Barred Cages for Hamsters, no more?

Hello Hamster Friends!

If you’ve been listening to my podcast, you know I recently came across a troubling post from Hamster Info Ireland about barred cages - apparently they can be quite dangerous for our little hamster friends!

To see the post about a hamster in their care who lost a leg after it was tangled and stuck in a barred cage, click here.

Hamster Info Ireland now suggests that if you have a barred cage, you should cover the bars with something like cardboard, cork or acrylic.

I personally do not use barred cages with my hamsters, although I have used Critter Trails in the past for travel or as a medical cage. There are a lot of benefits to using a barred cage when in the car (good airflow, less risk of overheating, able to adhere a water bottle and wheel to the bars), and I’m not sure where I stand currently for those situations.

For now, I do think I’ll be removing any barred cages from my “suggested” enclosures.

Do you use barred cages for your hamster (like the Prevue 528)? What are your thoughts?