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Old 12-23-2015, 01:15 PM  
Amys_Mum
Hamster Pup
 
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Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: West Sussex, UK
Posts: 108
Default Re: changing bedding help

Hi Gissin

You don't need to do a full cage clean all that often, especially with deep substrate. I only do mine once a month at most, and even then, I'm reusing most of the wood shavings. Not only does it mean you're using less material, but it also keeps the hamster's familiar smell in the cage, so they're less likely to become distressed. They have pretty poor eyesight so rely on their sense of smell a lot, if you fully clean their cage, it's a bit like having your house redecorated every few months, and can be disorientating. I didn't realise this at first, cleaned my hammy out at the end of the first week, and wondered why she promptly moved her entire nest from one side of the cage to the other!

If your hamster has decided on a spot for weeing, then I'd recommend setting up a hamster potty if you haven't already. You can buy plastic pottys, or just use an empty margarine tub or shallow takeaway tub. You can either put a layer of the chinchilla sand, or get hamster potty litter. Both clump when wet so are then easy to scoop out, and they smell far less than wet woodshavings.

I spot clean by removing the wet litter, taking out obvious poo - my hamster has a tendency to pile up the poo outside her nest, so pretty easy to gather up! A quick check of her nest to make sure any fresh food has been eaten. I do this whilst my daughter or husband has a cuddle, and it only take a few minutes.

Then once a month, I clean the cage. I take out all of the nest and put it to one side, scoop out the top layer of the substrate - usually, I can manage just with doing this in the area by her nest, the other side of the cage is usually pretty clean. Have a brief rummage through to get rid of any poo, then tip the substrate into a carrier bag. Wipe down and dry the bottom of the cage, put a layer of fresh substrate into the bottom, then replace the older (but clean) substrate on top. Then I check the nesting material - get rid of anything that's particularly dirty - and put it back where it was. Add a few torn up tissues around the cage so she can gather it up and remake her nest, but still with the security of her familiar smell too.

Hope that helps
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