Where Do I Put My Hamster Cage?

Where do you intend placing your new hamster enclosure? It’s not only about aesthetics. Here are a few things to consider:

• Keep the cage in a quiet spot

  Your hamster will spend most of the day asleep, and will have that sleep disturbed if there’s too much noise. Hamsters can get grumpy and irritated if they don’t get enough sleep – just like humans! Putting the cage in a relatively quiet place is the best ploy.



• Keep the cage away from ultrasound

  Hamsters have fantastic hearing and can pick up sounds way beyond humans’ hearing range. Electronic devices produce lots of ultrasound that we can’t hear. TVs and PCs are major offenders here. Ultrasound is also produced by household pipes, so placing a cage near dishwashers or taps, for example, can be stressful for the hamster.

  
  
  

  Hamsters’ ears pick up all the household noise, including ultrasound

  
  
• Keep the lighting as regular as possible

  Switching the room lights on and off all evening will be very disturbing for your hamster. Ideally your pet needs to be in a room in which the lights are turned off at approximately the same time every evening. They can get used to a little light, but if it’s turned on and off at different times each day, it will be disruptive to the hamster’s sleeping pattern.

  
  
• Choose an area with a constant, warm temperature

  Being such small creatures, hamsters can get overheated or too cold quite easily. Keep their cages away from direct sunlight, and away from fireplaces or radiators. They should also be kept away from bathrooms, drafts, damp areas, or air conditioning units.

  Hamsters should never be kept in a conservatory or any other sunny garden-based room or outbuilding. These spaces get hot very quickly in the summer, and are very cold at night in the winter.

  The best place for a hamster enclosure is somewhere that doesn’t have much temperature fluctuation or drafts. Hallways and garages are therefore not good options.



Hamsters don’t like drafts, and should be kept in a location with a fairly constant temperature


• Avoid laundry rooms and garages

  These areas are often full of chemicals and dust, and vary a lot in temperature throughout the day.

  
  
• Find a good surface for the cage

  If you intend keeping your cage off the floor, you’ll need a good surface for it to stand on. This will need to be stable so that the cage doesn’t wobble or fall. If you opt for a Qute hamster cage, this solves the problem, being a freestanding unit that requires neither table nor additional support.



• Prevent other pets from reaching the cage

  A dog or cat staring into the hamster enclosure is sure to freak out your poor pet. In the wild, hamsters are on the menu for hungry animals just like these, and even if the cat or dog is merely curious or wants to play, your small furry friend won’t get the message. As far as he’s concerned, those bigger pets are thinking about what’s for lunch, so keep your hamster cage well away from them!

  You can teach a dog not to approach the cage. The hound will soon get the message. As for the cat, you’ll just have to make sure it’s not allowed in the same room as the hamster when you’re not there to keep an eye on things.