Can I Put My Hamster Cage on the Floor? [10 Reasons]

Are you a new hamster owner wondering where you should keep your hamster cage? Your hamster will spend the rest of your life in your home, so you need a place where it feels the most comfortable.

So, if you’re thinking, “Can I put my hamster cage on the floor,” you should know that it’s not ideal for a hamster.

Here’s everything you need to know about hamster cage placement:

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Can You Put a Hamster Cage on the Floor?

Ideally, you should not place your hamster’s cage on the floor. If your hamster is on the floor, it gets exposed to drafts, the cold floor, and other pets.

A hamster cage positioned on the floor can also cause you to trip. So, even though you can put your hamster’s cage on the floor, it’s best if you don’t.

Keeping the cage on the floor will also make you appear exponentially huge to the hamster. It can cause the tiny mammal to get scared, making it difficult for the hamster to trust you.

It will also lead your hamster to feel the floor vibrations continuously. If you move things around, vacuum your place, or have guests over, the extra noise can cause your pet to stress out.

Keeping the hamster enclosure on the floor will make it challenging for you to bond with your pet. The cage will be less accessible, making feeding the hamster and cleaning the enclosure difficult.

Also read: Is a Hamster Ball a Safe Toy for Your Pet Hamster?

Where Should You Keep Your Hamster’s Cage?

While you can put your hamster’s cage in multiple spots in a room, you should ensure that your chosen place meets the following requirements:

A quiet atmosphere
Minimal foot traffic
Stable temperature with no cold drafts
Regular lighting away from direct sunlight
Away from ultrasonic sounds

Hamsters are small prey mammals notorious for being sensitive to environmental changes. Sudden, loud, and unexpected sounds can scare them, and cold drafts can put them in hibernation.

Ideal Conditions for Hamster Cage Placement

Here are some conditions you should consider to ensure you keep your hamster cage in the right spot:

Ideal Lighting

Never put the hamster cage in a room or space where your pet is exposed to direct sunlight. Exposing your hamster to direct sunlight will negatively affect its health and disrupt its sleeping pattern.

With that said, your hamster will need some form of natural light. So, keep it in a room exposed to some natural light with minimal artificial light.

Since hamsters come out of their hiding spots at dawn or dusk, they need some natural light to regulate their sleeping pattern.

So, put the hamster cage in a room that gets dark at night and has light flittering in during the day. Turn off the lights in the room at the same time every day.

Providing your hamster with a habitat that mimics its natural habitat will help your pet lead a healthy life. If you switch the room lights on and off at irregular times, it will confuse your hamster.

Stable Temperature

Hamsters are also sensitive to temperature variations. It’s why sudden fluctuations will impact their health. So, you must keep the room temperature constantly warm.

Ideally, keep your hamster in a room where the temperature is between 64°F and 70°F. Put the hamster enclosure away from direct sunlight and cold drafts.

If the temperature is too cold, your hamster will feel too sleepy and might hibernate. So, you must keep a heating pad under the cage on cold days.

You must also keep the enclosure away from open windows or air conditioning units since you don’t want to expose your pet to cold air.

On the other hand, if the temperature rises above 74°F, your pet might experience heat stroke. So, keep its enclosure away from radiators and fireplaces. They can also act as hazards for your unsuspecting pet.

If the day is exceptionally humid, keep the windows and doors shut and put curtains on them to keep the room at an ideal temperature.

Any sudden temperature change will be uncomfortable for your hamster. So, do not shift its cage from one place to another and stabilize the temperature in a room where you can keep your hamster permanently.

No Ultrasonic Sound

Since hamsters have the incredible hearing capability, they can hear sound waves that are inaudible to your ears. So, keeping your hamster cage away from ultrasonic sounds is essential.

Your computer, microwave, and TV emit these ultrasonic waves that can make your hamster stressed out and feel uncomfortable. So, put your hamster away from these objects.

A Quiet Corner

Ideally, the place you choose for your hamster cage should be a quiet corner of the house. If your hamster wakes up due to a lot of noise, it will remain stressed and grumpy.

So, avoid putting the cage in or near busy or crowded rooms with a music system or television. Do not put the enclosure in a room where you vacuum frequently or use taps and dishwashers.

No Other Pets around the Cage

Hamsters are tiny prey animals that can easily get scared of larger animals. They can get stressed about their surroundings at the slightest of movements.

Relatively larger animals, such as cats and dogs, are likely to get curious about the hamster enclosure. So, if you have other pets, keep the cage out of their reach.

Additionally, never leave your hamster unsupervised in the presence of your other pets. You don’t want to add stress to your hamster’s life by inviting ferrets, cats, reptiles, and dogs into their safe space.

If a hamster smells, sees or hears these animals in its vicinity, it can cause your pet to stress out. It will affect its well-being.

Check out: Which Small Pet is Smarter – Guinea Pigs or Hamsters?

Low Foot Traffic

When deciding where to put your hamster’s cage, choose a relatively quiet place with low footfall. It will help you keep your hamster calm.

Since these tiny mammals are not social, they prefer peace. If you bring a new hamster home, keep it isolated for the first few days as it can start stressing out at the slightest sounds.

Slowly introduce the hamster to its new environment and avoid keeping its enclosure in places with frequent foot traffic.

An Appropriate Height

Ideally, you should keep your hamster’s enclosure at least 3 feet above ground level. You can put it on a table. Ensure the surface is not uneven to avoid the risk of the cage toppling.

If you put the cage at a height from the ground, it will be easier to clean. Since your hamster will be more accessible to you, it will be easier to feed it and bond with it.

It will also keep your hamster out of the reach of your other pets, especially dogs. Lastly, the height will protect your hamster from cold drafts that can cause respiratory tract infections.

When Is It Ok to Keep the Hamster Enclosure on the Floor?

It is only acceptable to put your hamster’s cage on the floor if you meet all the requirements of creating a safe hamster enclosure.

If you have limited space, you are not exposing your hamster to cold drafts, and you have carpeted floors, you can temporarily keep the hamster cage on the floor.

Just ensure the cage is on a flat and even surface, away from potential noise and doors. Keep other pets out of the room, as your hamster would get scared if it had to face a bigger pet on the floor.

Lastly, invest in draft stoppers for the doors and windows of the room in which you have kept your hamster enclosure. You must regulate the temperature and noise to keep your pet comfortable.

Click to know: Hamsters and Fleas: A How-To Guide on Getting Rid of the Pesky Pests

Can You Put Your Hamster’s Cage in the Garage or Outside?

You might think that since hamsters can survive in the wild, your domesticated hamster will be able to live in a cage outdoors. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

We have bred hamsters to live indoors in their secure enclosures. So, you should not put the hamster cage outdoors or in your garage or basements.

If you do that, you will not be able to regulate the temperature, light, or sound. It will put your animal under unnecessary stress. Your hamster will also be exposed to sudden noises and outdoor elements.

Moreover, putting the cage outside will only invite predatory or curious animals to visit the enclosure. It will put your hamster in a stressful situation.

It might cause your hamster to attempt an escape from the cage or create a negative impact on its health. Either way, your hamster will not survive outside your home.

The Bottom Line

So, to answer your question, “Can I put my hamster cage on the floor,” you should only do it when you can match the ideal conditions of a hamster habitat.

Ideally, your hamster should live in a quiet enclosure in a secure corner with no draft, pets, noise, ultrasonic sounds, and regulated lighting and temperature.