is Pine bedding safe for my hamster?

[Willowthehamster]

Hi everyone,
i was just wondering is pine bedding safe for hamsters?
i have read on the internet that it isnt the best but i just wanted confirmation because when my hamster is on the bedding he quite regularly sneezes and i just want to know incase it is bad for his health?
thanks

[kyrilliondaemon]

If he sneezes I'd change. Its debatable if pine is bad or not but sneezing is definetly bad so usually a sign to change bedding.

[racinghamster]

I used shavings a while ago and switched to using Hemp. Aubiose is probably the one you could look at ordering or buying locally from a farm or stable supply shop. Just google aubiose or look on Zooplus.co.uk and type in `hemp`. They do Hugro hemp bedding and organic Siccofloor hemp. Both are great. All wood based products including shavings give off a strong pine-like scent which are called phenols. It`s not good for any small animal to have close contact with these too often, so looking at Hemp or even Megazorb would be your best options. Both are horse beddings and used widely by hamster owners.

[Bekki2308]

In the UK shavings are kiln dried which removes a lot of the phenols,

In the US i dont htink they are so all the chemicals are still there.

[racinghamster]

UK or european shavings are said to be safer becuase of the `kiln dried` trick. But for me, they smell fresh and strong for far too long and expose the hamster to breathe that in on a daily basis. Shavings smell far too strong for me which is why I stopped using them beause I realised my hamsters were closer to them all day and all night. The difference in price is minimal when comparing a smaller bag of shavings (anywhere up to £6.99p for example) and a 14kg bag of hemp, which comes in at around £9.99p, sometimes a bit more depending on the size of the bag and whether it`s delivered or bought locally. Shavings will always be sold but are not the best substrate because of the strong aroma they give off.

As a test, try holding a handful of fresh shavings under your nose for two minutes and see how it makes you feel? Probably needing air!

[Kissa]

Originally Posted by racinghamster

UK or european shavings are said to be safer becuase of the `kiln dried` trick. But for me, they smell fresh and strong for far too long and expose the hamster to breathe that in on a daily basis. Shavings smell far too strong for me which is why I stopped using them beause I realised my hamsters were closer to them all day and all night.

Basically all of this If I can smell them from the other side of the room, how must the ham feel having his nose against them all day every day!

[Willowthehamster]

ok thanks everyone!
if he just sneezes when he digs in it should i change it?
i have pellets from P@H as an alternative

[student1304]

my hammy always used to sneeze on the shavings, I switched to carefresh and I haven't heard him sneeze since!
It also lasts a lot longer, he doesn't need to be cleaned as much.

[Willowthehamster]

Originally Posted by student1304

my hammy always used to sneeze on the shavings, I switched to carefresh and I haven't heard him sneeze since!
It also lasts a lot longer, he doesn't need to be cleaned as much.

they sell carefresh bedding at the P@H near me so i will have a look next time i go.

[racinghamster]

Carefresh is an alternative, but if your limited to buying in a pet shop, your choice of beddings will be limited I`m afraid. Shavings and Carefresh is about all they sell in shops. If you can source a stable supply shop or farm shop within range, they should sell most of the larger bales of horse beddings like Aubiose, Meagzorb and a few others. Don`t buy Hemcore though as I`ve heard this is sprayed with citronella, a common insecticide. Always read the labels to make sure. Organic hemp is best (Siccofloor hemp from Zooplus.co.uk is wonderful stuff).