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Old 03-23-2016, 12:45 PM   #1
zak
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Default Sterilized children's play sand and Chinchilla sand

Would using sand as substrate be a good idea or not? I only plan to use it in a play cage and I was wondering if anybody else has done it. If some people have -how have you found it? What are the pros and cons? Would you recommend? Why or why not?
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Old 03-23-2016, 01:49 PM   #2
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Default Re: Sterilized children's play sand and Chinchilla sand

I use children's playsand for my hamsters very large litter tray/sandbath. Not sure if you're based in the UK but this is the one I use: Argos Childrens Play Sand. It's a cheap effective alternative to using something like Chinchilla Sand so you could most definitely use it in a playcage. Stick the sand in a oven proof dish, something with a larger surface area like a lasange dish works best. Put the oven on high and bake the sand for 30min, you need to give the sand a good stir 15min in. Set it out to cool and you're done
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Old 03-23-2016, 04:04 PM   #3
WinnieTheHam
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Default Re: Sterilized children's play sand and Chinchilla sand

Quote:
Originally Posted by RubyDG View Post
I use children's playsand for my hamsters very large litter tray/sandbath. Not sure if you're based in the UK but this is the one I use: Argos Childrens Play Sand
Is it dusty at all? or is it quite grainy? That's a great price but I worry about dust.

I wouldn't use it as a whole substrate, They wouldn't be able to burrow in it, and it gets quite cold which isn't ideal for hamsters. I've used it as 1/4 of a cage before and Winston seemed to enjoy it, it does look nice. Although I recommend just using it in a tray or bowl, It's much easier to clean out, and you wouldn't have to be cleaning the cage as often because they'd use it as a potty most likely. Although some of mine have a few potty areas, haha.
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Old 03-23-2016, 04:55 PM   #4
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Default Re: Sterilized children's play sand and Chinchilla sand

I can't speak for other brands of children's playsand but the Argos one is not dusty, seems to be medium sized grains that are soft to the touch if that makes any sense. So it's not so fine that I'm worried about him possibly breathing in small particles but not so large that it's rough. I've pretty much used it from day one for roughly a year and a half now. Spike seems to like it. He has a really big litter tray and likes to pee in two corners and uses the third to wash in. I have it fairly deep and he seems to enjoy having a good dig in it .

I wouldn't use it as the only substrate in a hamsters regular cage either but certainly many people have sand sections or containers with sand in hamster cages. I do agree that putting sand directly on the base (so not in a container) could get awkward for cleaning and so on, especially if the hamster decides to use it as a toilet. Also it would get mixed in with other substrates. But if using it for the whole of a cage that is just being used as a play cage then that should be fine because then it's just a really large container when you think about it. It sounds like a fun idea actually
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Old 03-25-2016, 04:16 PM   #5
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Default Re: Sterilized children's play sand and Chinchilla sand

I've decided to section off a small part in the play cage for sand.
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Old 03-25-2016, 05:02 PM   #6
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Default Re: Sterilized children's play sand and Chinchilla sand

I have a large sand pit section in my Syrian's cage cage. I used children's play sand & it isn't dusty at all. Butters, my Syrian, LOVES it!

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