Review on Habitrail 62690 Ovo Tower by Lauren Yazzie

My hamster had a litter box that he always slept in but I found it too small because when he curled up in a ball his back pressed against the roof so I bought an ovocave as a replacement. She absolutely loves it. She won't sleep anywhere else. It's a little smaller than a softball and has enough room to sleep BUT the ventilation is terrible. There are a series of pin-sized holes in the dome to allow for airflow, which isn't enough. I noticed that one day the condensation from her breath would fill the cave and her sheets would get wet. I originally had an elbow joint in the front so I replaced it with a cube and removed the top and side windows, but it still needed adequate airflow and condensation built up. I cleaned up the den but my hamster got so excited he lost his favorite bed. Instead, she built a better one behind the wheel that stopped it from spinning, and she got frustrated with that, so I put the stash back in place and changed the wet sheets daily. After using this cave for a few weeks I noticed some hair loss. I took her to the vet and they said she had a skin infection. When we were talking about the cage and I showed the vet pictures of her aviary to find out what could be causing this, I mentioned condensation in her cavity and we realized that the skin infection COULD be some kind of rash from moisture inside. . She recommended removing the cave, but I explained to her how nervous she was when I did it. The vet recommended making large air holes, which I made with a standard drill and then spent about an hour carefully sanding the edges of the holes until they were smooth and rounded so as not to injure them. Since then, her bedding has stayed perfectly dry and no condensation has formed in the cave. This cave would be an absolutely AMAZING size with a removable floor that is easy to clean and would get 5 stars from me if the ventilation was better. As for the other pipes, dice and elbows, I like the twist locks they correct. Much easier to detach than crittertrail tubes and seem more reliable. They are a good size especially for my Syrian but the downside is they come apart too easily at the center seams. I think they are designed to be easy to clean, but even if you try to twist the cap to attach another hose to it, the stitching comes undone. I wish it stuck better.