How to Make a Fenced Area for a Hamster

Hamsters are very active creatures and they enjoy being given an opportunity to leave their cage. Many hamster owners allow their pets to get additional exercise by putting them in a hamster ball and allowing them to roam around the house. Hamster runs are an alternative to the hamster ball and they give your pet a chance to run freely in a safe environment. Build a fenced area to use as a hamster run for your pet so it can run around indoors or get some fresh air outside.

Things You'll Need

  • 18-inch stakes
  • Wire mesh
  • Staple gun
  • Small weights or rocks
  • Lengths of 2- by 1-inch hardwood
  • Nail gun
  • Wire mesh
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Instructions

  1. Permanent Outdoor Hamster Run

    • 1

      Map the outline for your fenced hamster run by placing stakes at 10-inch intervals. Each stake should be at least 18 inches tall and about 1-inch thick. Drive the stakes into the ground with a hammer to a depth of 3 or 4 inches. You may choose any shape for your hamster run but a square or rectangular shape is the easiest to create.

    • 2

      Dig a small trench all the way around your hamster run in between each of the stakes. The trench only needs to be about 2 inches deep and 1 inch wide.

    • 3

      Wrap wire mesh all the way around the outside of the stakes. Use a staple gun to secure the mesh to each stake with at least five staples. The mesh should be very fine so the hamster cannot squeeze through and it should extend all the way to the top of the stakes and at least an inch and a half below the stakes into the trench.

    • 4

      Bury the mesh to a depth of about 1 inch by filling in the trench around the mesh. Burying the mesh will ensure that your hamster cannot escape from the fenced area by going under the mesh.

    • 5

      Cover the top of the hamster run with wire mesh. Cut a piece of mesh to the size of the fenced area and add 3 inches on all sides. You can anchor the top of the hamster run by tying small weights or rocks to the edge of the mesh so they hang down over the sides of the fenced area. If your hamster succeeds in climbing the walls of the cage he will not be able to get out the top because the mesh will be weighted down.

    Portable or Indoor Hamster Run

    • 6

      Determine the desired size for the frame of your hamster run. Do not make the hamster run too large or it will be difficult to move. A good size for a hamster run is 36 by 24 inches.

    • 7

      Cut the pieces for the frame of your hamster run out of 2- by 1-inch slats of hardwood. If you are using the suggested dimensions you would need to cut four 36-inch pieces and four 24-inch pieces. Cut four more pieces of wood to the desired height for your fenced hamster area. Make the walls at least 12 inches high so your hamster cannot jump out.

    • 8

      Assemble the top and bottom of your frame. Lay out the top of the frame by forming a rectangle with two of the 36-inch and two of the 24-inch pieces of wood. Connect the pieces of wood at the corners with a nail gun and repeat the process to construct the bottom of the frame.

    • 9

      Assemble the frame of your hamster run by attaching the top frame to the bottom frame at the corners with each of the 12-inch pieces of hardwood. Lay the bottom frame flat on the ground and stand one of the 12-inch pieces of wood up in each corner then nail it into place. Position the top frame on top of the uprights and nail it in place.

    • 10

      Cut four pieces of wire netting to size and attach them to the frame. You will need two pieces cut to 36 by 12 inches and two at 24 by 12 inches. Affix the pieces of wire mesh to the outside of the frame using a staple gun. Once the mesh is in place you can place your fenced hamster run in the desired area and let your hamster try it out.