Pet Cages

Review by Anastacius Vicente for Habitrail Ovo Suite – Habitrail 62610
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other websites may have negative reveiws. Do NOT let them disuade you. this cage is easy to put together and very escape proof: IF YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! I have tested out all of the components of this cage vigorously and have found it to be VERY well put together. The caps that block off some of the tunnel passages you don’t use are VERY sturdy. I was actually able to pic the entire suite up by the cap, carry it around, and put it back on the table (do not try this at home). The only problem, as has been said, is that the water-bottle leaks, but this is only if it wiggles around alot, so make sure you secure it firmly. I also found that putting a tiny piece of paper near the hole makes the leaking stop, while still allowing drinking, but just to be safe, I think you should use the feeding trough, or another toy as a water basin.

The feeding area and wheel take up an AWFUL lot of space, but they are very easy to remove, and do not leave any naked areas where your hamster could chew to get out (I had a cage with a hole in it for the wheel, and the hamster tore it apart)However, if you buy two of these cages (they’re big enough to comfortably house two hamsters each, but you could REALLY spoil them by buying one cage for each and connecting them), this problem of space is easily avoided, making one area the exercise and eating area, and another area a play and rest area (you can easily fit two wooden houses in this habitat with the wheel/feeding area removed, and still have room for toys).

It’s hard to find attachments for this habitat online (other than the ones avaliable in this sweet suite set ), but you should be able to find more tunnels and attachment areas at your local petsmart (they carry this cage, but petco doesn’t). I can’t give a full reveiw without knowing the attachments, but if worse comes to worse, you can buy a BUNCH of dens (they attach very easily at any level, and thanks to the special lock they stay in place.

The only downside is that the tunnels are halved (I find halved tunnels more annoying that the whole ones, even though they’re easier to clean), but the lock connectors keep them together very well (once again, I could pick the entire suite up, carry it around, and put it back)

I do not, however, reccomend this as a travel cage, since it’s very large and the lock pieces can be a bit annoying, but the habitrail brand offers some very nice small cages perfect for travel.

Review by L. Hancock for Habitrail Ovo Suite – Habitrail 62610
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The Habitrail Ovo system is great! The connectors lock in place, it looks cool, it’s easy to clean, and everything is rounded so hammies can’t chew on cage components very easily. Dwarf hamsters can’t make it vertically up the Ovo tubes, though, so we had to buy a couple of CritterTrail tubes so they could get “upstairs” for more interesting tube configurations. Yes, the CritterTrail stuff is compatible. But we use all Habitrail locking rings so our cat can’t get into the cage. He can get the CritterTrail rings apart, and he can pop the Habitrail lids off. So we have to make sure that every connection has a Habitrail locking ring. When we do that, the cage is cat-proof and hamster escape-proof (as long as we make sure that every den and opening is closed securely when we’re finished playing with the hamsters). This is the best cage system I’ve ever used!

Review by Jeff Pruett for Habitrail Ovo Suite – Habitrail 62610
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I just bought this cage for my new pet hamsters. If you are looking for an expandable tube system, this one is a pretty good choice.

– The Good: The pieces are more “organic” feeling than other tube systems I’ve seen…they allow you to connect some tubes at odd angles instead of just 90-degree increments. The tubes are connected to each other via ring modules…you put the tubes together through the ring, and twist the outer part, causing it to “lock” around the pieces (the friction from the rubber on the inside of the rings holds everything in place). The rings are stronger than they look, and can support the weight of the tubes and animals quite easily. The rubber rings are easy to put on and take off, once you get the hang of how they work.

When complete it does look pretty cool. It looks like an “adult” version of the other tube systems, and has a high tech look as if it just came from a laboratory. With a little imagination and patience you can connect the tube pieces to form completely original configurations that you wouldn’t be able to do with other systems. I made mine similar to the picture on the box, but with tubes leading up at a 45 degree angle over and around the back of the module (which doesn’t work well unless you anchor the base station…see “bad” below). The “dens” you can buy for it, which are basically just dead-end bubbles you can open, are neat because they are easy to open, close and clean. They are a great way to tie off loose ends. They are also pretty cheap. The system does come with “caps” that attach easily to open ends, allowing you to seal everything off.

I like the water bottle…it looks cool, is functional, and very easy to change. The entire design is built for ventilation, without leaving any open spaces larger than the diameter of a pencil.

– The Bad: The primary module is cramped. I really don’t like how they did the food dish. It makes up the top of a really awkward “staircase”, with steps that are much too big for my hamsters. It is hollow and acts as a shelter. But you cant see the hamsters in it and you cannot get them out of it without opening the top and completely removing it…an involved process at best. I decided to just leave mine topless, and I might remove it altogether. It is one of those things that probably seemed like a really good idea when they were designing this thing, but is just annoying in execution.

The main module is a bit small…most of the space is taken up by the exercise wheel, which doesn’t move well, is a bit big for my hamsters, and tends to fall off. I’ve already completely removed mine…I will probably replace it with a smaller one from the pet store.

The base module cannot support the weight of tubes unless they are arranged exactly as in the picture (90 degrees, going straight above and over the base)…otherwise the base will tip one way or another. I solved this problem by putting a heavy rock in the base, thus anchoring it. This worked really well, and my setup seems very solid now. But it is an obvious design flaw. I have had problems keeping the top shell of the base station in one piece; The interior piece which covers the “back” side slips off if I try to open or close it.

Overall I am pretty happy with it, but that is mostly because all the alternatives were worse. I simply hate the coloring of the other tube systems (they are too dark, and all in random bright colors). If you buy the base with a tower module or two, you will have enough pieces to create a pretty complex and original looking design. If you are looking for a plastic case with a tube system that doesn’t look like it is owned by a seven year old child, you will probably like this product.

Review by S. Daughtrey for Habitrail Ovo Suite – Habitrail 62610
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We purchased this cage to be put in a small space, after having several Critter Trail cages in the past. As other reviewers have said, it is a cinch to put together and MUCH easier to clean and reassemble after clean-up. Our little dwarf hamster doesn’t seem to be able to get up the stairs, however, but is very happy in the little area beneath the stairs for her sleeping quarters. We have had no problems with the water bottle leaking. A great value for the money… Highly recommend.

Review by R. Meyer for Habitrail Ovo Suite – Habitrail 62610
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After reading all the reviews I decided to buy this cage. I like the cage a lot, it is easy to assemble. The cage seems escape proof IF you make sure you lock all the doors (make sure you hear a click). I did not close one of the doors in the dome roof of the pad well enough and my hamster was able to open it somehow and now she has been missing for 5 days .

WARNING: The cage is NOT designed for dwarf hamsters. They will NOT be able to go up the tubes. The tubes are perfect for a Syrian hamster however the pad is way too small for a Syrian. I bought extra towers and the maze and attached all to my old wire cage. I just used a wire cutter to make a hole the same size as the tube, stuck a tube through it and attached a connector on the inside. I placed everything on different shelves in my book case and I do think my hamster was very happy with his habitat. If you don’t already have another cage to attach consider buying the loft as an addition. I haven’t found it in any stores, but you can order it online: [...].

I have no problems with the water bottle. Just make sure you fill it up all the way, hold it with the opening down and shake it three times to create a vacuum, just like it says in the instructions.

ANOTHER WARNING: make sure your hamster is able to go up the tubes. Older hamsters (and dwarf hamsters) might not be able to do so and can die of thirst. You can easily solve this problem by laying the tubes down on the same level as the pad.

And Syrian hamsters are usually easy to potty train. I would fill one of the dens with chinchilla sand or hamster potty litter (don’t use cat litter) and our hamster would only pee in there. The dens are perfect as potties, most of the sand stays in the den. Every day I would clean the den by opening the door which automaticly closes of the tube it is attached to. It is then easy to slide the bottom part of the den out and clean it. Perfect!!