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Bedding for hamsters2007-11-24 21:58:20

I've read websites that say No pine bedding Use aspen BUt which do you use??

Answers:

Both pine and cedar have oils that are to strong of a scent for hamsters. They are alright for larger animals, like rabbits, but hamsters can't safely handle something like that. It can overload their respiratory system and make them very ill.

If you are using wood bedding, aspen is usually the best. There is a relatively new one on the market, soft sorbent, that is made of all hardwood fibers (I suspect primarily if not exclusively from aspen) that is wonderful. Most paper based beddings are fine but stay away from the more colorful stuff. It's pretty, but not exactly natural. It won't exactly hurt your hamster but think about it, would you like to put something with that type of dye into your mouth?

I use a combination of aspen shavings, soft sorbent, and non colored care fresh. I find this gives them variety to nest with and efficiency to keep things clean. If I had to choose just one, I'd choose the soft sorbent.

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You can use pine, but it may irritate the hamster, so aspen is the best. That goes the same with cider bedding, some types of bedding can irritate the hamsters skin/fur ... making them sad =[

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Cell-sorb Plus Small Animal Bedding. It is made from recycled paper. I like it so much more than wood shavings. It is cleaner with much less odor. We do not have to change it as often. It costs more but it is so worth it. Our dwarf hamster seems very happy in it too.

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Most people use wood chippings, but hay is actually one of the best bedding to use as (a) it's natural. And (b) if the hamster eats wood chippings it's very dangerous as wood chippings expand when they get wet, so if the hamster eats the wood chippings and then takes a drink he could be killed (this happened to a hamster that belonged to a friend of mine) whereas hay doesn't expand so it's OK if the hamster eats any.

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care fresh or aspen