June Bug’s Prolee’s 48” Enclosure

Written By Rachel

Welp, it’s ABOUT TIME I did a post all about June Bug’s gorgeous, 48” Prolee enclosure (←link to Amazon)!

Really, isn’t it lovely???!!

*Full disclosure, Prolee gifted me this enclosure free of charge, but with no other stipulations or monetary incentives. I am, however, an Amazon Associate, meaning, if you click on any of the Amazon links in this blog post or website at large then purchase an item, I get a small commission on that purchase.

This Prolee enclosure, however, is really, quite beautiful! It is truly, the sophisticated, hamster-enclosure I was searching for when I started hamstering in 2020, but it just didn’t exist yet. This is the kind of enclosure I would display proudly in a living space or fall asleep happily staring at in a bedroom (although it currently resides in my hamster-room/office). It’s perfect for someone who wants to create a picture-perfect enclosure that makes having a hamster look glamorous (and… I mean, isn’t it??).

June Bug enjoys a nibble from her flax sprays

“mmm the fresh scent of an oat spray!” - June Bug

June Bug explores what goodies are buried in her loose, coconut fiber

I am, slowly working on a video showing the assembly and set-up of this enclosure, so more to come… but until then, here are my my honest thoughts about this enclosure:

PROS:

It’s gorgeous. I mean, I know I already mentioned this above, but I have to say it again - it’s really just aesthetically pleasing. I LOVE the fact that it’s on legs and that the legs are styled in a mid-century-modern kind of way. I have other nice-looking enclosures, but I have them on Ikea tables and assorted coffee tables or entertainment centers… this is the first time I’ve had an enclosure + an elevation solution that’s all-in-one, and oh-so-svelte.

The legs also serve a few functions, as I do, highly recommend that everyone keep their hamsters elevated - this is for their safety and yours!

Let’s start with your safety - hunching over a hamster enclosure is no good for anyone. Cleaning and interacting with a hamster who is on the ground is horrible for your back, nor does it create a good environment for you to bond with your hamster.

Hamsters are prey animals, so they are hyper-aware of anything coming at them from above (in the wild, they are often prey for owls or other predatory birds). For this reason, hamsters are less-likely to feel comfortable with you interacting with them from above, and will much prefer being at your level.

When it comes to their safety - the reality is, hamsters are very vulnerable & delicate little animals who easily and often fall victim to a dog, cat or unsupervised child. Even if you have none of these in your home currently, you may have a visitor with a curious and unsupervised child who won’t think twice about sticking their hand in your hamster enclosure and trying to grab your hamster. I personally have had quite a few close calls with small kids and have learned my lesson - keep that hamster elevated and out of reach of small kids! I found, even if the parent is around and “supervising” - the sad reality is that most people do not value the hamster’s life, nor do they consider how delicate or vulnerable they are.

Having the hamster elevated also reduces the risk of bugs or other pests getting into your hamster enclosure. Take tropical rat mites for instance - an infestation many hamsters have had to deal with at some point in their hamster-ing life. Mites cannot fly, and while, yes, they can climb, an enclosure on the ground is much more likely to get infested than one that is elevated.

Another PRO for this enclosure is how easy it is to assemble. I actually own another Prolee enclosure (40”) that I purchased a few years ago after reading comments about how easy it was to assemble - and I agree! A few screws and you are done! It also feels quite sturdy and like, if needed, it could be moved to another location without too much worry.

Lastly, this enclosure is on the larger end of commercially available hamster enclosures in the US - it’s 48” wide by 20” deep, meaning it provides 960 square inches of unbroken floorspace - this is quite respectable in the US market.

To compare this to some other, large hamster enclosures available in the US market:

  • Bucatstate 3.0, 120 cm size is 47.2” x 23.6” —> 1,114 square inches of unbroken floorspace

  • Bucatstate 3.0, 100 cm size is 39.3” x 19.7” —> 774 square inches of unbroken floorspace

  • Niteangel Vista size L is 47.1” x 22.7” —> 1,069 square inches of unbroken floorspace

  • Niteangel Vista size M is 40.7” x 22.7” —> 924 square inches of unbroken floorspace

  • 50 gallon stacker (at base) is approx 35” x 18” —> 630 square inches of unbroken floorspace

  • 75 gallon tank is 48” x 18” —> 864 square inches of unbroken floorspace

As you can see, this 48” Prolee enclosure isn’t the largest enclosure, but it’s only a bit behind the large size Bucatstate & Niteangel Vista enclosures. You could probably best compare it, generally, to the Niteangel Vista size M, although it is longer, more narrow and a bit less tall (we’ll discuss height in a moment…)

June Bug looks out upon her queendom

CONS

Okay, while I overall love this enclosure for many reasons, I do need to acknowledge where I find it lacking, so you can make the best decision for you and your hamster.

For me, personally, the only “con” I could see to this enclosure was its shape. While it is technically a good amount of floor space, this enclosure is more long & narrow compared to other enclosures of similar floor space, and the height is a bit on the shorter side.

You can see in the photos of the overall layout - once you get your elements in, there isn’t a lot of vertical space left over for burrowing. It’s not terrible by any means, but, I would prefer more.

an overall view of June Bug’s set-up in the 48” Prolee enclosure, prior to her doing her redecorating. I also, after this photo, added dried flowers and many more seed sprays!

It was actually a bit difficult for me to squeeze an 11” wheel in this enclosure. I prefer to keep my wheels on some sort of stable platform for the safety of the hamster and to make it easy to pop it in and out for cleaning. In this case, I have the wheel on a 5” tall acrylic riser from the Container Store, although Niteangel now offers specific wheel-platforms (link to Amazon) which would have also served this purpose well.

In my other, 40” Prolee enclosure (link to Amazon) (which I have had for a few years now and is the same height as this 48” Prolee enclosure), I only use an 8” wheel in and reserve that enclosure for robos only. For a Campbell’s or winter white hamster (like June Bug), I feel that a 10”-12” wheel is much more appropriate.

*For a video of a recent set up in my 40” Prolee enclosure for a Roborovski hamster named Bert, click here.

Even so, June Bug is a smart and capable little hamster - she quickly reorganized her paper bedding and created a series of impressive tunneling systems. So, it clearly didn’t deter her, and she overall seems happy and satisfied in this enclosure.

That being said, given the height restriction, I will likely use this enclosure for a Roborovski hamster in the future - this way I could use an 8” wheel on a slightly taller platform and provide more burrowing room throughout the enclosure.

On the whole, I’d say this is a good enclosure for any type of dwarf hamster, but, due to the height restriction, I would not recommend this enclosure for a Syrian hamster.

(If you’re looking to adopt a Syrian and are also in the market for a hamster enclosure, I would recommend the size L Niteangel Vista (https://amzn.to/4dIUFrE) or the Bucatstate 3.0 enlcosure large size/ 120 cm (https://amzn.to/4tXTpqF). BUT, if you already have this 48” Prolee (https://amzn.to/4tXTpqF) and happen to adopt at Syrian hamster, I don’t think it is a bad enclosure, it’s just not the ideal shape & height I would choose for a Syrian hamster, particularly a very active one, and you may need to change enclosures depending on the Syrian’s personality (some are quite active and demanding, particular younger females!)

Let’s compare height for this enclosure vs similar sized enclosures available in the US market:

  • Prolee 48” enclosure: 20” tall

  • Prolee 40” enclosure: 20” tall

  • Bucatstate 3.0, 120 cm size: 24.5” tall

  • Bucatstate 3.0, 100 cm size is 20.6” tall

  • Niteangel Vista size L: 26.9” tall at back (angled opening, so shorter in front)

  • Niteangel Vista size M: 22.9” tall at back

  • 50 gallon stacker: 17.88” tall

  • 75 gallon tank: 21” tall

June Bug seems very satisfied with her space & foraging opportunities in the 48” Prolee!

Conclusion

Who is this enclosure best for?

  • Someone who wants a really beautiful, aesthetically pleasing hamster enclosure blend nicely into their home

  • Primarily dwarf or Robo hamsters

  • Someone who wants to invest in a nice looking enclosure and plans to keep hamsters for a while.

Who is this enclosure worst for?

  • A child who may not be able to reach into the enclosure to care for the hamster (although I do not recommend hamsters for a child under 8, and at that, with adult supervision)

  • a Syrian hamster, particularly a female Syrian / particularly active Syrian hamster due to the shorter height / restricted burrowing space.

June Bug enjoys a refreshing break from foraging

June Bug takes a dip in her Bucatstate sand bath (link to Amazon)

Want to emulate my set-up? Here are all the items I used in this enclosure:

*a note- if you are perusing Amazon or another site with a lot of brands/variety of hamster items, you pretty much can’t go wrong with anything from Niteangel, as long as it’s the right size for your hamster (dwarf vs Syrian). Dwarves can more easily use Syrian items, but Syrians will be too large to use a dwarf item and could get stuck in an opening.

Bucatstate & Tafit Pet are also reputable brands, although they both sell a few items that I think are too small for some hamsters and they don’t always have different sizes (dwarf vs Syrian) like Niteangel does - you would need to know what you are looking for and this might be hard if you are a first time hamster-owner. However, overall quality and variety of items from both of these brands I find very good and customer service also very good if you have an issue.

If you prefer small, independent businesses, I like to shop at Mooney Paw (UK based but ships to US, CA, & Europe) for foraging items, seed sprays & chews. Oakwood Forest Shop (Netherlands-based but ships to US in addition to many other countries) also sells gorgeous foraging and seed spray items.

Happy Hamstery (US-based breeder & shop) has a great selection of items, including hides, treats, chews & sprays, in addition to a seasonal, subscription box that is a super fun way to try new things with your hamster!

Rachel
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Merry Hamster-Mas!