This is a specific conversation about Hamster supplies — what hamsters actually need — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Switching from a wire bar cage to a glass tank is one of the best upgrades you can make for a hamster — wire cages almost never allow enough bedding depth, and hamsters need at least 6 inches, ideally 10 or more, to burrow properly. Before I point you toward something specific: what species do you have, how old are they, and is there anything else driving the switch — bar chewing, escaping, draughts? That'll help me narrow it down quickly.
It's a Syrian hamster, about 8 months old. She's been bar chewing constantly and I can only fit about an inch of bedding in her current cage. I want something that gives her real depth to dig in.
inparticular.ai
Bar chewing at 8 months in a Syrian is almost always a sign of frustration — too small a space and nowhere to burrow. She needs a minimum floor space of around 100cm x 50cm for a Syrian, and the bedding depth is non-negotiable once you fix that. What's your budget roughly, and do you have any space constraints I should know about?
Budget is flexible, up to about £150. I have a decent amount of space on a shelf unit, probably up to 120cm wide.
inparticular.ai
Perfect — 120cm wide gives you exactly what you need. My recommendation is the Savic Plaza 120. It's a glass-fronted terrarium style enclosure measuring 120cm x 50cm x 50cm, which ticks every box: the floor space is right for a Syrian, the solid sides mean no bar chewing, and crucially the depth of the base lets you pack in 20–25cm of substrate without it spilling out. That's deep enough for a genuine tunnel network. It comes in just under your budget on Amazon UK, and the front-opening doors make it easy to manage without disturbing her from above, which Syrians generally tolerate much better.
That sounds ideal. Will the ventilation be okay in a glass tank? I've heard people worry about that.
inparticular.ai
It's a fair concern but the Plaza 120 has a full mesh top panel, so airflow is genuinely good — far better than many enclosed terrariums. The key thing to avoid is placing it somewhere that gets direct sun or sits near a radiator, since glass retains heat more than wire. In a normal room at normal UK temperatures she'll be absolutely fine. Make sure you're not covering more than half the mesh top with accessories or hides. With deep substrate, good ventilation, and the space to roam, the bar chewing should stop pretty quickly once she settles in.
Great, I'll go for that. Do I need to do anything differently with substrate in the new tank compared to what I was using?
inparticular.ai
Not drastically — if you're already using a good paper-based or hemp substrate like Carefresh or Aubiose, carry on. The main difference is you can now actually use it properly. Aim for at least 15cm across the whole base, with one corner mounded up to 25cm if you can — Syrians preferentially burrow in the deepest spot. Avoid fluffy cotton bedding for the nest material; torn tissue paper or plain unscented toilet paper is safer. Transfer a handful of her old used bedding into the new tank so the smell is familiar and she settles faster.
