In this week’s edition of “Featured Hamster Home“, we bring you Christmas Hamster’s setup for her hamster Damion. When I first saw the set up, my eyes almost popped out of my sockets - what an elaborate and fun set up of tubes and tunnels! This set up is definitely any hamster’s dream, come true. Lucky Damion.

Hamster Hideout (HH): What are the parts that make up Damion’s set up, & the estimated costs?

Christmas_hamster (CH): His set up is made up of Habitrail and SAM tubes. There are about 30 ‘curved’ tubes, 4 8″ straight tubes, 3 U-turn tubes, 1 Habitrail loft, 1 Habitrail tower, 1 Habitrail den, 1 Habitrail playground cage and 1 Habitrail space station cage. The estimated cost if getting it all new is about $200 (Canadian Dollars).

HH: How much time do you need to clean his home each time?
CH: It takes me an 1 and 1/2 to clean his cage and tubes. Not very fun but it’s worth to see his happiness.

HH: What are your reviews about using this set up for your hamster?
CH: The only con to this type of cage is that they are expensive, alone they are too small and with many tubes they are a pain to clean.

But there are many pluses - The habitrail/SAM tubes are sturdy and do not fall apart if you are using the Habitrail lock connectors. The tubes are wide enough for most syrians and dwarfs to fit through and come apart effortlessly for easy cleaning. The cages themselves are easy to clean as well as sturdy and strong. I have dropped the Habitrail space station, which was my first cage ever, countless times and it has never broke.

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And last but not least, a very cute picture of the lucky inhabitant of the awesome setup, Damion.

Related Links::

Proud of your hamster’s cage?

You can submit your hamster homes photos via HH Forum or Flickr

Puzzle Playgrounds - we’ve all heard of them, right? They are the latest craze to acquire for your hamster or small rodent, and simply a brilliant invention, in my opinion.

Puzzle playgrounds are manufactured by the company “Super Pet” and are sold in sizes of 26, 42, 50, and 60 piece sets as well as a see-saw and Ferris wheel style. The pieces come disassembled in the box and can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes to put together, depending on the design you choose to create and how skilled you are with the assembly process. The creations you can make with these are endless, and they are customizable to both dwarf and Syrian hamsters in the way of building either tall designs, to give Syrians climbing opportunities, or lower, one-level designs to allow our smaller friends easier ability to maneuver through them. There is also a vast array of shapes these pieces can form. For example - the triangle and square pieces, when assembled together in different numbers, can form a cube, wedge, 4-sided roof, 5-sided dome, or a 6-sided room. The tube connectors that are included in the 60-piece box can give you even more interesting and unlimited possibilities.

Of course, like most products on the market, Puzzle Playgrounds do have a few disadvantages (for the human, not the hamster ). Many people can become frustrated with the tedious assembly process and find themselves wanting to slam their half-built creation into the nearest wall. The trick with connecting these pieces successfully is much patience and perseverance (some calming tea might help as well). It is necessary to build these on a solid, flat surface as it helps keep the pieces from snapping out of place - ultimately resulting in the destruction of your creation. Always snap the tubes into the connector pieces before attempting to attach to your completed design or it will ruin your hard work and cause it to fall apart. It is also helpful, and makes for easier access when building larger designs, to leave a few openings here and there that you can stick your hand in to attach the pieces together.

One final thought? Approach the assembly process as a “labor of love” to show your hams how much you love them, and think of all the hours of fun they will have exploring the labyrinth of tunnels and mazes you have created.

If you feel this is the type of toy your little furry will go bananas…err…sunflower seeds over, then do not hesitate to pick one (or many) sets up today at your local pet supply shop or online. HAVE FUN!!

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And now, for your viewing pleasure, some design examples ranging from small to large to showcase the never-ending building options you have with the Puzzle Playground sets:

* Below photos and playground creations courtesy of wiffy

For even more ideas, check out this link.

In our third issue of Featured Hamster Home, we present Hamster Hideout member Nicky85471’s amazing set up for her lucky hamster, Crush.

The hamsters at Hamster Hideout sniffed out this amazing set up with their ultra sonic whiskers and are quick on their little feet to secure an exclusive interview with Nicky85471. Thank you Nicky!

Hamster Hideout (HH): What are the parts that make up Crushes’ set up, & the estimated costs?

Nicky85471 (Nicky):

Rotastak Creepy Castle - £30
Rotastak Pod - £20 (i got it off a friend for £10 though)
Bin : 64 litre box, measuring 28 x 17.3 x 12.2 inches (L x W x D) - £10
Rotastak Spaghetti Junction - £15
Toys and Accessories - £15
Total Cost - £90

HH: What is your rationale for building something like this?

Nicky: When I first got him he was just in the Rotastak Creepy Castle, after which I bought the Rotastak Pod (triangular unit) off my friend for £10 because I felt that the castle was too small. I attached a bin because the Rotastak wheels were too small and a bigger wheel wouldn’t have fitted inside any of the units, and also to give him more room to run around.

HH: Is your hamster able to climb the long winding tubes with ease?

Nicky: Crush has no problem climbing the spaghetti junction … he runs through them.

HH: How do you make the holes on the bin’s lid?

Nicky: For the bigger hole to fit the tubes through I used a Stanley knife, it took me an hour to an hour & a half to do but I wanted the hole to be perfect so that the tube would fit snuggly. For the smaller holes I just used a drill, I can’t remember what size it was, it was the biggest one I could find.

HH: What are your views after using this set up for some time?

Nicky: One downside I have is that it’s pretty difficult to gain access to Crush when he is in the Rotastak because he will just run into a tube if you go to pick him up. But on the whole, I find it easy to clean and assemble once you’ve done it a few times. Crush loves the tubes. I find that the Rotastak provides smaller spaces for Crush to nest in whilst the bin provides him space to run around and allows a bigger wheel.

A look inside the bin’s interior

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Related Links::

Proud of your hamster’s cage?

You can submit your hamster homes photos via HH Forum or Flickr

Featuring ranchgal’s Dexter

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Submit a funny hamster photo via the forum or flickr

This cute hamster is pretty oblivious to anything around it except for the delicious popcorn it is munching on