Dwarf hamster cage size and what goes inside

What size cage it needs

Tiny as it is, in the wild it covers a lot of ground every night. Many animal welfare organisations advise at least about 80 × 50 cm of floor; some ask for 100 × 50 cm. Height matters less than floor space: it needs room to run and dig, not levels.

The small cages sold "for hamsters" often fall short, and a hamster in a small space gets bored, chews the bars and gets stressed.

Types of cage

• Wire cage with a deep base: good airflow. Bars must be less than 1 cm apart, because dwarfs squeeze through very small gaps.
• Glass tank with a mesh lid: holds plenty of bedding and nothing gets kicked out. It needs good ventilation at the top.
• DIY enclosures (large clear storage boxes, adapted furniture): a good option if they are ventilated and have no plastic it can chew.

Bedding

The floor should be solid and covered with 15 to 20 cm of bedding so it can dig tunnels, as it would on the steppe. Paper or cellulose bedding, hemp and dust-free, unscented wood shavings all work. For the nest, plain paper or hay. Avoid cotton wool and "fluffy" bedding that pulls into threads: it can wrap around its legs or block its gut if eaten.

What to put inside

• A house or nest box, ideally wooden, where it sleeps and keeps its larder.
• A solid-surface wheel of 20 cm or more: in a small one it runs with its back arched.
• A heavy food bowl and a water bottle or bowl.
• A sand bath to clean its coat: see hamster sand bath.
• Hides, tubes and chews of untreated wood, to keep it busy and wear its teeth down.

Where to put it

In a quiet room, away from direct sun, radiators and draughts, at about 18–24 °C. On a piece of furniture rather than the floor, and away from other pets. Not in your bedroom if the wheel at night would keep you awake.