[Merlina]

I use carefresh and panicked a bit when I saw hemlock. However I have read that western hemlock is used traditionally for food and medicine so feel reassured. I have tried other beddings but a carefresh/torn up loo roll mix works best for my hamster as he likes to make tracks a bit like bobsleigh runs criss-crossing around his cage and this is the mix that holds the edges up best. Kaytee packs down too much and ends up as a solid surface. I remove the dust by shaking out a few handfuls at a time into a storage box. The static in the plastic means the dust sticks to the sides and can be wiped away. I mix in a cut up loo roll in a nylon play pen (more static so more dust out) and store in bin bags which also attract dust to stick. The amount of dust/pulpy fluff varies from bag to bag but has never been that much (I have done this with other beddings including Kaytee with similar results. The Kaytee also had pieces of plastic binding tape in so not perfect!). Sometimes you have to go with what works best for your hamster and not feel guilty you are doing something different.