What Size Cage Should Roborovski Hamsters Live in?

If you're planning on bringing adorable Roborovski hamsters (Phodopus roborovskii) into your home, one of your biggest immediate tasks involves setting up a comfy living environment for the wee cuties. Finding an appropriately sized cage is the first step. Never be random when it comes to your pets' residential quarters.

  1. Roborovski Hamster Background

    • These diminutive and furry rodents generally reach lengths of 1.5 to 2 inches. Roborovski hamsters originally come from Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan, where they typically inhabit semidesert and sandy desert landscapes. Their natural habitat gives them a common name, "desert hamsters." Their population in nature is strong and consistent, although lack of water and grazing livestock animals sometimes contribute to ruination of their environment.

    Relationships With Other Hamsters

    • Roborovski hamsters, like most dwarf species and unlike larger common Syrian or golden hamsters, are naturally companionable animals within their own species. To encourage harmonious and peaceful living environments, they should ideally live either in duos or in small units of three individuals or so -- of the same gender to prevent reproduction. Keep Roborovski hamsters with others of the same exact species. It is also crucial that the little guys meet at tender ages in order to stop the possibility of hazardous turf-oriented aggression -- think somewhere between 6 and 10 weeks old maximum.

    Cage Size

    • Despite the fact that Roborovski hamsters are the tiniest in all the hammie world, they are extremely energetic and lively creatures. They therefore require sizable cages. If you have a pair of Robos, make sure you provide a minimum of 3 square feet in which to move around and explore. If other hamsters share the cage, make sure to tack on another square foot for each. For pairs, do not opt for a tank any smaller than 20 gallons in length. If your Robo lives solo, makes sure that the aquarium is no smaller than 10 gallons long, too. A 10-gallon aquarium is often around 20 inches in width, 12 inches in height and 10 inches in depth.

    Necessities

    • Roborovski hamsters need plenty of space in which to burn off energy. If they do not have this, they risk not getting sufficient physical exercise and, further, experiencing severe tedium. A Robo cage must comfortably accommodate many things, including chew sticks, exercise wheels, food dishes and toys, and entertainment furnishings such as balls, tubes, bridges, wooden logs and ramps. Don't place too many toys in your pets' cage; keep a few in at a time, switching with several others on a routine basis to provide fun variety.