Instructions for How to Assemble a Super Pet Critter Trail

Hamsters require a clean, spacious environment to stay healthy and encourage activity. A cage with more than one living level offers plenty of space for activity. The Super Pet CritterTrail is a good starter home for a hamster because it is a modular system that allows you to add extra tubes and play accessories to the basic cage. Dwarf hamsters are the perfect size for CritterTrail systems, but Syrian hamsters often grow too big for these modular cages and have problems squeezing through the tubes as adults.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic base unit
  • Roof top
  • Petting zone lid
  • Front wire panel with door
  • Back wire panel
  • Right side passageway
  • Left side passageway
  • Bubble wave wheel
  • Wheel connector clip
  • U-tube
  • Bubble plug
  • Crittertrail water bottle
  • Crittertrail food dish
  • Wood shavings or sawdust
  • Hamster bedding
  • Hamster food
  • Water
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Instructions

  1. Assembling the CritterTrail

    • 1

      Open the CritterTrail box and set out the pieces flat on the floor. Check the contents against the list.

    • 2

      Select the plastic, base unit and place it on a flat surface, ensuring the sticker is at the front, facing you. Place the left-side passageway with one open hole into the corresponding u-shaped gap on the left side of the base. Repeat with the right-side passageway on the right side of the base.

    • 3

      Slide the back wire panel down the side grooves on the end of the passageways, using two hands to attach evenly. Click down firmly to secure the wire panel into the base. Repeat the process for the front wire panel.

    • 4

      Insert the wheel-connector clip through the hole in the bubble wave wheel. Push the end of the connector through the gap above the third, wire bar at the back of the cage, and give it a half turn to lock into place.

    • 5

      Clip the petting-zone lid into the roof top, taking care with the hinges. Hold the assembled roof with the petting zone on your right, above the partly assembled CritterTrail, line up the grooves, and carefully snap into place so the roof is securely attached to the unit.

    • 6

      Push the bubble plug into the open hole of the left-side passageway until it clicks into position. Take the u-tube and click it into place at the bottom of the right-side passageway. Rotate the tube upwards and lock the other end into position at the top to create an access tunnel to the petting zone in the roof space.

    Preparing the Hamster Cage

    • 7

      Flip down the wire door at the front of the cage, and fill the base with wood shavings until it is about 2 or 3 inches deep.

    • 8

      Open the petting-zone lid on top of the cage and half fill with hamster bedding in case your pet chooses this as its sleeping area.

    • 9

      Place a handful of bedding under the wheel in case your hamster chooses to make its bed in the main area of the cage.

    • 10

      Put a tablespoon of hamster food into the food dish and position it in a corner.

    • 11

      Remove the metal cap on the water bottle and fill it with water. Replace the metal cap so there are no leaks and insert the bottle through the open hole in the front of the roof area.

    • 12

      Introduce your pet hamster to its new home and allow it to settle in without handling for a couple of days.