Penn-Plax Here & There - Home & Traveler - Large

I bought this cage after pouring through reviews on all the cages out there. I had hamsters as a kid and still remembered how cheap they could be. Quite frankly, I chose this one based on the comments from the breeder saying they use the whole product line.

I liked that it was a self contained unit without tubes connecting outside the cage. I have had hamsters escape from tubes and based on the reviews of other cages it looks like they haven't solved the issue in the last 20 years. This one seemed ideal because it had a tube but it made up the spine of the cage. The other appeal for me was that it was tall and narrow, so the hamster had a lot of space without taking up our space in the house.

That said, when we tried to assemble it everything fell apart, literally. The cage is made up of three seperate wire pieces that sort of hinge together, then the tube slides into the gap and the whole thing locks into the base. Since the walls are made of four interlocking parts the cage is a bit wobbly. We weren't very concerned since we assumed the three levels and the top would stabalize the whole cage. HOWEVER, the levels do not lock onto the cage. Bumps or notches in the level jet out and rest on the tube and wire cage. During assembly the levels would slip down a rung on one side or just collapse all together. To be thorough, we completed the assembly to see if the stairs and the top would help stabalize the levels by locking everything together. We knew this was an excercise in futility. The stairs click into one level and rest on the on below it, so it didn't add support. The top locks in and it DID tighten things up but, as expected the levels fell just by jiggling it back and forth.

If it wasn't a hamster death trap it would have been perfect! I am surprised the other reviewers did not mention this issue. I must allow the possiblity that mine is somehow defective but I can't fathom how. We had all the pieces and the three levels were formed exactly the same.

I am waiting to hear back from the seller, Aquarium Decor & More, regarding return. Hopefully it will not be an issue.

I am a hamster breeder of Russian dwarf hamsters and I have five different 'Here and There' cages from Penn-Plax. One is the economy and it is a good price but my hamsters like the larger versions. I have two small, one medium, and one large. My favorite is the Medium one, I call this one the large. It is a well built cage, easy to clean, my hamsters love climbing the bubble tube up to the top level. It is easy to detach the carrier on the top. I have tried several other brands even a ten gallon tank and the 'Here and There' cages are the best on the market. You won't go wrong buying this one for your fist hamster. It holds 6 to 8 easily, but I suggest no more then 6 Russian dwarf hamsters.

Other breeds are solitary and you cannot put more then one in a cage!!

I personally use this one as my breeding case because there is so much room for momma and papa with the little ones to grow in. When momma pushes the babies out of the nest daddy takes over teaching and caring for them. It is good to leave them all together for a month and a half. It is so much fun to watch the little ones clime all over this cage.

Keep in mind that all sizes of this cage have the same try size so the more dwarf hamsters you have in the cage the more often you need to change the bedding. I really do love these cages. I have had a few hamsters escape but only one was from one of these cages but, since these guys are very social it isn't long before they come find you for food or water. One who escaped from a fish tank came running into my son's lap one night while he was playing video games sitting on the floor. Spooked them both.

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We love this cage! We have a fat hamster and he fits perfectly in this roomy cage. There are so many levels for him to explore. My only small complaint is the wheel is not really quiet. When my hamster runs in it, it shakes the whole cage and you just hear this rattling. Maybe it's because he's so fat. Who knows...

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This is a nice cage and spacious, but if your hamster is a climber than do not get this! When I mean climber, I mean climbs up the cage wires... this is exactly what my hamster would do, she climbed the wires all the way to the top and would just fall! Or when she got to the 4th level, she was too stupid to realize to take the ramp or elevator tube to go down, so she would try to climb down with the cage wires and would just fall. If you have a docile hamster who isnt retarded and wont climb the wires, get this cage. Otherwise stay away, or your hamster might die from falling.

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Had very hard time assembling this. It was also a nightmare when it came time to clean it because it was hard to take off the top (it cracked) the levels kept moving and the whole thing came apart. Not worth the effort. Upset because I realized what a pain in the neck this was going to be everytime I have to clean it and now I can't return it. Here and There Large Unit Home and Traveler