I have a few different brands of travel carriers for my hamsters and decided I would like to do a review on the ones I have. The carriers I will be reviewing are: Living World Pet Carrier/Large, Super Pet CritterTrail Mini One Habitat, and Lee’s Kritter Keeper/Large/Small. Please feel free to add your own review of a carrier you have and want to share. Starring: Penny the Syrian hamster (large adult), and Iggy the mouse (adult). All of these carriers can be found on Amazon (which I believe is where I bought all of them). I have one carrier for every habitat in case I would have to evacuate myself and pets from the home.
***Before I get into the carriers listed, I would first like to give a shout-out to the Large Prevue Hendryx Hamster Haven. This cage does not fit with the rest of the carriers I will review, because it is large and not convenient for routine vet trips. However, if you have to take your hamster (or mouse) to the vet for an extended stay, this cage is great! I used this for my mouse Jerry when he had to stay all day at the vet for observation and it worked like a dream!
Prevue Hamster Haven (large):
Size: 21 5/8”L x 13 3/8"W x 14 1/4"H (floor space: 286")
Pros: Very large, Has a handle, Accommodates small wheels, Built-in sleeping area, Added level, Water bottle attaches easily, Very cute and colorful, Top opens up very wide from both left and right side and has a door in the front, Top detaches easily from tray for easy cleaning and removal of larger items
Cons: Too big for routine vet trips, MUST make sure top is latched properly or pet can escape!, Not good for bar biters
Living World Pet Carrier:
Size: 10”L x 7”W x 7.5”H (floor space: 70”)
Pros: Roomy, Cute, Handles, good size for Syrians
Cons: Lid is Flimsy/low quality, A bit of a pain to open, Handles can be chewed from the inside, No water bottle
I put Penny in the carrier to try it out and within just a few seconds she was trying to chew the handles that protrude through the carrier. You can see them sticking through on the photo of the lid, at the top. For non-chewers, this should not be a problem though. Since a water bottle is not easy or practical to add in this carrier, there are a couple things you can do. If you put a water dish in there with paper or wood bedding, the bedding will get in the bowl very quickly and soak up the water (or the water will spill out of the dish). You can either add cucumber or other watery veggies, or you can line the bottom of the carrier with fleece, add a bit if crinkle bedding under a hideout and try a dish of water, hoping the fleece and crinkle bedding will be less likely to get in the dish. Watery veggies are probably your best bet though.
Super Pet CritterTrail Mini One Habitat:
Size: 11”L x 7”W x 6”H (floor space: 77”)
Pros: Good Size for a Syrian, Cute, Water bottle included, Feeding cup included that attaches to the inside, Lid is easy to open and close
Cons: Water bottle can leak and can be chewed, Bedding can get come out through the bars and make a mess, Always a chance the end caps could come off (never happened to me though)
I have used this carrier for my Syrians and mouse. I was surprised to see how close in size it is to the Living World Pet Carrier! The Living World Carrier has more height, and the Critter Trail has more floor space (Living World has 70” floor space and Critter Trail has 77”). Regarding the water bottle- it can leak while driving (vibrations) so I would wait until stopped to add the water, or add just a tiny bit so that if it did leak it would not be the end of the world. As noted in the cons, it can also be chewed since it is plastic. There is no extra cap to replace the hole where the water bottle goes, so you’d have to make your own or keep the bottle in there. I called the Critter Trail company and asked for extra caps (explaining why) and they were nice but sent the wrong size, twice.
Kritter Keeper (large):
Size: 12”L x 6.5”W x 8.5”H (floor space: 78”)
Pros: Nothing around the sides or bottom to chew, Roomy for Syrians, Clear view
Cons: No place for a water bottle, No handle
I like using this carrier, as it is really a no-fuss carrier in many ways, except for water. **See water tip under Living World carrier. I wish it had a handle, but I can see why it doesn’t. If a heavy pet was in this carrier, there is a chance the lid would pop off. It is secure on it’s own, but not with added weight. It is best to hold it by the acrylic part of the carrier.
Kritter Keeper (small):
Size: 7.5”L x 5”W x 5.5”H
Pros: Nothing around the sides or bottom to chew, Handle, Clear view
Cons: No place for a water bottle, Too small for a Syrian
And to conclude, here is a photo of all of the carriers I reviewed, in one photo, so you can see them together for comparison. I hope I helped!
Edited by Esmy, 02 July 2015 - 08:55 AM.
Now to decide whch carrier to get.... hmmm
