"I bought two of these for my Dwarf hamsters, and they work really well. I can definitely see how this product might not work well for the much larger Syrian hamsters. But it has proven to be completely escape proof for my dwarf hamsters. It is heavier than it looks and they are not strong enough to budge it.
I have had problems with my hamsters chewing up the green mat that comes with it. I dont think it is toxic, but I will obviously need to replace it eventually.
There is a slot that will let you attach Hamster tubes to it (it is compatible with crittertrail and Ovo products). I like the product so much that I have given my hamsters permanent access to it...it is basically like an extension of their cage now."