Sand Baths

[matinee_92]

Do Syrian hamsters like having dust baths?

My hamster bites the bars a lot, and i thought that a dust bath might distract him. He has lots of toys in his cage, and plenty of things to chew, but he just seems to ignore them, so I dont think he bites the bars because he is bored.

[babyboos]

Oh yes Tumble will love a sand bath :lol:

Check out this previous thread discussing sand baths and potties (http://www.candacebell.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49&highlight=sand+bath)

Don't be too disgusted that he pees, poops and bathes in the sand - hamsters like their own smell :? :oops:

[matinee_92]

Ok, thanks, I will get some chinchilla sand at the weekend. What do you put it in? A really big food bowl or something? :-s

[babyboos]

You get potties in Pets at Home or some petshops also sell them but you can also use a large food dish or the empty cream cheese tubs like you get Philidelphia in - do you know the ones I mean? I get the Charlie Chinchilla sand it comes in a two pint like plastic milk carton with a green label - costs around £2.50 a bottle and lasts for over 6 months as you only need a tablespoon per change and I clean mine out every couple of days .

[matinee_92]

Yeah, I know the kind of tubs that you mean. I thought you would need a lot more than a tablespoon of sand!

[babyboos]

No that is sufficient - of course you can give more but I prefer to change frequently and give less. See how Tumble likes the sand - if he wants to roll around in it maybe give him more :wink:

[hammydude]

In my opinion all hamsters like sandbaths, Just experiment with your ham and find out.

[SnuggleHam]

My Syrian and Roborovski both love sandbaths. I've seen my Syrian Gerald roll around in it a few times, he wakes up late at night, and one of the first things he does it take a sand bath, then sits in a corner until he wakes up a bit more :)



Just make sure you get something that says "sand" stay away from products that say "powder and/or dust"

[matinee_92]

OK, thanks :)

I went to Pets at Home today but they didn't have any chinchilla sand, just the dust so I asked the person at the counter and she recommended potty litter instead, which Tumble really seems to enjoy! He keeps trying to eat it, :roll: but luckily it's non-toxic :D

[babyboos]

I use potty litter too either on its own or mixed with the sand depending on how the hamster uses his/her potty. The sand is more for those who bathe in it rather than just pee and poop.

[sarah]

Hi I was really keen to introduce Maisie to the joys of a chinchilla sand bath - in my haste I realised I bought the wrong product - Chinchilla Dust. As you say I think this is too fine for hamsters as it can damage their respiritory systems, so I havn't used it. I can't seem to find the chinchilla sand - is it widely stocked? :(

[babyboos]

Charlie Chinchilla Sand is available in good petshops, I haven't seen it in Pets at Home recently ( :wink: ) Maybe get hold of the Yellow Pages and give a few a ring. It is 2 litres sorry not 2 pints :oops:



http://chinchillacymru.co.uk/pics/nibbles/pets/bathsand.jpg



If you cannot get Charlie Chinchilla see if you can get Super Pet Potty Litter balls, they definitely do these at Pets at Home, though I would encourage you to find a good local petstore to buy your supplies from. Sadly many of these small stores are vanishing from our streets :cry: Also Pets at Home only stock their own food "Hamster Muesli" and Harry Hamster is the best food you can currently buy, when you phone around you can see if anyone stocks this too?



http://chinchillacymru.co.uk/pics/nibbles/pets/hamlitter.jpg



Should be around £1.50 per box maximum (16oz) You get special potties such as these to put it in.



http://chinchillacymru.co.uk/pics/nibbles/pets/hampotty.jpg

http://www.pet-express.co.uk/acatalog/spetcritterbath.jpg



There is also this new product from Super Pet which works the same but comes in bigger bags (8lb) for about 3-4 times the price. It is specially formulated to be 99% dust-free and super absorbent and is made from all natural non-toxic minerals. Critter Litter absorbs moisture on contact and inhibits the bacteria that cause pet waste odours. In combination with a potty training program, Critter Litter will reduce cage cleaning by 30% or more! (they claim!):



http://www.pet-express.co.uk/acatalog/critterlitter.jpg



Super Pet also have a new Chinchilla Sand on the market:



http://chinchillacymru.co.uk/pics/nibbles/pets/bathpumice.jpg



I haven't used it yet but I believe it is popular in USA - it's virtually dust free and made from a 100% natural volcanic mountain pumice found in the Andes Mountains. Each box contains 5 x 140g packets of sand.