How to Make a Natural Hamster Enclosure — Rachel Got Hamsters (2024)

When I was first starting out I found it really overwhelming to figure out what I needed or wanted to buy.

So, to help simplify, I’ve created a curated package of everything you need to create a “Natural Themed” hamster enclosure!

(This page contains affiliate links to Amazon and PetCo, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Here’s What You Need:

Get Inspired:

It’s time to get excited! It really helps to see how others configure their cages as getting it all neatly arranged so that everything is functional for your hamster and also engaging is trickier than it seems! I highly suggest perusing Instagram and YouTube for some great hamster setups you’d like to emulate.

Instagram: check out Niteangel Pet’s Instagram page for some AMAZING cage setup ideas. Other Insta accounts I recommend checking out: DogsHamsters, Natural.Hamster.Cages , TheHamsterTails, BenjiAndBaloo, HamsterSiem, Hamstertivity

YouTube: Dogs Hamsters , Pluschraupe , TheHamsterTails, this video from Victoria Raechel showcasing her natural setup

Vet Fund:

Before you commit to a hamster, if you need to save for a vet fund, start saving now! Vet bills can vary from $20-30 for a nail trim (some hamsters need this monthly) to $75 - $100 USD for a wellness check and $100-$300 USD for surgery.

Just because they are a small animal doesn’t mean their life doesn’t matter. If you commit to a hamster you are also committing to the financial responsibility of taking on their medical needs.

For more about vets, please see my taking your hamster to the vet page!

Enclosure/cage

You will need 650 sq inches of unbroken floorspace (not a bunch of cages connected!). Smaller hamsters do not need smaller spaces- Roborovski hamsters are the smallest but can also be the most highly active.

I personally do not believe that a 100 qt bin is an acceptable long term home for any hamster, it is too small (approx 450 sq inches). If it’s what you can do for now, that’s fine! Just plan on making that upgrade to a larger bin cage or other type of enclosure when you’re able.

Here are my top suggestions for a hamster cage available in the US:

200 Qt Bin Cage: The 200 qt bin is one of the best bins out there! it is fairly large as far as floor space (at the bottom about 650 sq inches) and is also quite deep (17”) so there is a lot of room for the recommended 10” -12” of bedding for burrowing. Instructions on how to make a bin cage lid are here. You can also purchase a 200 qt bin from Walmart here or from Home Depot here.

The Iris Christmas Tree Bin is also a good option, it gives approx 730 square inches of living space. They can be difficult to find outside of the holday season, but the Container Store carries them year round, you can find them here. This bin is limited in height (only 14” including the raised lid). Most 12” measure 14” including the base. For this reason, I only recommend this bin for dwarf hamsters, who could use a 10” wheel. For more info on bin cages, please see my All About Bin Cages page!

Niteangel Bigger World or Vista: if you are looking for a cage that is ready to go and an appropriate size for a hamster, the Niteangel Bigger World or Vista is the way to go! The size M is about 780 square inches, size large is approx 940 sq inches. I would recommend going with size L if you can. Size S is too small in my opinion. I recently purchased the size L Niteangel Vista and my dwarf hamster, Maurice, is loving it! It’s also gorgeous to look at and not too challenging to put together

75 Gallon Tank: You may be thinking… I skipped the 55 gallon! Nope, this was on purpose. The 55 gallon tank is very long, narrow and tall. This gives your hamster only 680 sq inches of room, which in my opinion isn’t worth it for such a large tank. If you want to go big, go big with the 75 gallon tank - this will give your hamster approx 930 square inches of living space! Be warned- a 75 gallon tank weighs 140 lbs when its empty! You’ll probably want a dolly, a moving blanket and some experienced friends or movers. Available at PetCo lid here: https://amzn.to/338BnrP

Bucatstate Stackable Acrylic & Glass Hamster Cage: a new release on the hamster market, I’m super excited about this option! It looks gorgeous and is a great option if you have limited space and have more than one hamster. It also looks beautiful! It’s about the same size as the 200 qt bin cage or 40 gallon breeder aquarium.

Hides & Things to Crawl Through, Over & Under:

You never know what your ham is going to like so I recommend getting a variety of shapes, sizes and textures. Syrians will need a size L or XL cork log (but Robos and dwarfs can go with size M & up as long as it fits in your cage!).

Love Drizzle Studios also has a lovely selection of adorable hides!

I highly suggest you freeze all natural products for 48 hours before use to ensure no bugs came with them!

Alternatively, many items you may already own might be great hamster hides- such as a terra cotta pot on it’s side (no holes please! a hamster WILL try to go through small holes and may get stuck!), a wide mouth glass jar, or a large coffee mug on its side.

Please do not use bendy bridges vertically- hamsters often get toes stuck in the tiny cervices this way and if you’re not around to free them they may cause more damage to themselves.

Sandbath & Sand

A sand bath is an essential part of a dwarf hamster’s enclosure. Syrians also benefit from sand (some really love digging in it!) but for dwarves (including Roborovskis) it is a must. I encourage you to provide more than one sand bath!

What Kind of Sand?

Make sure the sand you buy is not calcium sand or “bathing dust”- these are dangerous to hamsters. Calcium sand can cause intestinal blockage if ingested, bathing dust can be inhaled and cause lunch and upper respiratory infections. I am a devoted ReptiSand fan and highly recommend it! Added advantage- it’s available for purchase at many major petstores in the reptile section. Niteangel & Bucatstate also sell hamster sand now! I have not tried it but they are overall trusted hamster brands and have mostly positive reviews on Amazon.

What to put it in??

There are many ways you can provide a sand bath. You can use a Pyrex container (widely available at a Goodwill near you!), an acrylic tray (my personal fav), a refrigerator organizing bin or

Be careful to buy the kind without handles in case your hamster decides to try to go through the handles, you don’t want them to get stuck!

Use a Platform!

If your sand bath is not on the floor of your enclosure, I suggest purchasing a riser or platform of some sort to keep it from crushing your hamster if they decide to burrow underneath it (guaranteed, they will!). The ones I currently use are from the Container Store, you can purchase them here.

Alternatively, you could place your sand bath on top of a very sturdy shelf, like the one from Niteangel (buy from Amazon). Also shown below.

TIP: I like to put adhesive cork on top of my platforms to make it easier for my hamsters to climb on them & secure the sandbath with a less slippery surface

For more about sand, please see my Sand Baths page!

Wheel

Wheels are one of the most important things you’ll give your hamster! Hamsters LOVE to run and they are said to run five to ten miles per night! There are a few types of wheels, and it may take some time to find the right wheel for YOUR hamster. While many people complain about the expense of a good wheel, remember that a good wheel will likely last for many years!

How Big?

8-12” for robos and dwarves, 12” + for Syrians & Chinese hamsters (although robos & dwarves can and sometimes do better on the larger size wheels!)

If your hamster is flipping off their wheel, I suggest going UP a size. Flipping is often a symptom of the wheel being too small!

Cork-lined or Plastic?

Some hamster wheels come with a cork-lining. Cork is soft and gentler on their paws. Some hamsters will develop bumblefood (inflammation of their feet) running on a hard, plastic surface every night. Cork linings help prevent this.

Plastic wheels, on the other hand, are easy to clean, and some hamsters make it their personal mission to make their wheel as dirty as possible every night!

For more on wheels, please see my Wheel Page!

A Multi-chamber Hide

A multi-chamber hide is a very important part of your hamster’s enclosure. Hamsters naturally create multiple roomed burrows in nature, multi-chamber hides replicate these burrows for them. Most hamsters will make the multi-chamber their main hide.

Buy the larger size for Syrians, the smaller size for dwarves & robos. Stilts are a must so your hamster can create burrows under the multichamber without being squished by the weight of the hide.

I also suggest purchasing the cork topper- this will help protect the wood so the hide will last longer in addition to providing a soft and easy-to-grip surface for your hamster.

If this is sold out or you cant afford one right away (if you are limited budget, definitely spend it on a great wheel first), I suggest making one out of cardboard. Make sure the cardboard is an interior layer (meaning it wasn’t the outer box something was shipped in). The outer boxes are sometimes sprayed with a disinfectant or may just be dirty and not good for your hams to be nesting in. I found the boxes wine gets shipped in are GREAT for this!

Bedding & Materials

***It is suggested that you freeze all bedding for 48 hours to ensure no bugs come with the bedding***

Paper Bedding:

I suggest making most of your enclosure paper bedding. It holds burrows well and hamsters love how soft it is. I prefer white, Kaytee Clean and Cozy so you can easily spot pee spots and remove them. Small Pet Select also now has a great, paper bedding option too! Give your hamsters at least 8” of bedding depth for dwarves, 10” for Syrians.

Buy the unscented kind of bedding as hamsters have delicate respiratory systems and a heightened sense of smell.

Aspen Wood Shavings:

(the only safe, wood bedding). I wouldn’t use this for all of your enclosure, maybe a portion or mixed in with the paper bedding. It smells great but I am allergic to it so I don’t use it (I have heard many others say the same thing- if you are someone with allergies, maybe it’s best to avoid aspen!)

From my experience, my hamsters did not seem to love aspen bedding, I even had one hamster who specifically would kick it out of anywhere he wanted to hang out! This is another reason I stopped using aspen bedding for my hamsters.

Hemp Bedding

Hemp bedding is one of my favorite substrates to use in my hamster enclosures. Hemp is a very sustainable and easy plant to grow. It is also quite affordable for how much you get.

It is softer than aspen but feels a bit like wood shavings… like soft, wood shavings, if that makes sense? I have found my hamsters prefer not to have it where they burrow, but it makes a great additional texture- I use it in digging bins for them to hunt for seeds & hamster flowers.

Moss

Moss is a lovely addition to any hamster enclosure! It adds great color and provides a new & enriching texture for your hamsters to experience. It’s widely available at pet stores in the reptile section. I like the Galapagos brand, in sheet moss (large, sheets) or sphagnum moss (loose)

Other Substrates

Many hamster owners like to add an additional substrate in a digging area.

I like to use loose, coconut fiber in my hamster enclosures. They love to dig in it, so I put their seed mix and other fun things (like hamster flowers) for them to hunt for.

For more on substrates, please see my substrates page!

Food

Hamsters are omnivores and need approx 18-20% protein in their diet (slightly more when they are younger or for Roborovskis). In the US the easiest way to get a quality, balanced died it by mixing one full bag of Mazuri Rat & Mouse blocks with one full bag of Higgins Sunburst seed mix. I have additional links below for other healthy treats to be used for the taming process or in boredom breakers or hidden around a playpen for some enrichment.

I suggest freezing all food for 48 hours to ensure there are no bugs in it (I have experienced this… don’t let it happen to you!)

Studies have shown that hamsters prefer variety in their diet, so I frequently feed my hamsters small pieces of carrot, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, and (unsalted, plain & cooled) scrambled egg as a treat. Give small pieces of fresh foods to your hamsters so they don’t store them in hoard for later. I mix it up depending on what I’m cooking that week, this way my hamster gets to experience the same variety of foods I do!

Please see Hamster Clubhouse for more detail about nutrition and a list of safe vegetables. For more info, please see my Food and Water page.

Hamster Sprays & Foraging Items:

Hamsters love to hunt for their food so I generally scatter their food around their enclosures, in addition to supplying them with hamster seed sprays and flower mixes. They go crazy for these things and it’s so much fun to watch their excitement as they dig into some hamster flowers.

I love shopping at Oakwood Forest Shop (based in the Netherlands) for seed sprays and dried floral mixes!

Niteangel also now sells edible flowers & seed sprays for hamster enclosures. I haven’t tried them yet, but I have had great experiences with the Niteangel brand.

Water Bowls & Bottles

I like to provide both water dishes and bottles for my hamsters - this way if the water bottle stops working or they fill their bowl with bedding, they have a backup and don’t go thirsty all night long. Plus, every hamster might have their preference!

I prefer to use a free standing water bottle - anything hanging from the side of your enclosure is an opportunity for your hamster to climb and try to escape.

Please see this post from Hamstertivity all about how to place and maintain a water bowl.

Food Bowls

Food bowls are not necessary for your hamster- hamsters enjoy foraging for their food and many hamster owners (like me!) like to “scatter feed” by sprinkling food around their enclosure for the hamster to hunt for.

Having some shallow, food dishes, are handing for wet items- like fresh veggies and fruit. Here are a few of my favs:

Chew toys

Chews are a must to help hamster teeth from overgrowing. My hamsters tend to chew on their chew toys when they are sleepy before they drift off to sleep, it’s very cute.

It’s recommended that you provide a few textures to see what you hamster prefers. All of my hamsters universally love Whimzees!

I also find many chews I love on Etsy! I recommend checking out Hungry Hammies Shop for some great options!

For more on hamster chews, see my Things to Chew on page!

Cleaning & Organizing Supplies

A sifter to sift out pees and poops from the sand, mini dust pan to keep flat surfaces clean. Straw cleaner to clean the ends of hamster water bottles (I clean these once a week and give fresh water in their bottles at that time as well). Splurge on some beautiful, air-tight containers to store your food and keep any little bugs from getting in!

For more on cleaning, please see my Cleaning Page!

Kitchen Scale

(for hamster weigh-ins)

It’s suggested that you check your hamster’s health on a regular basis (weekly or bi-weekly) by weighing them and checking under their belly to make sure everything looks clean! If you have skiddish little robos, I suggest using a clear, plastic cup to scoop them up and check their under bellies.

For more on hamster health,. please see my hamster health page!

Hamster Cams:

I found my ham cams so valuable in making sure my hamsters are happy and healthy! Hams can be shy, especially in the beginning. Ham cams allow you to make sure they are getting out and about, in addition to cluing you in on the activities they prefer.

The Wyze Cam V3 (I have V2, but V3 is the newest) allows you to view 5 minute clips on the cloud with a small subscription fee. it is a great value for what you get!

I use strong magnets (like the ones linked to below) to secure my cams to the walls of the enclosure.

For more on hamster cams, please see my ham cam page!