How big should my hamster's cage be - and why?

In the world of #properhamstercare, one of the most confusing pieces of advice is on what size your hamster's enclosure should be. While pet shops may offer advice which is outdated and focused on them being able to sell out of products they have brand deals with, at Happy Hamsters UK, our ONLY focus is providing the absolute best possible home for your hamster.

We do believe that good hamster care needs to be accessible, and that you should be able to buy a large enough hamster cage either online or in some pet shops. Therefore, our personal recommended size is 5,000cm², which is the equivalent to 100x50cm unbroken floor space. We also advise 50cm as the minimum height of a hamster's enclosure in order to provide the recommended bedding depth across the majority of the enclosure.

But what does the science say?

In Behaviour of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) kept in four different cage sizes (2007), the researchers kept a variety of female syrian hamsters in barred enclosures measuring 1,800, 2,500, 5,000 and 10,000cm². 'Wire gnawing', or bar biting, was observed in each of the different enclosure sizes, and it was concluded that while every hamster did bar bite at some point, it was observed far less frequently and for shorter periods of time the larger the enclosure size. Bar biting was concluded to be ineffective and more than likely an escape attempt.

While there were no significant differences in running wheel activity, in smaller cages, hamsters were observed to use the roof of their wooden hide as a platform more often than in larger enclosures, suggesting that they may need more space. The study concluded that the welfare of the hamsters housed in the 10,000cm² cage was enhanced.

So, if 10,000cm² enclosures enhance hamsters' welfare, why do we recommend 5,000cm² enclosures?

The frequency of bar biting in the formerly mentioned study was less than half in a 5,000cm² enclosure than in the 1,800cm² enclosure. The mean length of hamsters' wild burrows was between 92.6cm - 199.5cm. This means that in an 100cm length enclosure, hamsters can burrow an adequate amount which may start to reflect their wild environments.

Furthermore, in the two smaller cage sizes, hamsters' adrenal weight was shown to increase the longer they lived in these conditions. This appeared to be as a result of chronic stress due to an increase in hormonal production. This could, if left beyond a reasonable period of growth, end up with the hamster growing fatty overgrowths, bruising skin and obesity in extreme cases.

To support this, in both larger cages, the use of open space was much more pronounced in both the 5,000cm² and 10,000cm². Wall hugging behaviour was displayed, however which supports the need for more enrichment the larger the cage.

In Preliminary investigation into the housing of dwarf hamsters (2023), wild behaviour of dwarf hamsters was considered. While there are seasonal discrepancies, typically a dwarf hamster would travel up to a mile in the wild to forage for food. This supports our decision to recommend the same enclosure size for all species of hamster.

Why 50cm tall?

In the 2007 study, hamsters' burrows were observed. The mean depth was between 17.6cm and 64.8cm. For Syrian hamsters, a minimum wheel size of 27cm is recommended. Therefore, with 50cm height, at least 23cm bedding depth can fit in the enclosure, supporting the need for deep burrows.

Maximum rates of sustained metabolic rate in cold-exposed Djungarian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus): the second wind (2010) shows that 1m burrows were often fully utilised by winter white dwarf hamsters. And, while some may believe that roborovski hamsters can live in smaller and shorter enclosures because they're the smallest species of hamster, it has been found in Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats (2008) that roborovski hamsters will utilise up to 2m deep burrows.

So, despite dwarf and roborovski hamsters being smaller than Syrians, they still require as large enclosures.

In conclusion, a hamster's cage should be minimum 100x50cm or 5,000cm² or 775in² of unbroken floor space, meaning that connecting enclosures via tubes or similar is not recommended. 50cm minimum height is required for a hamster to be able to have as deep bedding as possible while still having a proper sized wheel.

Hamsters thrive with large floor space and lots of clutter, which we will explore in a future article.