Hamster cages come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors. The bare essentials in equipment are a drinking water tube, a hamster exercise wheel, and maybe a food dish. Some people like to put food in different areas so it is more like foraging in the wild. Hamsters use different corners of their cages for different purposes like eating, excreting, napping, and also as points of reference. For this reason round cages are less suitable. If you are just starting out you can buy a starter hamster cage kit which will usually include a small equipped hamster cage, bedding, food and some treats as in the following examples. Click on an item to get more information and return here by closing that view box. My apologies if any of the displays below are flashing, but that generally means an item is temporarily not available
Hamsters are generally kept one per cage, although dwarf hamsters can sometimes share a hamster cage if bought together and raised together. Generally if you are going to keep a hamster for a long time, you will want a larger or more complex hamster cage to more fully enjoy the antics of your hamster. Good ventilation is an issue, which makes aquariums and entirely plastic enclosures less suitable for permanent homes, although these can sometimes be used for other occasional play activities. Hamster cages that are part plastic and part wire seem to work the best. A deep bottom tray is helpful in keeping the bedding shavings contained as these are used both for nesting and bathroom purposes.
Keep in mind that you will be cleaning the hamster cage once or twice a week so the ease of taking the cage apart to fully access the plastic bottom tray is important. You will probably want an exercise ball to house your hamster while you are cleaning the hamster cage so you don’t have an escape artist on your hands. If you did buy a small hamster cage to begin with you can use it when cleaning the larger hamster cage and also to take ‘hammy’ to visit grandma.
