Recommended Enclosures

​What type of enclosure can be used?​​​​

There are many different types of enclosures available, including flat pack wooden with perspex or glass, barred, moulded plastic, glass tank, IKEA hacks or other DIY type enclosures.  Whichever enclosure is chosen, it should meet or exceed the minimum recommended size and have enough ventilation and a lid.  A lid is imperative for keeping a hamster safe, either from escaping or some other animal getting into the enclosure.

 

If using a barred enclosure, ensure the gaps between the bars aren't too big for a hamster to try and squeeze through and escape or hurt itself.  This is why it is commonly recommended to not exceed 10mm bar gaps for Syrians and 6-7mm bar gaps for all other smaller hamster species. 

If a hamster is a chewer then barred and wooden enclosures may need to be avoided. 

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Not all enclosures are suitable for every hamster.  If adopting from a reputable rescue they should provide guidance on the most appropriate type of enclosure for the hamster being considered for adoption.

 

​I have tried to link to as many types of enclosures as I could on this page. The majority will be linked to UK shops (click on the image) but you will be able to find many of them in Europe, USA and other parts of the world (just google the enclosure names).  If clicking on an Amazon link please ensure it leads to the correct size.  Sometimes, when a particular size is sold out, the listing may default to a smaller size, which may not be recommended.​

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A good tip is to look out for enclosures on 2nd hand websites (depending where you live in the world) such as Ebay, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Preloved, Craigslist, Kijiji etc.