new hamster house

Question
Hi,
I'm buying a syrian hamster for my son for his 10th bday, 2weeks.  I intend to bring him to the pet store and pick one out.  I would like to purchase the cage and accesories in advance.  I've read alot about the cool looking cages being too small for syrian hamsters.  Of course, my son has his heart set on one of the cool looking habitrail tube gadget type cages.  Are there any of these that would work for both the hamster and my son???

Answer
Honestly, those cages are very small, and just cause plenty of frustrations in owners because the hamster doesn't use the intended items for intended usage. Most cages with connected wheels and compartments become a hamsters bed and potty, meaning you would just have to reconfigure the cage to make it functional for both ham and owner. What looks like a fun wheel or look out tower will soon become the hamster's bed, complete with a blocked up entry way.

The best way to configure a stress free cage is to have an aquarium. An aquarium has a nice large opening at the top for easy removal of the hamster (trust me, your 10 year old will want to hold his hammy often, and the aquarium is the easiest way to get to the ham to get them out). Also those habitrail cages are hard to clean, and become a hazard when the hamster finds a nice piece to chew on. The plastic will end up splintering and breaking. Some people have even told me their hamster has chewed through the plastic and gotten out. With an aquarium as long as the hamster has nothing to reach the lid with, he can never escape.

Also stay away from wire cages, one or 2 story. Hamsters love to chew the bars and kick bedding out, which leaves you with a very noisy and messy hamster area.

Also the cost for an aquarium is the cheapest of all cage setups. Those habitrails are usually 25+ dollars, and are still way too small. A minimum size of a 10 gallon aquarium will cost you 10 bucks. 20 gallon is the way to go if you have the space. Furnish it with a wheel (silent spinner if you want to have it in a bedroom, hams get real noisy at night), an igloo or similar place for your ham to hide, a sturdy food dish, and a water bottle with a loop at the top. Aquarium cage bottle holders provide your ham with an escape route (I learned the hard way) it's much easier and safer to hold the bottle to the aquarium exterior rim with a bent paper clip.

Hope my experience has helped!