Do you know what the current recommendation is?
In the wild, hamsters dig burrows with separate chambers for food storage, sleeping, and bathroom breaks.
Not only that, but these burrows can be up to 9 feet long!
Here's some other things that are 9 feet long...
- a basketball hoop
- a polar bear
- a pool table
- a Volkswagen Beetle
- an adult, male alligator
- a soccer goal
- a surfboard
Plus, hamsters LOVE to forage
Hamsters will travel up to 5 miles - sometimes more - in one night, as their natural instincts tell them to forage for food!
With these things in mind:
- Multiple chamber burrows
- Over 9 foot long burrows
- Traveling over 5 miles every night in the wild
How much room does your hamster want?
What we use to think...
The standard size for a hamster's enclosure in the 2000's was...
100-200 sq. in minimum - often less
This is when this style enclosure was normal...
What that would be like...
it would take about 5.6 of these cages to make 9 feet...
not to mention...
There is not enough height to create ANY burrows
Then... we use to think...
450 sq. in became the minimum in the "Modern Care" Revolution
This is when a lot of people realized that was "normalized" was not okay and hamsters need more!
Where we are right now...
The size often recommended for a hamster enclosure...
650 sq. inches
This is the current recommended min (source: California Hamster Association)
But...
Where we are going... now!
In Germany, the current min. is 775 sq inches.
Want to join us in making this the NEW standard?!
800 sq. inches minimum (40in x 20in)
The wonderful thing about ethical care...
With ethical hamster care only becoming a serious topic in recent years, it’s inspiring to see our community doing exactly what we should— seeking more knowledge and finding better ways to care for our animals.
Care standards will and should regularly change to account for the new things that are learned.
What else has changed in the hamster community since YOU’VE been a part of it?