#prevue 528

[hamsternostalgia]

Hello, I'm thinking of getting a Chinese dwarf hamster and I want to make sure they will have the best home I can offer with the space I have. I admittedly haven't had a hamster since I was a child. What would you suggest?

Omg hi thank you so much for sending this ask this has literally made my day to get to talk husbandry <3

This post will probably get long so I'm going to put in a break shortly! I'll title sections so you can skim fr whatever info you'd like easily!!!

Chinese (Dwarf) Hamster Cages

(just some random stuff before we get into husbandry):: To preface, while Chinese Hamsters aren't 'technically' dwarf hamsters, they are still referred to as such in pet stores and in most resources outside of the hamster community, but when I refer to a Chinese Hamster it's the same thing!

Out of the 5 species of hamsters in captivity this is also the hardest one to find, they generally don't sell well due to their mouse like appearance (which imo makes them the most interesting species), as well as because they are a almost exclusively solitary species unlike 'true' dwarfs. If you're buying from a pet store be sure they actually have some before you go, if through a breeder or a rescue it'll probably be much easier (but if from a breeder/rescue definitely check their minimum adoption requirements as they vary from organization to organization).

The males have.. very large testicles. It looks very silly but does not affect them so do not worry if your hamster is really silly looking, it adds to their charm.

All husbandry advice will be based on US standard, please note that the recommended standard often differs wildly from country to country, I will be referencing both the CHA and the OHC though as the CHA sucks and is full of insane people who are literally a clique and will come for people not in their clique (specifically referring to breeders). The OHC has a majority of the same breeders on their list but the people who run the association itself are less insane.

The minimum recommended size for a healthy happy dwarf hamster is 450sq inches, or at least 30"x15" (per https://ontariohamsters.ca/). Lets look at some options:

Bin cage: These are incredible since they're sooo versatile. If you decide you'd like to make a bin cage (using a storage bin with added ventilation) this will be the cheapest housing option. The smallest recommended size is a 110 qt sterilite bin, but any size larger in that brand or the largest IKEA SAMLA bin are also acceptable! If you have the space to do a larger enclosure, also look at 200 qt bins and xmas tree bin. Check out this video on how to ventilate since I am silly and cannot use my brain right now to explain it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjuWsbPrF04

The main thing to avoid is bins with wheels underneath, the plastic over the wheels bumps up inside and makes for a great spot to chew and escape from!

Tank: Tanks are great for allowing for the most bedding possible, and functionally prevent any messes the ham could make. You'll want to look for a 40 gallon at least, if you have a petco near you they regularly (like 5-6 times a year) do a sale where they offer half off on all their tanks (its going on right now actually) so a 40 would be $60 currently. 55 gallon tanks are technically smaller, but they are very tall and allow for a LOT deeper bedding and more climbing enrichment, and 60 and 75 gallon tanks have the same floor space as each other, but the 75 is taller. If you decide on a tank you'll need to order the tank lid online for any size over a 40 (sometimes pet stores have the 40 lid in stock), make sure to get a reptile terrarium lid!

Similarly there are also Acrylic and wooden enclosures. You'll want them to have the ventilation on the lids or very high up on the sides to prevent them from attempting to escape, but I recommended looking into the brands Bucatstate, Niteangel, and Pawhut (before you buy though look for 'clones' of the cages by niteangel because you can find cheaper than their prices for almost everything they sell).

Wire Cage: These are awesome for allowing for hanging enrichment like toys and shelves, but chinese hamsters are very small so you need bar spacing of at most 3/8". The Prevue 528, Savic Hamster Heaven Metro, and Crittertrail Super Habitat are all awesome options! These can all be purchased online, but Petco sells the Crittertrail Super Habitat and the Hamster Heaven can also be purchased from many Pet Supermarket locations if you have those near you!

That's a Prevue 528 set up below!

Connectable Cages: If you were wanting a Syrian Hamster (also called golden hamster, teddy bear, black bear, fancy hamster, etc) these wouldn't be possible at all since the tubes cannot accommodate a syrian hamster, and they are honestly HELL to deal with because occasionally they'll pee in the tubes and you'll have to take it all apart to clean it, but you do technically have one option for connectable cages with dwarf hamsters if it interests you. The Crittertrail Super Habitat is about 500sq inches, and features 1 connection port. You can attach connectable cages to that as long as you can maintain them. You don't really want to do only small cages connected to each other, hamsters may be burrowers in the wild but they are also major explorers. If their entire enclosure simulates a burrow they will want to escape that burrow to explore. You want a large main enclosure to allow them to have a 'surface', and to give them the option to burrow on their own (the small ones never have enough room for bedding ugh). The pros to connectable cages is that you can have different areas that are easier to maintain, and chinese hamsters are quite agile so they tend to enjoy being able to explore. If you decide to ever use tubes in your cage, try not to have any straight up and down sections larger than 3-4 inches, if they fall within the tube from any higher they're able to get injured quite easily.

(sorry couldn't find many good set up pics for this option since this style of enclosure has fallen out of style in the last few years for easier, larger setups)

As far as enclosures go those are your primary options! If you have specific questions about other aspects of their care, please let me know!!! I just didn't wanna overload this one post with too much info...

[bufomancer]

Progress in the pet room!

Now that the deep clean on the rat cage is done, the single at the bottom of my triple stack is empty (my boys were staying there while I deep cleaned because it took a while)

I am going to take the 12 inch acrylic bedding bin and give it to Sprocket & Rimshot the degus, so they can have full bedding instead of fleece and then a dig box.

The bottom of the bottom unit will get a cement mixing tub instead. Then I will move my 5 sanctuary rat girls in there. Currently they’re in a Prevue 528 as I have worked my way through getting all the rats settled after the big intake.

I have two more upcoming adoptions- one for a pair and one for 8 girls. After that, I will have only a few groups of adoptable rats left. 2 girls, 4 boys, 3 boys, and 3 boys. They should all be able to go into critter nations (most are already) and I will be done using prevues until the next emergency mass intake! They are great short term but not ideal long term for rats due to being small.

Charlie the foster ball python will get a 4x2x2 nearer to the end of the year if she still hasn’t been adopted. Currently she’s in a 40g, but as she’s already 3ft, she’ll need a 4ft tank if she’s staying long term. I have the enclosure but it’s going to take a lot of rearranging to make it fit. Charlie was also from the mass rat intake, no one even knew there was a snake until we showed up.

I am picking up the grids for the guinea pig upgrade this weekend and will hopefully be able to set it up by the end of August.

[thenaturalpet]

I realize that I kind of never talked about the cages I’ve been working on prior to being like “surprise, new hamster”. I’ve been working on them for a few months, now. In addition to the hamster cage, I’ve been putting together this cage for a future mouse.

It’s almost done, but I had to put a finish on one of the wood pieces, and it’s still got a week or so left to fully cure. It’s the top of a Prevue 528 attached to a 116 qt storage bin.

I’m planning for about 9” of substrate, but I’ll have to experiment a bit, because I don’t know if tunnels will hold up well in my previous Eco Earth mix at that depth. I also have two dig boxes for paper bedding and two for sand, plus a whole network of hanging bins, hammocks, and bridges.

[classy-sassy-ruki]

Update on my hamster 🐹 named them mazapán, mazi for short. It’s pretty gender neutral I believe

They now take food out of my hand ☺️ still too afraid to be touched but we’re getting there

[littledalek15-blog]

Just because hamsters are small, doesn't mean they can live in a small cage.

The minimum size for ANY hamster, is 450 SQ inches. BUT a minimum of 600 SQ inches is recommended.

Syrian and Chinese hamsters are 100% solitary.

Drawfs "CAN" be kept together, IF they are true siblings and have never been split. Even then, they must have two of EVERYTHING and it MUST be identical.

Cages with levels aren't recommend, because hamsters have bad eyesight. Levels do NOT make up for floorspace. IF your cage meets the requirements, and has levels, there are ways to make them safe. DIY rails, extra bedding, and hammocks definitely help.

Connecting more than one cage does NOT make up for floorspace. It must be unbroken.

Connecting smaller cages to a proper sized cage is perfectly fine ♥️

Good cages:

Prevue 528

Bin cages

40 gallon BREEDER. The regular 40 Gallon is too small.

There are other cages that meet the minimum as well, some require minimum modifications.

Critter trail tubes (and most other brands besides Habitrail) are too small for Syrian hamsters. Please do not use these for your Syrians.

Bedding:

Pine and cedar are DEADLY.

If you want a wood bedding, Aspen is the ONLY safe wood bedding.

Other safe options are paper beddings without scents or baking soda.

Hemp bedding.

Coconut fibers.

4-6" of bedding is the minimum but more is ALWAYS better and you can never have too much ♥️♥️

Wheels:

Syrians must have at LEAST a 10" wheel but preferably 12"

Chinese must have at LEAST an 11" wheel preferably 12"

Drawfs can use 6.5" inches and up.

Wheels less than 6.5" are NEVER acceptable.

Snack shack treats are not safe. They are made with pine shavings and are not safe for your hamster to ingest.

There is plenty of more information on hamsters, if you have any questions, please ask. ♥️

Also, if there is anything not mentioned that should be, please let me know!

[stealchain]

i got my fiance to get our pet store to carry the prevue 528 cage so theyll actually have a properly sized hamster cage for sale but theyre selling it for $130. u can get the same cage for like $68 on amazon wtf

[hello-bestseller]

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[ummehamza21]

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[bufomancer]

My younger mice have started bullying my older mice so I had to separate them :( Ugh. Both older girls have minor bites, nothing that won’t heal in a few days. But still. My poor girls!

I have Melania, Gwyndolyn, and Rya in a Prevue 528 cage that I set up this morning.

Paprika, Yarrow, Dorian, and Phrygian are all still in the modified critter nation.

So I now have 7 herp enclosures, 1 mantis enclosure, 9 rodent enclosures, and 5 foster enclosures 🥴🥴🥴 22 enclosures total.

🤪 I love all of my pets and I love working at the rodent rescue but it is a LOT of work, a lot of the time.

[bufomancer]

I did some musical enclosures last night and I was able to put a 55g and two 20 longs into my basement!

I still have a Prevue 528 & a 40 breeder that need to be cleaned out and either stored away or move animals into them and store other enclosures away- undecided as of yet and they’re not super obtrusive so im procrastinating.

Plus there’s always the chance that I’ll get more intake requests so

[thenaturalpet]

I bought this wheel for Quarantine about a month ago, and I’ve now bought them for Grogu and Mulder, as well. It’s the Niteangel Super-Silent wheel. I got the small, which is 8.2”, but there’s also a medium that’s 10”.

Pros:

• It is indeed super silent. I don’t even notice they’re moving, sometimes.

• I like how wide they are (the clear track is 3”, and there’s another 1/2” to inch from the back part)

• It’s incredibly easy for my hamsters to move them (Mulder’s is still in transit).

• The base is very wide and sturdy, plus there’s an optional cork part you can stick to the bottom so they don’t slide.

• There’s a good amount of height adjustment. Grogu’s is on the platform in his new Prevue 528 at the lowest height setting. Quarantine’s is around the middle height and is sitting on top of a wooden house that I put under the substrate in her cage.

• They come in a variety of fun colors, both bright and neutral, and just look really good in general.

Cons:

• I have absolutely no doubt this will get scratched up over time, as it is acrylic.

• It’s a pretty new wheel, so I don’t know about the longevity of it.

• It’s $26, and currently the only place to buy besides the Niteangel website is Amazon.

• There is no front panel, which is not a problem for my hamsters but may be for some.