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07 Aug 2016

What Is Best Hamster Bedding?

Posted By : Guest

Filed Under : Bedding | Hamsters | Rats and Mice | Gerbils | Carefresh

There are two types of bedding materials you need for a hamster. One is the material that goes down on the floor of the cage and the other type is a nesting material that goes into the sleeping house. There are dozens of different kinds of hamster bedding out there which may include wood, paper, straw and grains in the form of shavings, pellets or stripes. But what is the best hamster bedding?

Some of the bedding out there is great for your furry little hamster, but some kinds are just downright terrible for keeping a hamster happy and healthy. Deciding on which type of bedding to get depends on a few factors including: the type of cage you have and the type of hamster you have. But really, it’s a kind of a trial and error process. Some hamsters might have allergies to certain types or they might like to eat other types. Additionally, some might just be messier with their bedding than others.

The amount that should be placed into the bottom of the cage depends on the type of material you use and the behavior of your little pet. The room temperature of where the cage is placed will also be factor. Again, it’s a bit of trial and error since every hamster is slightly different than the other. If a hamster likes to fluff it’s bedding a lot, a small layer can expand into a lot. Use about 7-10 cm for Syrian breeds and slightly less for dwarfs. If anything though, too much is better than not enough, especially when the room temperature is cooler.

Wood Shavings

Pine wood shavings is the most popular and widely available hamster bedding in South Africa. The problem with pine and cedar wood shavings is that it contains phenol chemicals (the sweet woody smell) that can make your little hamster sick with respiratory and liver problems and we don’t want that! Also, the wood can sometimes lead to abrasions and cuts on the hamster’s feet. These cuts can then lead to infections which is not good!

But the major drawback of wood shavings is that it’s not very absorbent and will require daily cleaning of the bathroom area or you will need to teach you pet how to use a litter box. Additionally, if you have a long haired breed, wood shavings can become entangled in their hair.

A great alternative to wood shavings include brands such as Burgess Excel Bedding, Carefresh and Comfy Pinokio.

Wood Pellets

Wood pellets such as Comfy Pinokio are ideal bedding materials since they don’t scatter as much and they are more absorbent than wood shavings. Pellets won’t get entangled into the hair of long haired breeds. In regards to pellets, pine is okay to use as long as the wood has been heat treated.

Straw Pellets

Burgess Excel Bedding & Litter is a revolutionary small animal bedding product for all small furry animals. Made from natural straw in compressed pellets, the bedding is 10x more absorbent than whole straw and shavings, and therefore less depth of litter is required in your cage. Burgess Excel Bedding also naturally locks in odours as the rapid absorbtion stops the breakdown of urea into ammonia, keeping your room smelling fresh and odour free. The litter can be disposed of naturally as compost, mulch, burning, flushing or by simply putting it into your garden bin.

Paper Bedding

Another great bedding to use, and our personal favorite, is Carefresh hamster bedding. It’s made out of biodegradable and earth-friendly paper pulp. The odour absorbing capacity of this bedding is nothing short of amazing. Finally, here is a bedding that allows you to miss a day of cleaning the cage without regretting it later (from the smell). Your little hamster will love this stuff, as well. It’s lightweight and soft, so your hamster can easily burrow in it without hurting his feet or ventral side. It used to be where you could only get Carefresh bedding in gray, but now they are offering many different colors, which is nice. If you can get your hands on this stuff, buy it. You won’t regret it!

Shredded Paper

Shredded paper is one of the easiest to make and most used types of pet bedding materials. Paper material made for pets consist of long narrow stripes of confetti like paper. They come in several different colors. White paper is ideal because it will help show if your hamster has an illness or is bleeding from an injury. (see below why you should avoid newspaper).

Hay or other Grasses

Hay is sometimes used as bedding but it can get entangled in the hair of long haired hamsters. Never use hay collected from the fields though since they can contain mites. It’s also not a good idea to use straw because it has sharp ends and can cause injury to your hamsters.

Newspapers

Another bad hamster bedding choice is recycled newspapers. If you are in a pinch, and really need some sort of bedding in a hurry, then newspaper will probably be okay. The problem is that, in the long term, hamsters may ingest some of the inks from the newspaper pieces and get sick.

Hamster Nesting Materials

Hamsters don’t just sleep anywhere, they like to sleep in a sleeping house. It’s a small enclosed space where a hamster can feel comfortable. The nesting materials in these houses should be good for burrowing and soft on the hamster face and feet.

Paper products like shredded stripes of paper or toilet paper are ideal nesting material because they are soft and can easily be burrowed into. Towel stripes are also a suitable nesting material. Make sure the paper products are non toxic and contain no inks. The inks can smudge off onto the fur or a hamster and stain the fur.

Nesting Materials to Avoid

Proper care involves that you avoid using bedding materials that contain cotton balls, polyester stuffing, felt stripes, cotton batting and coconut fibers. Only use these materials if you know for a fact that they are made of natural plant fibers or reconstructed cellulose. The reason being is that the list of materials above are hard to digest and can cause problems on their digestive system. These materials can get stuck and impacted in a hamster’s cheek pouches, stomach or intestines. Additionally, the long stringy materials can get tangled around a hamster feet. Finally, coconut fibers are sharp and can cut your hamster’s feet.

To sum it all up, the best hamster bedding is probably the Carefresh paper-wood pulp kind (it’s typically grey and fluffy in appearance, like balls of soft paper), and the worst would be wood chips or shavings. If you have anything to add, please do so in the comments section below. Thanks for reading and good luck with your hamster!

Tags : What Is Best Hamster Bedding South Africa