Kaytee CritterTrail Extreme Challenge Habitat for Pet Dwarf Hamsters, Gerbils or Mice

Over a year ago, I purchased every single CritterTrail habitat and accessory in order to review the systems and observe Gerbils as they chose their personal favorite areas. SuperPet CritterTrail Extreme Challenge Habitat is the most interesting and of course has that fascinating traveling wheel feature. I posted these videos on You Tube and can share that I was thoroughly blasted by many Hamster owners who claim that this is a terrible system for hamsters... I personally don't own hamsters, so my review is from the Gerbil owner perspective. I use this system connected with two other CritterTrail cages, so my gerbils can demonstrate a preference. I also suggest that you consider having several cages and connect them. Many say that your pet will chew the slide down to nothing... my gerbils did chew the slide (comparably soft material) but stopped destroying it when provided with many other chewing alternatives. There have been complaints about the noise from the exercise wheel? That has not been my experience, the wheel and associated tube has plenty of ventilation and is quiet when properly lubricated. I use olive oil to lubricate all contact points including the tiny wheels that keep it on track. Never have had a noise problem. I LOVE that feature as do my niece and nephew who visit often. The base and top is much like other crittertrail habitats and the connections are interchangeable. Floor space is limited and definitely "could" be deeper. But the base is the same as most of the other Critter Trail habitats... fairly small and shallow. So, there will be litter material getting tossed through the bars from time to time, so a suitable catch mat or extended tray would be a help when it comes time to clean up. Water bottle is fine, but as it is inside, takes up valuable interior space.. I recommend using the exterior bottles and save that space. Easy cleaning and all parts are holding up, even after a year with two gerbils. My suggestion, add this to at least one other cage and begin your pet village.. expect the petting zone (top removable enclosure) to be used as a bedding/sleeping area, orrrrr... the bathroom. In one of the cages, I use that zone for a dust bath... makes a mess, but they love it. Expect litter and the need to clean from time to time, well designed and interesting. Gerbils or Mice will LOVE this system and so will you. I absolutely recommend this system.

It's better than it looks online, love it!!!

this is really cute and has a lot of little different areas for your hamster to go you can't go wrong with this one

Well, to start, I have owned this product for over a year and interact with it daily. So, we will start with the con of this product. The top "wheel" does not spin properly and makes a ton of noise when it is trying to be used. Not to fear, stick a sock under the wheel and the noise stops. New problem forms, now it is a hidey hole for our little friend, meaning yes, there is a potty problem, but this is going to occur no matter where they choose to nest and so it is really not that big of a deal. And now for the pros!!! The top viewing area. What a great spot to have treat time or to handle your little friend. Not a fan of trying to pick them up? No problem, try holding your hand next to the "slide" and let your pet walk into your hand at their own pace. Access to the cage is wonderful, there is a door at the front, not the top, so it is easier to train your pet that you are not there to harm them. And the food dish is the perfect size and can be placed anywhere, unlike a lot of the small corner dishes. The water bottle is conveniently placed so that your pet can access it, you can fill it, and it is not in the way of anything. There are wonderful connections. I personally have a wonderful little female winter white (dwarf) hamster who is active, so I have added a lot of tubes, and the cage is sturdy and can handle it. I also added an internal small wheel to the cage, and there is still plenty of room to place treats and additional furniture in the cage. In conclusion... Poor wheel design on top that can be modified with a sock, but absolutely FANTASTIC design to the rest of the cage!!!

I bought this csge for my daughters dwarf hamster and she really likes it now and it works fine. But when we first got it I had to keep checking to make sure that all the pieces were on becsuse the hamster kept getting out. With all the colors it's easy to leave a piece of it undone or the csge opened...there's just so much going on. The biggest and smelliest complaint tough was the top wheel. It got nasty in a days time! The hamster kept rolling round and round in it and peeing in it. It got so funky that eventually I stopped it and put fleece bedding up there instead so now the hamster sleeps up there instead of runs. But this isn't a negative review because it is a durable csge and it easier to clean than some of them and the hamster does have enough to do. The wheel works but does start to squeak early on and will sieve some parents insane.

This hamster cage is really good there is only one bad thing tht I HATE! the hamsters use the top compartment as a potty and it smells soo bad cuz there is no vents beside the side tube but it barely works .... but it is good overall besides that one issue

I bought this cage just 2 days ago for my gerbil, and I so far everything is working great. She loves climbing through the tunnel and playing on the slide. My only complaint is she can't seem to climb up to the wheel. Has anyone else had this problem? I suppose there may be someway to make it easier on her.

This was a birthday present for my daughter and she loves that she can look into the cage and see both of her gebils. She also loves that she can put her hand up against the cage and have thegerbils sniff at her hand. The only issue that we have had with this cage is that besides the big mess of the bedding outside of the cage is the fact that the gerbils chewed on the slide to the point where it is now broken. I have had to take the slide out and now the gerbils have to climb the cage just to get to the wheel and then jumb down when they are done. Now I have to find a new slide for this or get a smaller wheel to go inside the cage.

My sons have a hamster in this habit. The wheel on top and the small compartment are a horrible design flaw in this cage. First, the shedding that small critters naturally move around is slung constantly out of the wheel due to small gaps between the molded plastic. The other small compartment on top is nothing more than a giant toilet to all animals, which has no ventilation to make the smell even better. Save your money and buy anything but this waste of money unless you enjoy sweeping up the shedding on a daily bases.

I do not recommend purchasing the Super Pet CritterTrail Extreme Challenge Habitat. Do not waste your money. I received the cage and put it all together as the instructions told me to. I had my husband check my work to make sure everything was secure. We placed our two mice in the cage and about 3 days went by before I realized the water bottle was not functioning properly. It was vacuum sealed so tight the mice could not get any water. So I fixed that problem by placing a different water bottle in the cage. About another week went by and we realized both mice had escaped the cage. We searched the cage for a hole, damage, a gap...ANYTHING that would explain why the pets were missing. The cage was completely intact and we could not figure out how they got out. I was able to find one of the mice and placed him back in the cage. He was fine for about another week to a week and a half before he escaped again. Upon the next cage inspection again everything is intact, no holes, no gaps...I CANNOT FIGURE OUT HOW THEY GOT OUT. But now I am out the money for their food, I am out money for the cage, I am out money for the replacement water bottle and HAVE NO PET MICE. Do not buy this cage. My mice were perfectly fine for a month in a glass aquarium. I wish I would have left them in the aquarium.