Who`s `chinese` hamster actually uses sand?

[racinghamster]

I can`t remember if I asked this before in another thread, but thought I would post in the relevant section this time!

I bought my Chinese hamster Prinny a carton of that Supreme Selective chinchilla sand a few weeks ago and placed some in a round ceramic dish. She looked into the dish a few times but seemed a little freaked by it, so I removed the dish and never bothered puting it back in, although I did put a handful of sand in the corner of her cage and she did dig in it. The pitfall of doing this though means the sand fell through the aubiose and sunk! :roll:

I don`t think she actually cares for sand or even rolls in it, but wanted to ask if your chinese hamsters like sand and if so, do they just sit in it, dig in it or actually roll in it?

I used a sand bath for my roborovskis a while back and they loved sand, but Prinny just seems to see it as.....well substrate!

[SarahJ]

I gave sand to my Chinese's (When Monkey was alive still) and they both just walked in to it had a little look about then never bothered with it again. I left the sand bath in there for 2 weeks hoping they might finaly use it but no luck.

My Robo and Syrians love their sand baths though and its the first thing they do when they wake up is have a good roll about in it :)

[Samantha]

Louis loves sand, but usually digs in it rather than rolling and he only takes notice of it if it's in a corner. I've separated a bit of his cage off to use as a sand section so that it doesn't get mixed in with the substrate. :)

[shazzy]

Willow seems to use hers now. I put some in when I first got her and she seemed to ignore it, so I removed it. I thought I'd try it again recently and she seemed to welcome having it back.

She doesnt roll in it, but she does dig in it alot, poo in it and occasionally wee in it too - I also watched her bury her food stash in it the other day!

[luvcats22]

billy loves his sand BUT only as a toilet, he hasnt been trained he simply like to do his business in the sandbath--makes cage cleaning easy-peasy lol
charlie on the other hand refuses point blank to go anywhere near his sand.

[KatiePillow]

Sesame liked peeing in it and digging it all over the place, she too only really paid attention when it was in her cage rather than a bowl or jar.

[SnickersTheFirst]

Bailey absolutely LOVES sand! He couldn't have sand for 2 months after his op and you should have seen his reaction when he got it back. He sprinted over to it, rolled and dug in it, then he even made it his bed and dragged all of his bedding inside. :mad:

He rolls/digs in it all the time but he also pees there. :/

[racinghamster]

A good variation of answers there. Some like it and some don`t care too much for it. I guess it comes down to the individual hamster? I`m not sure whether to bother with it again to be honest since Prinny seems to be happy with the way her tank is kitted out now so if I was to put a sand bath in again, she probably would`nt touch it, or just dig in it and scatter it. I`ll keep hold of it and might give it a try at some point.

[fluffymunchkins]

I sometimes don't think Bacardi uses his, but then he proves me worng by having a big roll in it :)
So I think he only uses it when he feel she needs to.

You could try encouraging Prinny by spreading seeds in it for her to forage? I did this for my robo as she didn't know what to do with it at first :)

[Debbie]

When I had Mouse I sectioned off one end of her cage with a piece of wood and put sand there. I had her wheel in that part and the bog wood she used to get up on to her shelf and she would dig in it sometimes, or just poop in it! I just liked the fact she had different substrates in her cage for variety.

[racinghamster]

Puting seed treats in the sand sounds like a plan, thanks fluffymunchkins. :) Thing is, I don`t seem to have a spare corner to put the sand in now. her cage is pretty much set up so if I do try the sand again, I will need to find somewhere in the cage to place it!