Kaytee Small Animal Hardwood Aspen Bedding For Pet Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, Hamsters, Gerbils, and Chinchillas, 54.2 Liter,Brown

Product Information

Aspen has no coloring or chemicals in it. It is scent-free and comfortable for our Hamsters. It provides them a glimpse of the natural environment.

Substrate is the bedding material we put in the base of the cage for our pets to live on and dig in. For many common pet rodents like mice, rats and guinea pigs, the main thing we have to think about is absorbency of urine. However, in the wild, hamsters are adapted to live in dry, desert areas which means their bodies use water very efficiently; they don’t make a lot of pee, and their poos are dry pellets. However, not all materials are created equal. In fact, though there are several different options available on the market, there are different schools of thought on the safety of some types. We’ll consider those issues a little further on in this article. How Much Bedding Does A Hamster Need? Your hamster will need to relieve itself. Yet, urinating on pine bedding may cause a chemical reaction that can be toxic to your pet. P.S. We recommend removing damp spots or soiled areas between changes and replacing the aspen bedding every one to two days (or fluffing to prevent large damp areas where your animal stands). Damp bedding can cause urine scald. Spruce Bedding is a softwood but is equivalent to a hardwood in terms of phenols being at such a low level they are safe. Allspan Classic is marketed towards horses so you get a large quantity, it’s 100% spruce and is safe. Chipsi Classic is a mix of pine and spruce and has proven to have very low levels of phenols and is safe for most hamsters. However, some hamsters may be allergic to all types of wood in general and then this type of bedding should not be used.If you want wood shavings as bedding in your Hamster’s enclosure, then aspen is no doubt the best choice. One study on softwood bedding for rodents shows that while heat-treated bedding reduces the toxic effects, they still occur. This means your hamster may be at risk, albeit less of a risk than untreated bedding. The principal concern is that hamsters may choke on bits of fluff in the bedding. Cotton, and other fibrous materials, can also produce a large amount of dust. And there are some owner stories about the fibers getting wrapped around paws when used for burrowing. While pine bedding is absorbent, it also releases phenols, a type of acidic chemical compound that can cause respiratory and liver problems for your hamster. These phenols give off a nice aroma that is pleasant to human beings but harmful to animals.

Chew toys help to keep their teeth healthy and well-shaped. Wooden chew toys are ideal. Make sure the piece of wood you are buying from local pet stores is free from any kind of pesticides or chemicals. In addition to short-term harm from dust and splinters, exposure to phenols and abietic acid harm your pet’s health in the long run. Instead of risking long-term respiratory health problems for your hamster, we suggest using safer hamster bedding options like aspen bedding, Timothy hay, shredded paper, and other alternatives. Hamsters love to dig – it is an important behaviour for them and it is essential that their cage setup allows them plenty of digging opportunities. Ideally, they should be able to dig anywhere in their cage base, but if it isn’t possible to make that substrate deep enough, then they’ll also need a special digging area.Current ASPCA advice is to steer clear of any scented bedding. The chemicals used in these could upset your hamster, or even make them ill. You should also be wary of anything dusty. Particles can damage your hamsters airways, and affect their ability to breathe. It’s understandable that you might be a little more cautious with your pet, compared to the average hamster owner. You can even shred toilet paper or kitchen paper rolls as bedding, but those are really bad at odour control and often cost more than bedding made for hamsters. BEST HAMSTER BEDDING AND SAFE HAMSTER BEDDING There is a slight possibility that your Hamster may have an allergy to aspen. Though it is very rare, some Hamsters might have an allergic reaction to certain things, and so you must keep an eye out for the same.

Buying hamster bedding that has a pleasant scent is understandable; you don’t want your hamster cage to be smelly. But, not everything we think is helpful. Bedding with a scent has chemicals that might be toxic to hamsters. In addition, the smell they emit might cause your pets breathing problems. Unscented hamster bedding is the safe way to go. Live Science - Hamster Facts: Diet, Habits & Types of Hamsters ( https://www.livescience.com/27169-hamsters.html) Pine is a softwood, and as such, it contains a higher amount of resin than hardwoods. This resin can be irritating to a hamster’s skin and respiratory system. Fabric is also made of thin strings, which can get caught on the hamster’s nails, and this can cause foot injury. Sawdust contains very fine wood shavings and this makes it very dusty. For years Pet Shops have been saying this is suitable and it has been commonly used. However it is now known that the dust from Sawdust can lead to respiratory infections in small animals. This is now widely discussed for example research centre SATRA say “very fine particles in sawdust can cause respiratory problems for all animals, especially for small ones such as guinea pigs and hamsters”. If constantly breathing in the small dust particles isn’t bad enough it is also thought that fine dust can irritate a hamsters eyes.An example of this is bedding that is made with cedar and pine. Cedar and pine bedding can be very toxic for a hamster and it can also break into small sharp pieces that can hurt your little pet. You can tell hamsters that don’t have access to sand just from photos and initial handling. Providing access to a sand bath is vitally important to hamster welfare, but it is something that is frequently overlooked. Yet another advantage of using Timothy hay as hamster bedding is that it’s widely available and extremely affordable compared to other types of bedding. While it’s not as absorbent as other options, it’s still an excellent choice as it’s great for borrowing. Final Thoughts Insect feeding and oviposition deterrents from western red cedar foliage. R. I. Alfaro, H.D. pierce Jr, J. H. Borden, A. C. Oehlschlager