Bedding help

Engel · 02-03-2020, 01:13 PM

I'm currently using a mix of kaytee and carefresh on top of a layer of catoilet paper pellets and finding that it's getting soiled and smells within a day. The whole corner. 4" of bedding drenched in urine. This only happens to my Syrians. I've tried sand and between the 3 of them I have gone through a 5kg bag in 3 days. Is this normal?

I'm not removing the whole soiled area so they don't mark their corner making it wet quickly. I leave a little bit. Same with the sand and I sieve it.

When I had a hamster as a child, he was on shavings and I don't remember having him pee that much or it smell that much.

Are woodshavings better odour controlling and absorbing than paper? (By woodshavings I mean aspen)

Ria P · 02-03-2020, 01:41 PM

Syrian pee does smell. I've noticed that too. My dwarves and robo don't smell not even my diabetic dwarf's smells half as much as my Syrian's pee.
Syrian Henry pees in a large ceramic corner toilet or that direction anyway, his aim is crap and he usually pees behind it so i've framed the toilet with cardboard (cut up toilet roll) at the back. I use sand and remove the clumps of pee with a small scoop but have to clean the corner every few days. He also pees on woodchips which is cheaper. I'd try that with your hams.
Don't know what's normal quantity wise but Syrians seem to pee quite a bit.

Engel · 02-03-2020, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ria P

Syrian pee does smell. I've noticed that too. My dwarves and robo don't smell not even my diabetic dwarf's smells half as much as my Syrian's pee.
Syrian Henry pees in a large ceramic corner toilet or that direction anyway, his aim is crap and he usually pees behind it so i've framed the toilet with cardboard (cut up toilet roll) at the back. I use sand and remove the clumps of pee with a small scoop but have to clean the corner every few days. He also pees on woodchips which is cheaper. I'd try that with your hams.
Don't know what's normal quantity wise but Syrians seem to pee quite a bit.

Ah that's ok then. Do you think wood absorbs better than paper? It is literally all sodden within 24hrs. I'd prefer to do it every other day but I tried that originally and it does start to pong.

My robo basically lives in his sand bath and I sieve out any chunks and poop but haven't needed to do a full change in months! Speaking of robo I had a scare last night. I got him out as I normally do and found his tum was yellow. I thought has he got the runs as he's been eating greens more regularly or if it was a load of pee...turns out he'd been sleeping on a dandelion

peculiarplanets · 02-03-2020, 03:13 PM

Jupiter (Syrian) also has quite smelly pee. I haven't found her new corner yet after the last cage renovation, apart from finding smell substrate in one of her houses. So I tend to just check all the corners for wetness, take out whatever wet substrate I find and then add a little bit of new substrate. I do remember from my Russian that her toilet paper bedding would get really smelly if she peed on it. That's why I don't like using toilet paper that much. Maybe that could be it?

Engel · 02-03-2020, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peculiarplanets

Jupiter (Syrian) also has quite smelly pee. I haven't found her new corner yet after the last cage renovation, apart from finding smell substrate in one of her houses. So I tend to just check all the corners for wetness, take out whatever wet substrate I find and then add a little bit of new substrate. I do remember from my Russian that her toilet paper bedding would get really smelly if she peed on it. That's why I don't like using toilet paper that much. Maybe that could be it?

Oh i think I haven't worded that very well. By paper I mean paper based bedding like carefresh or Kaytee. I use ripped up tissue for bedding area but they're pretty good and hardly soil in there. I know their corners I was wondering if anyone knew of anything with better absobancy and odour control.

sushi_78 · 02-03-2020, 03:54 PM

I used to use aspen but I didn't find it good for odour control. It isn't very absorbent and gets smelly very quickly. I've never used paper beddings so can't compare them to wood shavings.

Engel · 02-03-2020, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushi_78

I used to use aspen but I didn't find it good for odour control. It isn't very absorbent and gets smelly very quickly. I've never used paper beddings so can't compare them to wood shavings.

Good to know although I love the natural look even though I've never used it myself. Have you only ever used wood shavings?

sushi_78 · 02-03-2020, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Engel

Good to know although I love the natural look even though I've never used it myself. Have you only ever used wood shavings?

I use shredded paper and hay in combination with wood shavings, but I've ever used wood shavings as the main substrate. I now use Pets at Home wood shavings (a mix of pine and spruce) without any issues.

If you prefer to avoid pine, Zooplus sell Chipsi Classic Bedding, which is spruce and fir. Spruce has much lower levels of phenols than pine to begin with, and of course it's kiln dried. I'm unsure about fir. I've just bought some to try, but I haven't opened the bag yet.

Ria P · 02-03-2020, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Engel

Ah that's ok then. Do you think wood absorbs better than paper? It is literally all sodden within 24hrs. I'd prefer to do it every other day but I tried that originally and it does start to pong.

My robo basically lives in his sand bath and I sieve out any chunks and poop but haven't needed to do a full change in months! Speaking of robo I had a scare last night. I got him out as I normally do and found his tum was yellow. I thought has he got the runs as he's been eating greens more regularly or if it was a load of pee...turns out he'd been sleeping on a dandelion

Phew! Dandelion causes yellow bellies! I'll keep that in mind, lol.
Could you put a corner toilet filled with woodchips in their peeing spots? I don't know if its more absorbent than paper because Henry has always peed in a hamster toilet. Syrians are quite good at sticking to the same place.

Engel · 02-03-2020, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushi_78

I use shredded paper and hay in combination with wood shavings, but I've ever used wood shavings as the main substrate. I now use Pets at Home wood shavings (a mix of pine and spruce) without any issues.

If you prefer to avoid pine, Zooplus sell Chipsi Classic Bedding, which is spruce and fir. Spruce has much lower levels of phenols than pine to begin with, and of course it's kiln dried. I'm unsure about fir. I've just bought some to try, but I haven't opened the bag yet.

I was thinking about doing sleeping area as kaytee or carefresh and the rest woodshavings. It's cheaper to replace and theyre going through it so quick. I've tried sand, paper pellets litter for cats as well as kaytee and carefresh and they're going through it like nuts. I have the equivalent of 12ft of hamster cage to fill so its a bit mad. In one month my Syrians have gone through 10kg of sand, 18l of cat litter as well as 3x 60l carefresh and 2x 50l of Kaytee. Just because of pee...nothing else yet my robo is yet to get through 1 60l bag of carefresh and 1kg of sand...

It's just substrate that I'm thinking and while pine isn't fantastic, if it's kiln dried then in theory the phenols are a lot less. Isn't the sap that gives off the most toxin? It was the only thing I used when I was a child and my ham lived to 3-4 yrs so I'm using that as a positive.

Also the rescue I got Athena and ghost from were on pine bedding (kiln dried ofc) but I don't want to turn this into a debate as I know it's controversial :/