Best Hamster Cages of 2021 – Reviews and Where to Buy
Despite being small animals, hamsters need a pretty large enclosure to ensure they are happy and healthy.
Why do hamsters need such a large cage?
In the “wild”, hamsters are used to traveling large distances at night. They are the hyperactive runners of the rodent world. Hamster cages ALSO require a bunch of supplies to meet all their needs:
- Hamster food and a dish
- a water bottle
- a hidey hut
- a wheel to run on (size matters! Min: 8″)
- bedding
- something to chew on (chew toys, paper rolls, etc)
- and an enclosure.
It can get crowded in there! (If you would like more information on hamster cages, consider reading our article called Hamster Cages – Information, size, and Q&As.)
Hamsters need a minimum of 450 square inches of uninterrupted floor space (but remember, bigger is always better!) . Many advertised cages are way under the minimum and, because of the too-small size, your hamster will quickly get bored and even stressed.
If your hamster is gnawing on the bars or climbing up the sides of the cage, it might be time for an upgrade as those are a couple of signs of boredom and stress.
(Image Source: Pinterest)
Last year, we did a Best Hamster Cages of 2020. Some of these cages will reappear in this article but we’ve added some new ones to the collection! (Note: these cages are not in any particular order) The following hamster cages are great choices that meet the minimum size and safety requirements for hamsters.
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These enclosures have now been divided up and organized by category:
- Wire cages
- Glass tanks/tank inspired enclosures
- DIY/IKEA enclosures
If you’re looking for a specific style of cage, feel free to scroll down to the category and take a look at what enclosures are suitable for hamsters. If you’re unsure, take a look through all of them and see what fits your house or preferences the best!
WIRE CAGES
Wire cages have their pros and cons. If you don’t mind bedding sneaking through bars often or possible loud noises then this cage will be suitable. Wire cages allow you to have easy access to your hamster, gives your hamster good ventilation, and are generally easy to clean.
Prevue 528 Cage Review
Floor space: 608 sq inches 👍
This cage is sometimes overlooked because of it’s drab grey colour. Don’t let this put you off because you can buy colourful toys and accessories to make it more fun.
It comes with a deep tray and a ramp up to a second level. The deep tray allows for more bedding which hamsters love burrowing around in. There are two doors for access inside: one in the front and one on the top.
The dimensions of the cage are 32 ½’’ L x 19’’ W x 17 ½’’ H, which equals to about 608 sq inches of floor space. This cage has lots of room for toys and accessories. It comes with a deep tray (6″) so there won’t be as much of a mess.
You can find it on Amazon here:
- Designed to home a wide variety of small animals
- Tight 3/8'' wire spacing. Large tubby base offers room for exercise and accessories
- Extra deep 6 1/4'' tubby base
Savic Plaza Cage Review
Floor space: 775 sq inches 👍
This cage is more on the expensive side, however it has a nice design and comes with cage accessories. It has one large door on the front for easy access to the interior, which is important for the taming process and interacting with your hamster.
This cage is also collapsible and easy to store if necessary.
Note: The wheel will most likely need to be replaced with a larger one.
The dimensions of the cage are 39’’ L x 19 ½ ’’ W x 19 ½’’ H. The bars are 9.5mm apart which will keep your hamster securely inside and prevent escapes. The measurement of the tray bottom is unknown but there is enough room to provide a decent amount of bedding.
- BIG HAMSTER PARADISE: The Savic Plaza is the perfect extra large Hamster cage. It features a large 40 Inch by 20 Inch foot print and includes all the necessary cage accessories.
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED: The Hamster Plaza features multiple accessories including a water bottle, a hamster igloo house, an exercise wheel, stainless steel feeding bowl, and a platform.
- NARROW BAR SPACING: The Hamster plaza features 9.5mm narrow bar spacing to help keep your pets securely inside the cage.
Savic Mickey 2XL Cage Review
Floor space: 620 sq inches 👍
This cage has a pleasant blue tray bottom with a few matching blue accessories. The wheel will most likely need to be replaced due its small size. There is also two handles at the top for easy transport.
The dimensions of this cage are 31. 5″ L x 20″ W x 20″H, with a bar spacing of 7 mm.
Note: You will need to cover up the platform with something such as cardboard or wood to prevent any injuries. If hamsters walk on the mesh/wire, the most common injury that occurs is bumblefoot.
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED: The cage comes with lots of accessories including Sputnik rat house, water bottle, exercise wheel, feeding bowl, wire platform and metro tunnels.
- HUGE SIZE: The Mickey Extra-large cage lets you build a heavenly home for you hamster. The cage measures 31. 5in x 20in x 20in with narrow bar spacing
- LARGE BASE: The large lower area ensures your pet will have lots of frolicking and tunneling fun.
Savic Hamster Heaven Metro Cage Review
Floor space: 620 sq inches 👍
This cage is colourful, provides more than the minimum amount of floor space, and has tubes for your hamster to crawl in. It comes with a deep tray and a wheel, 2 huts, a water bottle, + more. Like the Savic Mickey 2XL, this enclosure has handles on the top to help you easy move the cage to any location.
Fill the bottom tray with a few inches of bedding and allow your hamster to burrow away!
The dimensions are 31½’’ L x 19½ ’’ W x 19½’’ H, with a bar spacing of 9.6mm.
Note: You will need to replace the wheel because it isn’t large enough and can hurt their backs. You just pop it off, and place a stand alone wheel that’s appropriate for your hamsters breed.
You can find it on Amazon here:
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED: the cage comes with lots of accessories including tunnels, exercise wheel, two houses, a penthouse, a water bottle and more.
- HUGE SIZE: The hamster heaven metro cage lets you build a heavenly home for you hamster. The cage measures 80cm x 50 cm x 50cm with 9.5mm bar spacing.
- LARGE BASE: The large lower area ensures your pet will have lost of frolicking and tunneling fun.
Kaytee CritterTrail SUPER Habitat Cage Review
Floor space: 540 sq inches 👍
This cage is big enough to fit all of the necessary supplies, plus has enough room for your hamster to comfortably roam around. It also has the ability to connect to other Crittertrail products.
Note: Keep in mind that the other Crittertrail cages are way too small to be a stand alone. If you are wanting to have multiple cage set-ups, the SUPER Habitat must be part of it to fulfill the size requirement.
If you’re interested in creating a little “hamster village” you will need use the tubes to connect the other CritterTrail cages together. Look around on Pinterest for some ideas!
The dimensions of this cage are 18 x 30 x 16.5 inches, with a bar spacing of 6.4mm. (1/4″)
This cage includes a shelf, a ramp, a bubble plug, and port door connector. It opens up on the top, where there is a wire door for easy access to your pet.
You can find it on Amazon here:
GLASS TANKS/ TANK INSPIRED ENCLOSURES
These types of enclosures come in a variety of sizes that may or may not come with a cover. They give you very easy access to your hamster and easy visibility to admire your gerbil. Due to the solid walls, you are also able to provide a thicker layer of bedding without having to worry about the mess that would occur with a wire cage. This enclosure type does have it’s cons due to it’s weight. This cages are often heavy and hard to move around, which can make cleaning a bit more difficult.
Fish Tank Aquarium (with or without topper) Review
Size: 40 gallon tank or bigger 👍
Remember with hamster cages, bigger is always better. The 30 gallon tank just barely meets the minimum size requirement for a hamster, having a total of 450 sq inches of floor space. This means you cannot go any smaller and should go for at least the 40 gallon breeder tank.
These aquariums are great options. They are available at pet stores and online. They also provide plenty of space for bedding and other accessories you may want to have in their enclosure.
There are also “tank toppers” that sit on top of the tank and offer the best of both worlds … a glass burrowing space, and also an open air cage for feeding and interacting. There aren’t any big enough for the minimum size, however if you DIY a cover, you may be able to add the topper to it.
(Keep in mind that if the tank topper has a wire bottom, you will need to cover it with something to avoid any injuries.)
Ferplast Duna Maxi Multi Cage Review
Floor space: 780 sq inches 👍
This enclosure is another great choice for any breed of hamster. It’s pretty spacious and tall enough for a proper sized wheel. The tray is a beige colour but you can design the inside to be more colourful if you want. It passes the minimum size requirements and has the most floor space out of the ones shown previously.
On the top of the cage, there is a large wire door that gives great access to the inside. The wire top also allows you to use hanging toys if that interests you. On top of that, he wire top gives your hamster optimal ventilation and comfort.
The dimensions are 39’’ L x 20’’ W x 14’’ H (99cm x 51.5cm x 36cm).
You can find it on Amazon here:
- Spacious unaccessorised cage for guinea pigs and rabbits, Made of durable plastic with a transparent cover to allow visibility of the animal
- Roof with painted wire mesh, allows the passage of air and ensures an optimal comfortable environment for your small animal
- The grill can be completely lifted and closed by means of special rotating safety hooks
NiteAngel Bigger World MDF Terrarium Review
Floor space (MEDIUM): 776 sq inches 👍
Floor space (LARGE): 929 sq inches 👍
This enclosure has a modern design made with high-quality MDF boards Frame & PVC board. The three windows allow for an optimal view of your hamster. This cage is easy to clean and assemble. The top is covered with curved air wholes to allow for proper ventilation inside the cage. The roof of the cage can easily open up for easy access to the interior.
You can find it on Amazon here:
- Spacious Hamster Cage - Inner Size: 30-inch L x 15-inch W x 17.7-inch H, Outside:31.5-inch L x 16.5-inch W x 19.3-inch H. Over 17.7 inches height can hold the thick layer of bedding for pets to dig about and tunnel in. This cage was designed for you to match the desire to establish your hamster's habitats. Due to plenty of spaces, it's easy to arrange their hideout, sandbath area, hamster wheel, or exploring scene as your individual wishes and achieve many habitats decor theme per your design
- Big View & Modern Design - Made with high-quality MDF boards Frame & PVC board, We designed 3 view windows that achieve your watching by many angles and any times. The feature of Fresh color & Modern looking matches your home surrounding naturally, makes more time to accompany with your hamster, enrich their lifetime. Decoration in cages are sold separately, not included
- Air Vantilate & Easy to Open - Present plenty of ventilation going on though the Curved slits in the cage top. The cage top perfectly attuned to the cage to ensure an ideal living environment inside. Also, the roof cover is easy to open up or close, it's convenience to reach out the water bottle, feed your hamster, change the bedding materials, or set up new toys for them
DIY/IKEA ENCLOSURES
These enclosures require more work to build but end up as functional personalized hamster cages. If you’re the type of person that likes building things or engaging in DIY crafts, why not give these cages a try!
If you’re interested check out our article called IKEA Hamster Cages, to find out more details and how to build them!
Ikea Detolf – DIY Hamster Cage Review
Floor space: 953 sq inches 👍
It is a great size for hamsters, gerbils, and mice. The cage measures roughly 950 square inches of floor space and only costs $69.99, which is a bargain price for its huge size. The overall design looks clean and like with any hamster cage you can decorate it in whichever way you like.
(Photo Credit: Youtube= Erins Animals)
IKEA Pax – DIY Hamster Cage Review
Floor space: 2291 OR 3081 sq inches 👍👍
This enclosure is not listed in our other IKEA Hamster Cages article, however it can also be turned into a hamster cage. This is sold as a wardrobe in IKEA, but all you have to do is lay it on it’s back and fill it with accessories. You may want to also DIY a lid to cover the roof.
(Image Credit: Youtube= Victoria Raechel)
Pax comes in several sizes, feel free to choose whatever size as they all pass the requirements. The biggest ones are what is shown in red for floor space.
IKEA Linnmon – DIY Hamster Cage Review
Floor space: 877 sq inches 👍
The Linnmon hamster cage provides plenty of space for your hamster to roam around. It is above the cage size requirements and looks nice in any home. It is mostly made of wood but has a glass front to provide a viewing space. This cage has an overall cost is that is about the same price as one of those (unacceptably) small cages they sell at pet stores.
(Image Credit: Pinterest)
Bin Cage – DIY Hamster Cage Review
Bin cages are a great and affordable option for any hamster owner. They have become a popular DIY cage among the hamster community. They are generally pretty spacious, just make sure you purchase an appropriate sized bin before beginning this project.
For additional info and how to build one, check out our step by step tutorial — How to Make A DIY Bin Cage For Your Hamster
(Image Credit: Pinterest)
Here are some of our recommended cage accessories:
Before you go, make sure to check out our article on Natural DIY Cage Toys and Hideouts for interior enclosure inspiration!
