A few questions....

[Petite]

I've only had my dwarf winter white for a few months, and am about to upgrade her cage. It won't be huge, but will give her a bit more space to run around than she currently has. So:

1 I'm thinking about a sand bath for her. What kind of sand should I buy? We only have one pet shop here and I haven't seen sand there. Is the desert sand from Pets@Home satisfactory?

2 I have seen conflicting advice on the amount of substrate one should use, so have just followed one of these and given her a few centimetres. Now I gather this is not nearly enough! As mentioned, it won't be a huge cage, but has a tank section at the bottom which could contain a much deeper level. She has never seemed stressed by the level, and has enough to make a deeper pile in one corner around her nest. Should I give her more? - And how much substrate is recommended?

3 I have just read on the forum that cages should not be cleaned thoroughly every week, although I have been doing exactly this on the advice given in books I have read. Should I really not do this?

4 She currently has a wet corner in one area of her cage separate from (although close by) her nest. When I upgrade her, she will have a new wooden hamster house. Should I put a little litter tray in it, or wait to see where she makes her wet corner? If I am going to spot clean in future, I'd like it to be sanitary. What kind of container should I use as a litter tray, and how do I encourage her to use it?

5 Any tips for settling her into her new home with the minimum possible stress?

Sorry about all the questions! Many thanks for any advice offered.

[AmityvilleHams]

1. Children's play sand, avoid reptile sands at all costs. Reptile sands have questionable at best safety, and while play sand does take more time and effort to prepare due to having to bake and sift it it is much safer and also happens to be far less expensive for the amount of product you do get.

2. I would say at least 6 inches, preferably 12+ even for a dwarf species.

3. Yes. Cleaning the cage every week just causes your hamster far too much stress and can lead to a weaker immune system and even illness over time, plus from an economical point of view it ends up wasting substrate and because of that you spend more money than necessary compared to partial cleaning every 3 months(possibly less) and ideally no full cleanings(unless seriously ill, with a large enough cage and enough substrate depth you can have cages go a year or more without ever needing a full cleaning especially if you're doing partial cleaning).

4. You don't necessarily need a litter tray. Many are plastic, which over time will absorb urine odors as plastic is porous. Plus, plastic litter trays can definitely get chewed by hamsters which isn't safe as plastic doesn't get digested! An alternative would be a sand bath on a sturdy platform, for example a glass baking dish. If this cage ends up large enough to create an area in the cage with lower substrate, you might be able to get away with just using a glass baking dish without any platform so long as the sides of the baking dish are high enough if the substrate is around the same depth as the height of the baking dish. Regardless of what you put it on, definitely avoid any kind of porous material such as plastic(they may be cheap, but they're easy to chew and absorb odors as mentioned).

[Pebbles82]

3 to 4” minimum is usually recommended. I usually put 4 to 5” minimum. This will allow her to bury hoards under nest which is a normal behaviour, and to burrow down in her nest or dig tunnels if she is inclined. I’d say it depends on the hamster how much to put in. Some shy hamsters would hide away too much if it was very deep. Others would enjoy 6” or more and create a tunnel system but still come out in the cage.

You can then spot clean mostly. Ie take out a handful of soiled substrate and replace it with a clean handful and mix it in a bit so it smells familiar. If she had a EE corner that’s good and I would put a corner litter tray there with sand in. You then just empty the litter tray every few days and the cage will stay clean and dry longer. You can easily go. 6 to 8 weeks or more if they use a litter tray before changing the substrate. When changing the substrate it’s best to leave the nest alone unless it’s peed in - same with any hoards - although eventually you may need to “prune” the hoard down a bit. If the hoard has to be removed if peed on and going manky then always replace it with new food in exactly the same place and try and save a bit of old dry hoard. They are particularly precious about their best and hoard. When doing a substrate change also, keep back a bit of old clean substrate and spread it on top of the new as this also saves stress and they accept the change easier. Basically they don’t do well with change or having their cage environment messed with (although seem to like new things being added). If something always smells familiar it helps so clean the wheel a different time to substrate and any toys a different time again.

[Pebbles82]

She would need a sand bath as well. I haven’t used Children’s play sand. Chinchilla bathing sand is used by a lot of people. Tiny friends make one - I am currently using. JR farm one from Zooplus that I find very good.

[Petite]

Thanks so much for the replies - this info is really helpful.

I have a sand bath on order, and some chinchilla/hamster sand. I'm assuming I just put the sand in as it is - or do I need to bake it? I've read about hamsters using their sand bath as a toilet - is it okay for them to do this, and does it still keep their fur clean if they use it as a sand bath too?

I will be sure to give her more substrate in future.

[Ria P]

I use the tiny friends sand from pets@home for both my hamsters. Its £3 a tub and doesn't have to be baked or anything.
Should your hamster decide to pee in her sandbath it will form clumps which are easily removed with a little scoop.

My Robo's sandbath gets littered with seed shells, substrate, hay etc so i sieve it now and again, add a bit fresh sand and its as good as new.
He loves his sand, digs, runs circuits in it around his wheel, grooms or just sits and looks.