Roborovski Hamsters

Although Roborovski's are the smallest Hamsters, they actually require a lot of space. Now it all varies depending on how much you are willing to spend to give your Robo/s the best time whilst they live with you. Here are some pros (good) and cons (bad) on which style cage/aquarium you should to buy.

A cage or aquarium with a minimum floor size of about 50cm by 30cm for one pair of Roborovskis is about right. Even if a cage has lots levels, try to keep those minimum ground floor sizes in the back of your mind. Still hamsters, especially Roborovskis, will appreciate all of the room you can spare. If you're on a budget, stay away from the cages with lots of colourful plastics, and lots of tubes because they generally much more expensive.

+Pro: Glass aquariums are relatively cheap.
They are also very easy to clean, very hard to scratch and you can see your pet without the interference of bars, which is much more use if you want to take some photos of you Roborovski/s.
The bedding will stay where it belongs and it keeps your hamster safe from drafts and cold.

-Con: Unsuitable for young children, for obvious reason, such as they can be really heavy, and akward to handle.
Temperature can sometimes rise to dangerous levels when put in full sunlight, due to not enoug ventilation

+Pro: Plastic aquariums show the same advantages as glass aquariums yet are lighter and and easier to transport. If dropped, it won't shatter.

-Cons: Large plastic aquariums are harder to find and buy than large glass aquariums. This normally restricts to keeping only one hamster in at a time and can lead to a cluttered aquarium as in this case (above). From the photographer's point of view, a plastic aquarium is to avoid. Scratches blur the final image and can confuse the camera's autofocus.

+Pro: The length between the bars of these cages is so small that even Roborovski's can't get through them. They can also look quite exciting with the colourful tubes and all. Some of them are quite cheap; The most basic ones, at least. Also, most of these cages have tube holes to put in extension cages and tubes.

 -Con: Can be very expensive, expescially the 'deluxe' ones with colourful tubes and different levels. It can be hard to take good photo's through the bars or at ground level, as normally these cages are very small by themselves (without the extensions).

Mouse cages are basically the same as plastic dwarf hamster cages (look above). But because mouse cages are usually smaller, I would recommend a cage designed for gerbils/dwarf hamsters.

This is Tac's cage since Tic and Tac fought in November 2008.