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Bearclaw · 07-11-2019, 04:49 AM

Hi everyone,

I’m a new hamster owner, and have pretty much no experience with sand, be it for rodents or… in general (not much of a beach goer), so apologies if this is a daft question.

I used Tiny Friends Farm for the first couple of months of owning my Robo, but decided to switch due to some of the bad press it’s been getting (I don’t know whether or not it’s actually dangerous, since, as just mentioned, I don’t know squat about sand. Still, when it comes to pets I like to go with the “better safe than sorry” approach.).

I’ve seen quite a lot people in the UK recommend Argos play sand, so I’ve decided to give it a go. I baked it in the oven to dry it out, and sifted it a couple of times before storing it in a box (for the record, the entire contents of the bag fit beautifully into a 9 litre Really Uselful Box, in case anyone is looking for storage options).

Now, there clearly was dust rising up as the sand was being sifted. There was also a thin layer of dust lining the bowl I sifted the sand into.
Is this normal/safe?
Did any of you have the same experience with Argos sand?

It is entirely possible I’m being a little paranoid. I do know dust is bad for hamsters’ respiratory health, but, to reiterate, I don’t know how sand works. What even is sand.
Is some amount of dust going to be unavoidable when using any type of sand?
If so, what levels are safe? How much dust is too much dust?

Apologies for my complete ignorance with regards to granular rock materials, and thanks in advance for your help!

07-11-2019, 04:49 AM
Bearclaw Newborn Pup Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Scotland Posts: 13	Dusty Argos play sand? Hi everyone, I’m a new hamster owner, and have pretty much no experience with sand, be it for rodents or… in general (not much of a beach goer), so apologies if this is a daft question. I used Tiny Friends Farm for the first couple of months of owning my Robo, but decided to switch due to some of the bad press it’s been getting (I don’t know whether or not it’s actually dangerous, since, as just mentioned, I don’t know squat about sand. Still, when it comes to pets I like to go with the “better safe than sorry” approach.). I’ve seen quite a lot people in the UK recommend Argos play sand, so I’ve decided to give it a go. I baked it in the oven to dry it out, and sifted it a couple of times before storing it in a box (for the record, the entire contents of the bag fit beautifully into a 9 litre Really Uselful Box, in case anyone is looking for storage options). Now, there clearly was dust rising up as the sand was being sifted. There was also a thin layer of dust lining the bowl I sifted the sand into. Is this normal/safe? Did any of you have the same experience with Argos sand? It is entirely possible I’m being a little paranoid. I do know dust is bad for hamsters’ respiratory health, but, to reiterate, I don’t know how sand works. What even is sand. Is some amount of dust going to be unavoidable when using any type of sand? If so, what levels are safe? How much dust is too much dust? Apologies for my complete ignorance with regards to granular rock materials, and thanks in advance for your help!