Hamster ladders and climbing toys are not just for design. These hamster fun hamster toys actually provide great help to keep your hamster moving, exercising and entertaining.
A bored, sitting still hamster can lead to boredom and obesity due to lack of movement and amusement. A bored hamster will try to escape and will show a behavioural issue. An obese hamster with a behavioural issue could greatly affect your hamster health.
Let’s keep that from happening. Today, I will show your the best toys you can add inside your hamster’s cage that will both make the enclosure pretty and entertaining for your pet.
Most of these hamster ladders and hamster climbing toys are made of wood, the perfect addition to a natural hamster theme cage.
ALSO READ: 15 basic accessories to have inside your hamster’s cage
HOW TO CHOOSE SAFE HAMSTER LADDERS AND CLIMBING TOYS
There are many ladders and climbing toys marketed for rodents. However, not all of them are suitable for hamsters. Due to the hamster’s size and lack of natural climbing ability, you should choose ladders and platforms for your hamster carefully. Here are some tips to help you:
Material
This is the most vital when buying hamster ladders and climbing toys. You should opt for wooden material with a polished coat. The wood material will be safe to chew or ingest by your hamster and the polish coat will keep the wood from absorbing moisture from water and urine.
However, avoid wood that is made of pine and cedar. If it’s painted, make sure that the paint is edible. You should also avoid a metal ladder. Not only it is covered in toxic pain but if your hamster chews it, the metal could break your hamster’s teeth.
You can also use one that is made of rock or stone, something you see being used for reptiles. Using rocks or stones as ladders or steps is great. Climbing stairs keep your hamster’s legs and heart healthy but it also keeps their nails trimmed.
Design
The design of the ladder for the hamster is also crucial. We don’t recommend you use flimsy metal ladders that have big spaces between bars. First, they don’t offer a lot of support and second, they are not friendly to your hamster’s feet. A solid wooden bar is much more comfortable and safer for your hamster.
We also don’t recommend ladders that are too tall since hamsters are not great fallers compared to rats. If you have a customizable ladder or climbing toys, don’t place it higher than 4 inches (10 cm) from the ground. The falling ground should have soft bedding for support in case of emergency.
Size
The wider the better as it will allow your hamster to run the ladder at a fast pace without falling. Between 2.5-3 inches (6.3-7.6 cm) wide is a good choice.
Fill the gaps with moss
If you decide to use a wooden climbing toy or ladder, there’s a high chance that there will be gaps between the materials. For example, the suspension bridge is made of multiple wood sticks put together which have spaces between them.
If your hamster’s leg falls through the gaps and can’t get it out, it will chew its leg. What you can do is fill the gaps with moss that are safe for hamsters.
BEST HAMSTER LADDERS AND HAMSTER CLIMBING TOYS
This is a compilation of both ladders and climbing toys and platforms for hamsters. You can simply use them as they are or be creative and add some fun with them to safely challenge your hamster.
Niteangel Suspension Bridge – Bendy/Tan
This bridge is multi-purpose. If you decide not to use it as a ladder or your hamster doesn’t enjoy it as much, you can repurpose it into something else. Most people would use it as a division between a bedding area and a sand area. Some people also use it as a sandbox or as a hanging bridge.
Sizes:
- 25.6×2.8 in or 65×7 cm
- 25.6×3 in or 65×7.6 cm
- 25.6×3.15 in or 65×8 cm
Bendy Wood Bridge – White
If you are going with a cage theme and need a white version of the being wooden bridge or stairs, here’s an option for you. My only tip is to make sure the size is perfect for your need. This one is a bit shorter and narrower than the tan one.
- size: 15.7×2.3 in or 40×6 cm
Wooden Step Stairs, Platform, Swing
This complete pack of small step stairs, platform, and swing is such a great addition to your hamster’s cage. My only concern here is the chain on the swing, if you notice your hamster chewing them relentlessly, remove the swing and change the chain with a fibre string instead. Also, don’t place this too high up to avoid your hamster jumping off the platform.
- size: 8.23×5.91×2.28 in or 20.9x15x5.9 cm
Wooden Table Platform
I know it looks plain and kind of unsafe but it’s actually a brilliant hamster climbing toy. Depending on the size, you can place the wheel on top of the platform, add a climbing ladder on the side or front, and then fill the under with bedding to keep your hamster safe. You can also add a hide under for your hamster to sleep on when tired from playing.
Sweet Grass Platform and Ladder
This is such a cute choice for hamster ladders and hamster climbing toys. It’s made with different types of goods and the size is practical. It is also recommended for Guinea Pigs but to be honest, it is too small. My tip here is to not use the soft cushion it came with. Instead, use bedding, it will be more comfortable for your hamster. Your hamster’s nails might get caught in the fabric from the cushion.
size: 7.5x4x7.5 or 19x10x19 cm
Niteangel Climbing Wooden Ladder
This design is so elegant. It’s a short ladder but it is high-quality and will make sure your hamster won’t just fall off accidentally. If you place your hamster’s sandbox or sleeping box on top of a den, this will be a great choice as a ladder.
Sizes:
- 6.3 in or 16 cm
- 8.26 in or 21 cm
- 10.35 in or 26 cm
Wooden Bridge
This is not exactly a ladder but getting your hamster a set of these great hamster climbing toys will help with the exercise. You can either set them up side by side or create a nice little tunnel. You can buy them in 1 piece or up to 3 pieces. It’s also polished, keeping those pee and other liquid away.
- size: 8×4 in or 20.3×10 cm
Reptile Ledge
I actually love this choice. Hamster’s nails are hard to trim but they must be kept at a good length to avoid any incidents. If you use a rock ladder, it will help trim your hamster’s nails. At the same time, it’s a great way to reach some platforms and other toys if you design the cage that way. When choosing reptile ledges as hamster climbing toys, they should not have any calcium mineral on the material or ingredients.
- size: 8.3x71x or 21×27.9×10 cm
FINAL TIPS ON HAMSTER CLIMBING TOYS
Apart from making sure to use safe hamster ladders, it’s also important to place them in the right spot. Ensure that your hamster will fall softly in case it happens and that it’s not too high where your hamster can stand on the top and escape.
I hope you found this guide on the best hamster climbing toys helpful. If you found some cool ladders that we should add to this list, let us know in the comment section below.
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