fatsoso have to start when its young. Nezu feeds them lots of healthy good stuffs.

Another important factor is the parents (genes) need to be of healthy line.

This post has been edited by blurjoey: Mar 21 2010, 06:15 PM

what are those 'healthy stuff'? white egg take into account too?

my hamster so weird

sleep at noon

wake up at night

happen almost everyday

Google "nocturnal" and u will find it normal

swt, its normal lah~^^

Egg white is just mainly protein...

Nezu feeds a complete diet for her fatsoso... You can try Nezu Taro Smoothie which she make herself. Can get it in PetShack.

lolx~

mind syrian will hide in the wooden house most of the time.. day or nite.. sleeping and sleeping~~~

may come out for food and he will then bring the food back to the house~~~

stuffing the whole house with the celect~

hardly see him come out~ aikz~~~