Help on Hamster large house

[wishbone]

So my cousin is rescuing at least 12 hamsters, they came from their neighbor who's permanently moving and they are not taking all of them, my cousin said they have around 30+ of them. My cousin have 5 children with two toddlers so she asked me to look for a good sturdy house for them, so far these what I saw:
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Pet-Deluxe-Multi-Level-Casters/dp/B000CMHWZC/ref=sr_1_8?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1382425217&sr=1-8&keywords=hamster+large+cage
http://www.petstreetmall.com/Critter-Nation-Cage/8515/3521/details.html

Option with number two is set up a small colorful house for them to play. First one from amazon looks good already but don't know if is sturdy enough. So I would like to ask for any recommendation from hamster owners here.

[Karen]

First, I would recommend two "houses" so you can separate the boys and the girls, so 12 hamsters does not quickly become 144! Then figure out what size space she has, and get the set-up that best fits! Tubes and tunnels and places to hide ...

Those cages would not be appropriate - they are for larger animals, and all that space between levels would be wasted with hamsters! Miss Hoppy liked her Ferret nation cage, but she was a 3-4 pound rabbit!

Maybe a couple of these type, connected with extra tubes, http://www.amazon.com/Super-Pet-CritterTrail-Extreme-Challenge/dp/B0002DJ4SO/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1382464375&sr=1-2&keywords=hamster+cage

[wishbone]

Thanks for the tips Karen, my cousin doesn't have much space now so it will be placed near the living room so it should stand strong. She might consider the single-story type that has divider then that kind of cages with tubes, at least two for the girls and boys.

[snakemama]

What kind of hamsters are they?

[snakemama]

Oh, the Critter Nation cage is AWESOME by the way, a great choice, especially if you can devise a way to keep the boys and girls separate.

Remember that they can impregnate the females through mesh, so a SOLID barrier is needed.