Small Animals
Three things fix most hamster welfare problems, and all three are cheap. The pet-trade standard cage is the single biggest thing we talk customers out of.
What we stock
Deep enough to burrow — 25 to 30 cm for a Syrian. This is the change that transforms behaviour.
No rungs, no mesh. Barred wheels cause foot and leg injuries.
Continuous floor area beats tubes and levels every time.
Chinchilla sand, not dust, plus scatter-feeding instead of a bowl.
Buying guide
A hamster that chews the bars persistently is telling you the enclosure is too small or too bare. It is not a habit to be trained out.
Syrians are strictly solitary from around ten weeks. Housing two together ends badly and usually suddenly. Dwarf species can sometimes be paired, with an escape route and two of everything.
Eleni does Wednesday consultations at Exarchia by appointment. Petros runs the small-animal range at Cholargos.