Carrier v. Travel Cage
I've found that there is some degree of confusion / overlap in what these terms mean. The following are the definitions I am using for the purpose of this article. I am not saying that these definitions are "right" and others are "wrong" - I am just clarifying so that it's obvious what type of equipment is the focus of this article.
Carrier - A small, secure containment vessel for transporting a hamster from one point to another. If you were taking your hamster to the vet, you would use a carrier to take the hamster out of your home, in the car, and to the vet's office.
Carriers should only be used for a few hours at a time at most. A carrier should be relatively small (more on this later) and should not contain anything other than a bit of nesting material and maybe a piece of cardboard. Carriers can be used in moving vehicles.
Travel cage - A full cage setup designed to be a temprorary home for the hamster over a period of time. For example, let's say you're going to visit relatives out-of-state for a week. You have to bring your hamster with you, but your hamster lives in a Detolf, which is obviously not a cage you can bring on the trip with you. You might make a small bin cage as a travel cage.
A travel cage is meant for the hamster to live in for days or even a week or two. It should be spacious and have all of the regular supplies a hamster needs - wheel, hideouts, toys, food bowl, water bottle, etc. A travel cage should never be used in a moving vehicle.
-
Qualities of a Carrier
1) Appropriately sized - A good carrier should be neither too big nor too small. Bigger is not necessarily better for carriers. In the event of a car accident, a bigger carrier can result in serious injuries. If the car stops suddenly or has to slam on the breaks, the hamster is going to be flung against the wall of the carrier. The bigger the carrier, the further the hamster is going to move, and the harder the impact is going to be. Think of a carrier as a seatbelt for your hamster. The purpose of the seatbelt is to prevent you from moving too much in a crash. If your seatbelt was super-loose and gave you the freedom to move around the car, it wouldn't really help you as much, would it?
2) Easy to carry - A good carrier should be easy for you to securely hold, ideally with one hand. Handles are a huge plus. Having something bulky or unwieldy increases the chances of accidental drops, and inherently makes the carrier less safe.
3) Secure - A good carrier should be difficult to impossible to escape, even when opened for short periods. A hamster should not be able to climb out of or chew through the carrier easily. The doors of the carrier should fasten securely. Put another way, the doors should actually latch or snap shut, rather than just having a simple sliding mechanism.
4) Easy-access - A good carrier should make it extremely easy to get the hamster in and out. This is critically important for vet visits. If the staff at the animal hospital has to "chase" the hamster around to get it out of the carrier or coax it out of nooks and crannies, it prolongs the visit and increases stress.
-
Types of Carriers
Commercial Hamster Cages
Picture courtesy of HoppingHammy
These are the typical store-bought hamster cages that are far too small as permanent homes. This includes cages like CritterTrails, HabiTrails, and no-name starter kits. It is hard to generalize these types of cages, because there are so many different ones available. Because of this, not all of the problems listed below are going to apply to every pet store cage.
Appropriately sized - While not terrible, many of these cages are probably a little on the large size to be carriers.
Easy to carry - These cages are not easy to carry. They generally do not have handles and are large enough to need to be cradled in both arms. They are often bulky and heavy for their size. They present a very high risk for being dropped.
Secure - Security can be a major issue for some of these cages. The doors on many of these cages do not have a secure locking mechanism like a proper carrier would. Rather, they open by sliding up and down. If the door gets snagged on something, it could easily get propped in the open position, allowing easy escape.
Easy-access - These cages make it extremely difficult to access the hamster quickly. The doors are often small, and many cages have built-in tubes and shelves that make it difficult for the hamster to be removed.
Critter Carriers
Critter Carriers are one of the most basic options for carriers. These carriers are simple and inexpensive. Multiple brands are available - most stores have their own house-brand carriers. Lee's Kritter Keeper is one of the major name-brands.
Appropriately sized - Critter Carriers come in a variety of sizes, so it's quite easy to find one that is appropriate for a hamster. Generally speaking, small and medium sizes can work for dwarf hamsters, and medium and large sizes can work for Syrians.
Easy to carry - This varies depending on the exact brand and model. The smaller Critter Carriers do have handles, but the larger models do not. However, these carriers are compact and lightweight, making them fairly easy to carry even without a handle.
Secure - These are generally very secure carriers. The inside is smooth plastic - there is nothing for the hamster to chew on or climb. However, there is one major concern. The lid attaches to the base with two very small, somewhat fragile clips. If these clips are damaged at all (which can happen easily), the security of the carrier is heavily compromised. This is particularly true with the models that have handles - the weight of the carrier rests entirely on those clips. It is critical that the clips are inspected carefully before each use.
Easy-access - These carriers are great for accessing the hamster. The entire lid comes off so the hamster can be easily removed. The clear base also allows for observation of the hamster without removing it from the carrier.
HabiTrail Transport Pod
This is a small add-on unit to HabiTrail OVO cages. However, by installing plastic windows on either side, it can also be used as a carrier.
Appropriately sized - Absolutely not. This carrier is far, far too small for anything other than short trips across the house.
Easy to carry - This carrier is very easy to transport, but only due to its inappropriately small size.
Secure - This carrier is not secure at all. The biggest issue is that it provides absolutely zero containment once it is opened. It's so small and shallow that the hamster can walk right out of it as soon as the top is opened.
Easy-access - The size of this carrier actually has a negative impact on its ease-of-access. Once the carrier is opened, the hamster can simply escape.
Living World Carriers
These are relatively new on the market. They are not as widely available as some of the other options, but can be found in independent pet stores. There are two sizes available: the small (purple) and the large (red).
Appropriately sized - These carriers are both great sizes for hamsters. The smaller purple one is probably a little small for Syrians, but wouldn't be terrible by any means.
Easy to carry - This carrier is very easy to transport. It's lightweight and has securely-fastened handles.
Secure - This carrier's design is overall pretty secure. The top and base attach very firmly with 4 sturdy clips. The lid latch is secure. The carrier itself is made of a stiff, but flexible plastic that is unlikely to crack or break under normal circumstances. However, it does have a few problems. The handles have small nubs that protrude on the inside - these can be a target for chewers. Hamsters can also chew on the edges of the larger ventilation holes in the top of the carrier.
Easy-access - The entire top of the carrier opens via the clear plastic lid, so it is fairly easy to access the hamster.
Cardboard Carriers
Picture courtesy of HoppingHammy
Cardboard carriers should never, ever be used for hamsters. They are dangerously non-secure. Hamsters are gnawing animals, and can shred through cardboard in seconds.
Super Pet Off to School Carrier
Picture courtesy of HoppingHammy
Appropriately sized - The size of this carrier is borderline. It is definitely too small for a Syrian hamster, and somewhat cramped for even a dwarf hamster.
Easy to carry - This carrier is easy to carry due to its small size and handles.
Secure - This carrier has several major security flaws. First, it contains a water bottle, which hangs loosely from a non-sealable hole. The bottle can easily be pushed up and out from the inside, exposing the hole and leaving an easy escape route. Neither the "windshield" door nor the back port fasten securely and are easily opened. It is very easy for the hamster to escape this carrier once it is opened.
Easy-access - Both of the openings on this carrier are extremely small, which makes it difficlut to reach in to restrain the hamster.
Edited by Taxonomist, 07 November 2016 - 09:18 PM.
I'm sure it will be pinned in no time!
