Pet Home Questions
Having the right size Pet Home is something we are passionate about. One of our core business ethics is to only make homes that meet animal welfare size guidelines. The UK Animal Welfare Act states that any pet, regardless of their size, should be able to fulfil all natural behaviours they would exhibit in the wild. For small pets, that means space to sleep, eat, drink, run, dig, burrow, climb and play.
Our Pet Care information pages provide information on caring for your pet, including the recommended minimum cage sizes. These sizes are based on RSPCA and other animal welfare guidelines. Please note the minimum should not be considered the “ideal size” – it simply means this is the minimum for providing a suitable home. Pets such as hamsters, mice, gerbils, pygmy hedgehogs and guinea pigs will often roam for up to 3-5 miles a day in the wild, so it’s important to give them as much space as you can.
Click on the links below for more info:
Although we don’t offer a full bespoke service, we may be able to adjust the size of our Pet Homes to suit your space for which we will charge a customisation fee plus the cost of any additional time and materials, but only if the request does not compromise animal welfare recommended sizes. Please Contact us with your custom enquiry.
We also offer a selection of standard customisations such as perspex side panels, castor wheels, and front/side access for your pets. To view our list of customisations, click here: Pet Home Standard Customisations
All our Pet Homes now come with 13mm square mesh as standard, which is suitable for the smallest of dwarf hamsters and mice. Hamsters can only escape from a barred cage when the bars are around 10mm spacing or more, as they squeeze their bodies through the gap by squishing their bulk sideways. With 13mm square mesh, they are unable to do this.
The only way a small rodent can escape through mesh this size is by chewing over a prolonged period of time to create a larger hole. In the time we’ve been in business, we’ve never had a customer tell us their pet has escaped through the 13mm mesh size, so we are confident in it’s ability to do the job.
Note that the mesh will also prevent house or field mice from entering the cage as long as the roof is kept shut.
We provide information on how best to protect the floor of your Pet Home within our Pet Home Care Instructions. A hard copy is provided with every purchase, but you can also download them from our website here:
View and download our Pet Home Care Instructions.
As stated in our Pet Home Care instructions, using a waterproof liner is essential for keeping your Pet Home floor looking pristine. We recommend that you regularly check your waterproof liner is working appropriately and the plywood floor is dry.
However, if the floor of your Pet Home has become heavily stained or damaged, you can opt to replace the plywood floor yourself, or you can purchase a complete Replacement Base Unit from us. To purchase a new Base Unit, visit our online shop here:
https://www.hamster-homes.com/browse/replacement-parts.
To replace the plywood yourself, follow the instructions contained at the end of our Pet Home Care instructions downloadable from the link below:
View and download our Pet Home Care Instructions.
Delivery and Customer Service Questions
We deliver to Mainland UK, and can deliver some of our Pet Home products to the Scottish Islands, and Jersey and Guernsey by arrangement.
We regret we are unable to deliver outside the UK due to the size and weight of our parcels.
Please read our Delivery page for further info and pricing.
Our website sends an automatic Order Confirmation when an order is placed, after payment has been successfully processed. Depending on the spam settings within your own Email Account, our emails may get blocked and end up in your Junk/Spam folder.
Please check this folder before contacting us, as most missing emails can be found here. To ensure you receive further emails about the progress of your order, add us to your Safe Senders list.
We are a small business, and our Pet Homes are made-to-order. Lead times for manufacture fluctuate throughout the year depending on how many orders we receive in a given period.
Our current lead times are kept up to date on the Delivery page of our website, where you’ll also find further information about what to expect after purchase. We also display this information on the Cart/Checkout pages, so please take note at the time of ordering.
As a small business without any dedicated admin support, we won’t be in contact before we start your order, as the more time we spend on admin, the less time we have to make your goods, but we will be in touch about delivery before the lead time is up. For info, around 98% of our orders are completed within the stated lead time, and sometimes a bit earlier, so we will keep you informed of any change.
Accessories
Small accessories are sent by Royal Mail Second Class post and should arrive with you within 2-3 working days after you receive the order completion email.
Pet Homes and Stands
We will notify you by text or email when your Order is ready, and provide an expected delivery date.
We use a combination of delivery partners, and the service used for your order will depend on the size and weight of your parcel. Please check our Delivery page for further info.
You can expect to receive your goods 1-2 working days after dispatch. Someone will need to be present at the delivery address to receive and sign for your goods, or you can request delivery to a neighbour or nominated safe place if that is more convenient.
Deliveries are Monday to Friday only, between the hours of 8am – 6pm.
Unfortunately, due to our rural location in Scotland and the large/heavy nature of our parcels, we are unable to offer a guaranteed/next day delivery service.
Orders may be cancelled within a strictly limited time period, which varies according to the type of products purchased. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for further info.
We regret that made-to-order items including Pet Homes and Stands are non-returnable.
Accessories and small items however, can be returned at the buyer’s expense. Please read our full Terms & Conditions for further info.
If you receive an item that is damaged or defective, then you must let us know within 3 days of receipt.
We will require photos of the issue(s), so we can decide how best to resolve the problem. We offer replacement parts for any items that are damaged or faulty.
We encourage our customers to provide feedback about our products, and would love to hear what you think.
You can submit a review on our website for any products purchased via our Online Shop. Just follow the instructions below:
Instructions for Leaving a Review
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