Cardboard Tunnel 15 cm for Mice, Hamsters and Gerbil

Trixie Cardboard Tunnel 15 cm for mice, hamsters, and gerbils

The Trixie Cardboard Tunnel 15 cm is a simple, lightweight, and versatile tunnel for small rodents. Your animal can walk through it, hide briefly, sniff at it, or use the cardboard to gnaw on and destroy. Precisely because of its simple shape, this tunnel can be used in many ways within the enclosure.

When it comes to tunnels, DRD always considers their function within the enclosure. A tunnel instantly transforms an open space into a route, hiding place, or place of discovery. With a size of approx. ø 10 × 15 cm, this cardboard tunnel is particularly suitable for mice, dwarf hamsters, hamsters, and gerbils. You can place the tunnel loosely on the bedding, partially bury it, or use it as a connection between different zones in the enclosure.

Advantages of the 15 cm Cardboard Tunnel

✔ Lightweight, easy to install and easy to move
✔ Suitable as a tunnel, hiding place, or playful passageway
✔ Great for animals that love to explore, gnaw, and destroy
✔ Combines well with bedding, houses, and foraging material
✔ Practical size for small rodents
✔ Fits nicely with hamsterscaping and gerbilscaping

Why a cardboard tunnel in the enclosure?

A tunnel gives small rodents more opportunities to actively use their enclosure. Instead of one open space, a route is created that your animal can walk through, move around, or briefly disappear behind. This provides more variety and makes the enclosure more interesting.

For mice and hamsters, a tunnel can help connect multiple spots, such as a feeding corner, sand bath, house, or foraging area. This creates more structure in the enclosure. Your pet can choose whether to walk through the tunnel, walk past it, or sit inside for a moment.

Cardboard is particularly interesting for gerbils because they enjoy gnawing, shredding, and modifying their environment. As a result, this tunnel can truly become part of their natural destructive and building behavior. With gerbils, a cardboard tunnel usually doesn't stay completely tidy for long, but that is precisely part of its function: it allows them to play with it.

Because the tunnel is lightweight, you can easily move it or offer it in different ways. One time you lay it open on the bedding, the next you incorporate it partially into a digging layer. This keeps the enclosure varied without having to make major adjustments immediately.

For which animals is this cardboard tunnel suitable?

• Mouse: suitable as a tunnel, hiding place, and playful element of a mouse enclosure. Mice like to use small passageways to create routes and move through the enclosure in cover.
• Dwarf hamster: suitable as a small tunnel, passageway, or hiding place in a natural setup. Place the tunnel low on the bedding or partially incorporate it into the setup.
• Hamster: suitable as a tunnel or extra enrichment. For larger Syrian hamsters, always check if the diameter of approx. ø 10 cm fits your animal comfortably.
• Gerbil: suitable as a tunnel, gnawing material, and destructive enrichment. Gerbils shred cardboard more quickly, making the tunnel primarily a fun consumption enrichment.

For larger animals such as rats, pygmy rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas, and degus, this tunnel is too small to serve as a proper tunnel. For these animals, it is better to choose a larger tunnel, tube, or suitable house that matches their body size. For this, take a look at our tubes and tunnels for rodents , for example.

How do you use the 15 cm Cardboard Tunnel?

Place the tunnel in a stable spot in the enclosure, for example on the bedding or against a small house. For hamsters and mice, you can use the tunnel as a passageway between two zones. This creates a logical route through the enclosure, giving your animal more to explore.

For dwarf hamsters and gerbils, you can also partially bury the tunnel in the bedding. This makes the whole setup more natural and gives your animal the opportunity to further incorporate the tunnel into the enclosure itself. Gerbils, in particular, may actively shred the cardboard and use it as part of their digging and gnawing behavior.

Do you want to make the tunnel even more interesting? Then occasionally hide a small amount of food, dried herbs, or a few small snacks around the tunnel. Your animal will then have to search, sniff, and choose. This way, a simple cardboard tunnel also becomes a handy tool for foraging behavior. For this, take a look at rodent and rabbit herbs or play & foraging, for example.

Material & dimensions

• Product: Cardboard Tunnel 15 cm
• Brand: Trixie
• Dimensions: approx. ø 10 × 15 cm
• Diameter: approx. ø 10 cm
• Material: cardboard
• Use: tunnel, hiding place, enrichment, and gnawing material
• Suitable for: mice, dwarf hamsters, hamsters and gerbils

Cardboard is lightweight, simple, and great for use as enrichment. Animals are allowed to explore it and gnaw on it. The tunnel may wear out faster, especially with gerbils and other enthusiastic gnawers. This is inherent to this type of toy and actually makes it interesting as temporary enrichment in the enclosure.

Easy to combine with

This tunnel is small, lightweight, and therefore easy to combine with other elements in the enclosure. This way, you can gradually create more routes, hiding places, and foraging spots.

• Playing & foraging for more variety in the enclosure
• Hamster toys for exploring, moving, and being active
• Mouse toys for small routes and hiding places
• Gerbil toys for animals that like to gnaw and destroy
• Hamster houses for extra shelter and resting places

Good to know

Offer the cardboard tunnel under supervision and check regularly for wear, moisture, or sharp edges caused by intensive gnawing. Replace the tunnel when it is too wet, dirty, or severely damaged. With gerbils and other enthusiastic gnawers, cardboard may wear out faster; this is part of using this type of enrichment.

Use the tunnel as part of the enclosure's setup, not as a replacement for a sturdy sleeping house. A well-furnished enclosure has multiple functions: a quiet sleeping place, sufficient bedding, hiding spots, gnawing material, and opportunities to search and explore.

Frequently asked questions about the Cardboard Tunnel 15 cm

Is this tunnel suitable for dwarf hamsters?

Yes, this cardboard tunnel is suitable for dwarf hamsters. Due to its compact size, you can use it as a tunnel, passageway, or extra hiding place in the enclosure.

Can a gerbil use this tunnel?

Yes, gerbils can use this tunnel to walk through, gnaw on, and destroy. Keep in mind that gerbils often damage cardboard quickly, meaning the tunnel will not last as long as it would with some other animals.

Is the tunnel big enough for a Syrian hamster?

For many hamsters, the tunnel is suitable as an extra tunnel or for enrichment. For larger Syrian hamsters, it is advisable to check whether the diameter of approx. ø 10 cm is spacious enough for your animal.

Can my pet gnaw on the tunnel?

Yes, cardboard is readily explored and gnawed on by many small rodents. However, do check the tunnel regularly and replace it when it is too damaged or dirty.

Can I partially bury the tunnel?

Yes, that works well for dwarf hamsters, hamsters, and gerbils. By partially embedding the tunnel in the bedding, it feels more natural and creates a fun route through the enclosure.

Is this tunnel suitable for rats or guinea pigs?

No, as a real tunnel, this model is too small for rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas, and degus. For these animals, it is better to choose a larger tunnel that suits their body size.