ErinsAnimals

Each time I clean out Einstein and put him in his little travel cage I am saddened as I am reminded that thousands of rodents including hamsters, mice, gerbils and even rats are kept in these cages their entire lives. This cage was for sale in a shop as a 'large hamster cage' and purchased the day I brought Amylase home as I was worried she would chew her way out of the cardboard travel box. The shop keepers of course assumed that I was buying the cage for her to live in when the reality was that I had a cage more than 5 times the size of this waiting for her at home. The cage I had waiting only just met the bare minimum cage size requirement of 80x50cm so let me say again... it was 5 times bigger than this.



In this image you can see Einstein's (Syrian) wheel stood next to the tiny shop bought cage. Einstein's wheel is 11" in diameter which is the recommend size for all adult Syrians and yet there is no possible way it could fit in this cage. Even if the cage was tall enough to fit the wheel in there is no way you could fit anything else in!

There is so much scientific evidence proving how unsuitable these cages are that it still shocks and annoys me that throughout the world owners are given misguided information suggesting that these cages are acceptable.

Even the hamsters are telling us they are unhappy,  when a cage is too small hamsters become stressed and exhibit 'bad behaviours' such as bar chewing, monkey barring, biting, over-chewing, a reluctance to interact with their owner and other antisocial behaviours. The huge amount of stress caused by this also leads to a decline in health and a shorter life span. Ever heard the myth that hamsters only live for a year on average?
Did you know that in reality a healthy, happy domestic hamster can live to be 3 years old or more?





The worst bit is that owners with suitable sized cages are often mocked by those with unsuitable sized cages.
"It doesn't need a cage that big, it's only a hamster!"
The truth is that no hamster cage will ever be big enough because hamsters are travellers and burrowers. They dig huge burrows deep underground that stretch over several metres. During their waking hours they travel miles across the land in search of food and nesting materials so how can a cage ever be big enough?

I genuinely think that we will never be rid of these tiny cages in shops because too many people refuse to accept that they are no good as anything but a travel cage. All we can do is keep trying to make a change one person at a time through educating. Take a moment to look at your hamster's cage, is it above the 80x50cm minimum? If it is take a photo and post it somewhere public. Add a description that explains its size, cost and how important it is that hamsters live in these cages and not the joke cages you find in pet shops. Ask people to share your image because someone out there will see it and whether that's a person who has a hamster, knows someone with a hamster or who may get one in the far future it will get the message out there and it will make a difference to someone and to their pet.

So until next time...
Erin xx