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lenarenee · 10-13-2013, 03:42 PM

I've been trying to find a safe material for digging boxes for our two hamsters.
Most play sand is silica, which is considered unsafe for children (carcinogenic).
Sand that contains tremolite is also unsafe.

Yes, it can take years of exposure to create a problem in humans, but considering how genetically restricted the pet hamster population is, and how tiny they are, I make the assumption that hamster are far, far more susceptible to any exposure.

Since my Syrian, Tonka, found the cat's litter box to be great fun (Luckily, it was fresh and new that day!), I think I'm going to try using aquarium gravel for his box - it's only a little bigger in size than the cat litter.

For the Robo, we've tried the chinchilla sand, which he shows little interest in.
We've also tried ground coconut husk, which they like to sit in, but very little digging. Maybe it's more difficult to move/dig for their little paws.

Are there any other ideas that you all have tried? Does anyone see any possible problems with using aquarium gravel?

Thanks!

10-13-2013, 03:42 PM
lenarenee Hamster Pup Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: western U.S. Posts: 89	Safe digging box I've been trying to find a safe material for digging boxes for our two hamsters. Most play sand is silica, which is considered unsafe for children (carcinogenic). Sand that contains tremolite is also unsafe. Yes, it can take years of exposure to create a problem in humans, but considering how genetically restricted the pet hamster population is, and how tiny they are, I make the assumption that hamster are far, far more susceptible to any exposure. Since my Syrian, Tonka, found the cat's litter box to be great fun (Luckily, it was fresh and new that day!), I think I'm going to try using aquarium gravel for his box - it's only a little bigger in size than the cat litter. For the Robo, we've tried the chinchilla sand, which he shows little interest in. We've also tried ground coconut husk, which they like to sit in, but very little digging. Maybe it's more difficult to move/dig for their little paws. Are there any other ideas that you all have tried? Does anyone see any possible problems with using aquarium gravel? Thanks!