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Originally Posted by Serendipity7000
Paper based substrate is good - the only really difference is pine smells piney and covers the aroma a bit but I have had no problems at all using paper substrate and the smell is no different. It helps if you use a potty litter tray as hammies tend to use the potty if you put it in the corner/wee spot they have chosen  You can put anything in the potty - Chinchilla bathing sand is probably best, but if you can't get that then children's play sand can be baked to sterilise it, or you could use a different kind of substrate in it.
As the others say, pine bedding isn't safe (fir is a type of pine) unless it is kiln-dried. If it doesn't say kiln-dried and dust-extracted on the packet then it probably isn't safe.
If you can't find paper based bedding or Carefresh where you are, then reptile shops usually sell Aspen bedding, which is fine (although it can be a bit dusty so it can be a good idea to sieve it a bit or shake the dust out somehow if it seems dusty). Hemp bedding is ok as well. So maybe look for somewhere that sells bedding for reptiles or horses. There are often paper or hemp horse beddings.
Spruce is the only kind of softwood that is ok for hammies - it has the same low phenols as hardwood.
Let us know what you can find - I know it's difficult in some countries to find anything other than pine. If you are really stuck you could use lots of torn up white toilet paper. You can use any dish as a potty litter tray |
Pine tends to have a very strong scent so I wouldn't feel comfortable using it.Even if kiln dried,it tends to still have a very strong scent to it that I'm not okay with personally knowing how sensitive hamsters and other small pets are.That's not even considering what pine shaving manufacturers(even those manufacturing kiln dried pine shavings)have said that is just derogatory,disrespectful,and extremely dismissive even to scientific studies.
Aside from all the negativity though,I did forget that hemp is an option.Must be a result of not really having it in the US!
On the note of potty tray dishes,I'd mostly recommend ceramic over plastic due to how chew proof they are and the ease of cleaning.That's not even considering how many adorable varieties of them there are if you look at different stores or even a thrift store!