How to Soundproof a Hamster Cage in 4 Easy Steps!
Hamsters are small, adorable, and sometimes pretty loud! Especially at night! If your hamster is causing a lot of racket while exercising, slurping down nutrients and simply living the good life, you’re in luck. There are a few excellent ways to reduce the noise coming from the hamster cage, so that it’s barely noticeable. Here are the best tips:
1. Get a wooden or plastic exercise wheel
Wooden and plastic exercise wheels are much quieter than those made from other materials. They provide a better absorption of impact noise, making it perfect for exercise wheels. It’s also why you probably have wooden floors in your room!
You should also take into consideration the design. The exercise wheel should have a quiet ball bearing that allows for smooth running. The best quiet options are the wooden exercise wheel from Niteangel (available on Amazon) and the plastic Silent Spinner.
2. Replace the cage with a habitat or aquarium
A hamster cage is the loudest option because it let’s more air and sound through. Your hamster probably gnaws at the cage bars producing additional noise.
Some will say that this is a healthy thing, but it’s actually not. Gnawing on the bars can break their teeth and cause brain damage. If they break their teeth, hamsters will not be able to chew food and can die from starvation. But it’s true that hamsters need SOMETHING to chew on. So you get them safer items to chew on like these organic apple sticks.
Therefore, a habitat or an aquarium are healthier and quieter options. The Habitrail Ovo Loft is the top of the line habitat for hamsters. It’s about 27 inches long and 12 inches wide. It’s basically a hamster mansion, with all sorts of fun additions that will make your hammy feel like he’s gone to heaven.
Another cool thing is that it can be connected to other Habitrail systems, providing endless upgrading options. Oh, and it also comes with a quiet exercise wheel. You can check out the review of this sweet mansion in this video:
3. Cover the cage/habitat/aquarium
Using a thick blanket or a similar item under the habitat can also reduce noise. It can also be helpful to place it on the cage/habitat floor if it’s not already covered with a soft material.
Covering the cage with a blanket can also be helpful with muffling the noise. Just make sure that you leave enough space open for the hammy to receive fresh air from the outside.
4. White noise
White noise is the opposite of annoying. It’s a sound frequency that is commonly used in bedrooms and offices to improve relaxation and focus. It overrides the occasional environmental noises.
This makes it a great option for the occasional noise produced by hamsters. Try it on Youtube. I feel more relaxed 10 seconds in.
There are two ways to play white noise:
- on the computer/smartphone/a music player
- on a white noise machine
The advantage of using a white noise machine is that the frequency is much better. Also, if you plan on playing it through the night (like most people do) I don’t recommend doing it on the computer. Your computer needs some beauty sleep too!
And with smartphones, the battery will get depleted if you use it for 8 hours nonstop. Sure, you can also charge it all night, but it’s not good for the battery or the phone.
So for a good nights rest I recommend using a white noise machine. The best one is the Marcap sound dohm that can play 20 different white noise frequencies. It has a pretty neutral look that makes it a good option for home and office.
Final Thoughts
The more of a barrier there is between your ears and the source of the noise, the better! Therefore I recommend replacing a cage with a hamster habitat that is more enclosed.
You can also place blankets or rags on the cage, but that’s kind of messy and you have to make sure that your hamster is getting enough oxygen.
And finally, you can get a quieter exercise wheel and use white noise to override the noise and get better sleep. Hope this helps and say hi to the hammy for me!