Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After hours shopping around both in-store and online, I ordered the Ferplast cage for my elderly hamster. Most of her life has been spent in an Omlet cage but the setup in it required her to climb a long vertical tube to the 2nd floor where the water is and she got too old to make that climb (she's 2-1/2 years old now). The Ferplast cage has been much easier for her to get around in. Pros: - Easy to set up, the pieces go together well and the top snaps securely to the base. - Easy to clean. The parts come apart easily and it doesn't take long to empty out the base and wipe down surfaces. - Very roomy. Most of the cages readily available in the U.S. are far too small for a large hamster. - No tubes! It's hard to find a cage that doesn't have at least 1 tube required in the setup. I'm not a fan of tubes because they are a pain to clean and dry and are difficult to get stubborn or scared hamsters out of them. - For those who like tubes, there is a port on the left side of the cage where a (purchased separately) tube can be attached. - The floors and ladder are hamster-friendly, nothing to get tiny paws or legs stuck in. - It's nice that the cage comes with all the accessories. My hammy loves the little house and the water bottle is nice quality. - Visibility is great, you can see where your critter is at all times. - Great setup for all life stages, from baby to elderly. It's easy for them to navigate between the floors and there aren't many places where a critter can fall from 1 floor to another, like cages that have small elevated platforms with abrupt edges. - Although it is large, it's still easily portable. When I need to leave my hammy with a friend while I travel, it's a snap to pop the cage into the car and go. Cons: - There is just 1 small door on the cage and although the placement of it is good, it's not large enough to access much of the cage. If I want to reach my hammy or a food dish in a corner, I have to take the top part of the cage completely off. Unfastening the top of the cage is loud no matter how careful I am and it would frighten a young or nervous critter quite badly. - It's difficult to access a critter that's on the bottom floor. If I need to retrieve my hammy from the bottom floor, I have to remove both the top part of the cage, and the entire top floor with the wheel attached. It takes longer than I would like, and the floor piece is awkward and unbalanced to set down anywhere with the wheel attached, it makes the water bottle drip. Added to all that, once the floor piece is removed, the critter below is very exposed, may become scared, and the wall is low enough to jump out of. - There's no way to leave a critter inside while cleaning. The Omlet cage I kept her in had a way to close off 1 floor to leave my hammy in while I pulled out and cleaned the other floor. The Ferplast cage setup requires having somewhere else entirely to put a critter when cleaning the cage. - The inside of the bottom piece of the cage is textured and I wish it were smooth. The way it is textured makes the whole bottom full of nooks and crannies that capture and retain urine rather than letting the substrate soak it up. It also makes it harder to clean and dry. The texture on the bottom doesn't add anything at all that's beneficial. A critter doesn't need it for traction while walking because that part is usually covered with substrate anyway. - The wheel was far too small for an adult Syrian hamster, I had to replace it with a bigger one. Overall, the Ferplast cage is head and shoulders above most of the cages that are readily available in the U.S. and is definitely immensely better than anything I've seen in person in retail stores. Something to note is that since the only hamster I've had in it so far is elderly, I can't speak to how secure or chew-proof the cage is. My older hammy is far beyond her escape artist days and is not much of a chewer anymore. When I have a younger hamster in the cage, I'll update my review. If you have or will be getting a young hamster, I'd highly recommend to include the Omlet Qute cage in your consideration. It is pricey but for me it's been worth it during the last 2 years while my older hammy was able to easily climb the tube and now I have another young hamster in there who loves it. It's the best cage I've ever had over my lifetime of enjoying hamsters. I think this Ferplast cage is the next best alternative if you don't have the space and/or budget for the Omlet. The Omlet is well worth saving up for though. I'm a regular consumer- I'm not compensated for my reviews in any way, so I've spent my hard-earned cash on the products I review. I want to provide thorough information that hopefully helps others get the best value for their money. If this review was helpful for you in any way, please click the "Helpful" vote button to let me know. Comments and questions are great too. Enjoy your day :)