Ultimate Guide to Hamster Cages

Find the Perfect Cage for Your Pet

Use our guide to find the best hamster cage for your pet. If you already know how to use this guide, scroll to the bottom to see the entire list of cages. Otherwise, read on to see what features you should pay attention to when choosing a cage.

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How big should my cage be?

• Hamsters are happiest when they have plenty of space to move around in. As a rule, you should get as large a cage as you can afford
• The ASPCA recommends a 10 gallon tank to be a minimum cage size for a hamster. This is about 200 sq inches of floor space
• You can also get cages with a smaller floor space but are expandable with tubes and add-ons
• Many experienced hamster owners recommend at least 360 sq inches of floor space for a hamster to be comfortable
• Syrian hamsters need a cage that’s large enough to fit at least an 8 – 10 inch wheel so they don’t arch their backs while running on it
• A larger cage is more fun than a small one since you can put a lot more toys and accessories in it

List of hamster cages

• Sort the table by name, floor space, average rating, and price range
• Floor space is estimated from outer dimensions and do not take into account multiple storeys
• New cages are added periodically. You can also suggest a cage

What type of cage is the best?

It really depends on your preferences, but here are a few tips:

Wire-top or bar cages with a plastic removable tray have better ventilation and are easier to clean. These are the most basic, no-frill cages available on the market for hamsters. However, the removable trays tend to be shallow so bedding might get kicked out of the cage if you put in too much. Some hammies also chew on the bars, creating a lot of noise (not a good idea if your cage is in your room) and can cause the cage bars to rust when the hamster’s saliva reacts with the metal.

Plastic modular cages such as Habitrails and Crittertrails are expandable and come with a wide range of add-ons and tubes so you can build your perfect hamster cage. But they are harder to clean and have poorer ventilation. Newer designs feature better ventilation by using metal bars for some parts of the cage. What I really like about plastic modular cages is their almost limitless potential for customization and expansion. There are numerous accessories and add-ons that you can expand these cages with and they can be fun to collect too.

Aquariums and glass tanks allow you to see your pet easily but are heavy so you can’t move them easily. You could use a very thick layer of bedding (which your hammy will love) and not have to worry about it spilling out of the cage. Glass tanks and aquariums do not come with well-ventilated covers suitable for hamsters so you may have to create a DIY one. If the tank is for dwarf hamsters and the accessories are placed in such a way that the hamster cannot escape, a cover may not be needed. Syrian hamsters will most likely escape an uncovered tank though. Some people use a tank topper but we do not recommend it as hamsters are not very good climbers and may fall off the top and injure themselves.

Suggest a hamster cage

Know an amazing cage that we should add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!