Hi guys, I'm pretty new in the hamster community as I've only been doing some research in preparation for my first hamster, which I'm probably going to get in the coming week. I just have a few questions with regard to the bedding situation.
I know that it's safest to freeze them beforehand so that any bugs/eggs that might have gotten in there during production would be dead and not infest the house. However, I'm wondering what sort of arrangement people have for that? The packages all seem to be quite big so I don't think I can fit the entire unopened bag in my freezer. Would it cause problem if I break them up into smaller bags or would that end up making the substrates wet when they eventually defrost? Or maybe I should put them in boxes when freezing?
Also, I think I'd like to use aspen bedding but so far I have yet to find any wood shavings in pet stores that specify what kind of wood they use. They always just say soft wood which probably aren't safe for hamsters. I think my only for sure safe options so far are the wood pellets cat litter or the greyish paper pellet ones, but I really would like the type of bedding that would be good for burrowing.
For reference, I live in Ireland so I'd really appreciate options that are more accessible here. Thank you
