Add-ons are nifty little extras you can purchase to decorate your hamster’s cage and make it feel like home. There are many types you can get; they can fit inside the cage, outside of it, or even connect cages together. Examples of add-ins and add-ons include connectors, mazes, ladders, solariums, balconies, lookout towers, exercise wheels, snack bars, burrowing tanks, and tree houses.
The more add-ons you put into a hamster cage, the more stimulating the environment will be. With that said, you don’t have to buy it all at once. You can buy them piece by piece whenever you have saved up enough money or found a good deal. When looking for deals on these add-ons, make sure they are compatible with the accessories you already have since not all brands can fit together.
Some accessories are meant to be clipped onto wire cages, while others come with suction cups intended to attach onto the walls of an aquarium cage. Make sure you’ve installed each add-on properly so that they will stay in place. Furthermore, make sure you have not accidentally created an escape route for your hamster!
Furthermore, whenever an add-on is part of the lid (such as tree houses, towers, or mazes), ensure that it is fastened tightly. Some lids lock or snap into place. Others require the lid to be taped down with packing tape so that your hamster won’t force the lid up and escape.
Despite add-ons and add-ins being “extras”, don’t think of them as optional. They dramatically improve your hamster’s physical and mental health, which is essential for a long and happy life. Scurrying through tubes, running on the exercise wheel, digging in the burrowing tank, and hiding food in hidden corners… these are things a hamster loves to do, and it would be best if you gave him the opportunity to do that.
If you keep your hamster preoccupied and entertained, then they won’t develop obsessive compulsive behavior such as clawing at the cage walls or running around in circles. Ultimately, they will be much better off for it.