DIY Shelves for Hamsters

Hamsters make good household pets, especially for small children. Hamsters don't require much more than food, water and a clean cage to live in. However, to make a hamster's home more interesting, you can make some do-it-yourself shelves for hamsters to live and play on. These shelves are easy to make and inexpensive. Adding ramps to the shelves can help the hamsters to get up to the shelf.

Things You'll Need

  • Hamster cage
  • Measuring tape
  • Plywood
  • Pencil
  • Straight edge
  • Power saw
  • Hand saw
  • Wood glue
  • Clamps
  • Sandpaper
  • Popsicle stick
  • Small piece of plywood
  • Small piece of rope
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure the inside width and depth dimensions of your hamster's cage. Cut a piece of plywood with the power saw that matches those dimensions. This cut plywood is the shelf.

    • 2

      Draw a lightly sketched X on the plywood from corner to corner to help you find the center of the plywood. Use a pencil and a straight edge.

    • 3

      Draw a straight, horizontal line across the center of the X with the pencil.

    • 4

      Draw a straight, vertical line across the center of the X. Erase the marks made by the X. You should now have your plywood divided into four, equal spaces.

    • 5

      Cut out one of the four spaces using a power saw. Use a hand saw if a power saw is not available.

    • 6

      Cut the piece of plywood that has been removed from the larger piece of plywood into three equal pieces. These will be the legs for the hamster shelf.

    • 7

      Attach the three pieces of plywood to the three corners of the larger piece of plywood using wood glue. Attach them on their sides for a shorter shelf, or lengthwise for a taller shelf.

    • 8

      Clamp the pieces together until the glue dries.

    • 9

      Sand the shelf using sand paper so that there are no splinters that can hurt the hamsters.

    • 10

      Insert the shelf into the hamster cage. You can add a popsicle stick or another, small piece of plywood for the hamster to use as a ramp or add a piece of rope for the hamster to climb up to the shelf.