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Old 01-08-2019, 12:49 PM   #1
alpacassei
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Exclamation Dangerous Rodipet Product!

The Rodipet Sensual Delight “Relaxing You” bedding topper/forage mix contains cotton litter. Unfortunately cotton litter is the same thing as fluffy bedding and can cause life-threatening blockages and other injuries (I think we have a whole thread on the dangers of fluffy bedding?). There’s a misconception that natural fluffy fibres like cotton and kapok are safe because they are natural and biodegradable however they sctually cannot be properly digested by hamsters and even if they could, the fibres are so fine that hamsters legs and teeth can still get caught up.

For some reason cotton litter is very popular in the German hamster community still.

https://www.rodipet.co.uk/bedding-sa...per-400-g.html
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Old 01-08-2019, 01:17 PM   #2
mangoandmimi
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Default Re: Dangerous Rodipet Product!

Don't know what kind of kapok that is - wouldn't use it if it has seeds in it that can be ingested and considering this is part of a litter I definitely wouldn't use it. But some kapok I would say is fine to use, the high quality ones which are quite dust free (ie not the ones from the pod). The majority of germans who use it have done their research and have decided that it's fine to use, it is definitely different from the fluffy bedding that's sold here so they can't really be compared. The fibres are short and weak so there isn't the same risk of tangling round limbs and that experiment conducted that 'proved' that blockages could occur was so flawed that it doesn't really show anything at all.

I think it's one of those things where it's important not to pick and choose what is and isn't dangerous. Lots of people in the german hamster community deem barred cages as quite unsafe really which to be fair, is true when you see the amount of injuries occurring from bar chewing (snapped teeth, broken jaws, the list goes on) or falling from the tops of cages. Plastic too, if ingested it can cause serious damage yet people continue to use that without much thought and it certainly hasn't been deemed unsafe.

I will say I don't use kapok and probably won't as I'm happy with tissue, and rather not take the risk but I don’t see a problem with anyone who does choose to use it as a bedding.

Last edited by mangoandmimi; 01-08-2019 at 02:07 PM.
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Old 01-08-2019, 03:00 PM   #3
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Default Re: Dangerous Rodipet Product!

I have some fluffy bedding wtih short cotton fibre (came free with a cage) and just from playing with it a bit, it got caught all on my nails so I wouldn’t feel safe giving a short fibre cotton or kapok to one of my hamsters incase it caused them harm. I also noticed the fibres could still be tangled or rolled together to create longer threads. It definitely seems a lot safer than a lot of other fluffy beddings (especially those sold in the UK and US) but I still wouldn’t call it safe especially if it’s mixed with seeds and herbs because it’s more likely to get caught around their teeth while foraging.

I’m not sure what you mean about the studies on it causing blockages. Do you mean all cotton/kapok fluff or just the short fibred ones were proven not to cause blockages? Either way that’s good to know!

The difference with plastic and kapok is that kapok can injure or distress a hamster just by the hamster walking through it (getting caught on claws/paws) whereas plastic is only harmful if the hamster chews it (and most hamsters won’t if they have enough actual chews), but I do try to use as little plastic as possible in my cages just in case. With barred cages it depends on the hamster, I think they’re only dangerous if the hamster’s a bar chewer or the cage isn’t set up right.
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Old 01-08-2019, 04:35 PM   #4
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Default Re: Dangerous Rodipet Product!

Yes it is strange - the Germans do seem to think Kapok is ok, which generally it is thought no go, like fluffy bedding. There was a bit of a debate on the natural kapok on here a few years ago, which was a bit undecided but the general consensus was - best avoided.
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Old 01-08-2019, 04:49 PM   #5
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Default Re: Dangerous Rodipet Product!

Yeah kapok feels different to the cotton stuff - don’t know about rolling into longer threads though, wouldn’t have thought it could but don’t really know about that. Not really heard of tangling becoming an issue when using kapok either. To be honest I’ve heard more concerns about the dust in kapok than anything else. I don’t know what the short cotton fluffy bedding is but obviously none of that is safe anyway regardless of the fibre length.

This one blockage experiment has been floating around the internet for years (I’m sure there’s others) but this was just for kapok. It can cause blockages but supposedly only if the digestive system isn’t working as it should, so if they’re not on a proper diet or something. And then that would be true for pretty much anything entering their system really. The stuff with seeds in definitely isn’t as good or safe.

Wouldn’t quote me on any of that though as it’s really not something I’ve properly looked into. But the people who do use it know a lot more about it and definitely wouldn’t put their hamsters in any unnecessary danger, I’d say they’re more cautious about things like that than we are a lot of the time.
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Old 01-08-2019, 06:19 PM   #6
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Default Re: Dangerous Rodipet Product!

I did some quick reasearch and it seems most blockage experiments are done using water rather than something that matches the PH of a hamster’s tummy...

I did discover however that Kapok absorbs moisture which, combined with the fineness of the fibres, could cause issues if pouched.

I just checked and the fluffy bedding I have is Kapok, I’ll try doing some proper experiments on it’s safety but I still feel like it’s something best avoided. Actually from what I can tell, most the “natural cotton” bedding/litter seem to be Kapok.
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Old 01-08-2019, 06:40 PM   #7
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Default Re: Dangerous Rodipet Product!

Okay so this is gonna sound totally ridiculous but for science I “simulated” a hamster nibbling and pouching kapok... by putting it in my own mouth. It dried my mouth out almost instantly, a few pieces got caught on my teeth, there’s a thin layer of kapok threads stuck allover the inside of my mouth an tongue, and my throat feels dusty and dry (just from a few seconds of mouth-kapok). I definitely would not feel comfortable giving kapok to my hamsters now (and not just because it’s been in my mouth!).

Tomorrow I’m going to try doing those kapok-in-straw blockage experiments using a liquid matching a hamster’s stomach ph, I’m thinking some kind of vinegar but I’ll do more research on the correct PH levels first.
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Old 01-09-2019, 02:22 AM   #8
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Default Re: Dangerous Rodipet Product!

I think you are right - it is best avoided. Most Rodipet stuff is well researched but not all natural things are good. I personally don't like those bedding toppers as they can have sharp twiggy bits in that could poke an eye.

Lol - I have such an image of you pouching kapok But a very useful experiment. And it makes sense.
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