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07-16-2011, 02:37 AM
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#1
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Hamster Pup
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 170
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Hamster died of eating a paper towel? :-(
Well first of all howdy do and I'm sorry this is such a long post.Alright so, I read a story online because I am a paranoid hamster mom and I research well into the night. The story was written by a girl who was saddened by the death of her hamster and felt it was all her fault. She had a syrian and she let it play on her desk. She said that when she was not looking her hamster quickly grabbed a viva paper towel and pouched about 2/3 of it and she couldn't get him to give it back. And she said that he wanted it for his nest but then she said that instead of using it for his nest, he must have ingested it. After that she said he tried to go to the bathroom but he could not. And she also said that the paper towel was still absorbing moisture because he was drinking excessive amounts of water after that. He died after ten days :'-(. I guess my question is, is this common? For a hamster to eat paper? I ask because I am making paper bedding for Gandalfenstein and I am paranoid now. The bedding has paper clumps kind of like carefresh, bits of cardboard, and bits of PAPER TOWEL!!! I don't want Gandalfenstein to be hurt because of my lack of research. What should I do. I also wanted to say that the author warned against the usage of paper bedding because it is not safe because of the reason her hamster passed.
Sorry about the long post, I just really want Gandalfenstein to be safe and I want any and all advice. Thanks y'all!
__________________
Hello! From Gandalfenstein the Mighty and Me!
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07-16-2011, 03:13 AM
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#2
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Highland Hamster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Scotland
Posts: 3,569
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Re: Hamster died of eating a paper towel? :-(
Hi and welcome.
This is a new one to me. Does the paper towel not disintegrate when saturated with water? Then imagine it against the strong bil. e acid in the hamster. And ten days is quite a long time between the event and the result. I'd be tempted to say the hamster died of other causes. But I'm not an expert.
If you're really worried just use tissue instead. Enough of us use that to know it's safe.
Hope you're a bit at ease now. But we'll see what others say.
Also, cute hammy name!
__________________
Welcome, my handsome LH syrian boy Dr Calcifer Lightman (a.k.a "Cal")!
Run free at the bridge my precious little Senpop. (10/10 - 04/12)
RIP My sweet little dwarfies - Doc and Noodle <3
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07-16-2011, 03:43 AM
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#3
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PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Posts: 3,350
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Re: Hamster died of eating a paper towel? :-(
My hamster has eaten small bits of tissue before by accident, and he pooped it out just fine.
I think if it was an expensive or highly absorant kitchen towel, rather than toilet paper, this could possibly happen, but other than that I think it'd be very unlikely.
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07-16-2011, 04:11 AM
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#4
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PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Central Scotland
Posts: 13,415
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Re: Hamster died of eating a paper towel? :-(
I can`t comment on kitchen towel, but plain white toilet paper sheets are more readily broken up by water than kitchen towel is. Try placing a sheet in water and watch how the toilet paper breaks up into flakes, while the kitchen towel would keep it`s shape.
Paper based bedding is safe for hamsters, but not kitchen towel. The paper strips and flakes made over here by `Safebed` are good.
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Get A Life, Get A Rodent!
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07-16-2011, 05:19 AM
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#5
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Robolicious Bobtails
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Cyprus
Posts: 3,754
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Re: Hamster died of eating a paper towel? :-(
I really dont think that the hamster eatting the paper and its unfortunate death were linked. Like Gillzy said, a paper towel would have been broken down in the stomach acids fairly soon after eating and it would have been through the digestive system within a few days at the most, it wouldnt still be in the body after 10 days. Also it wouldn't cause excesive drinking, if you get a piece of kitchen towel wet it absorbs the water and then thats it, it can only absorb so much. It would have filled up simply from the saliva in the hamsters mouth so that by the time it reached the stomach it would not be able to absorb any more fluids. This was probably just a mistake made by the owner because they couldn't explain the hamsters death in any other way, it is highly unlikely that it is true though.
Either way if it is true or not this seems to be a one off case anyway, dont be discouraged to use toilet/tissue paper bedding as it is nice, soft and safe for hamsters.
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07-16-2011, 06:35 AM
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#6
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Retired Moderators
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: U.S.A.
Posts: 6,330
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Re: Hamster died of eating a paper towel? :-(
It could have been some extra strength paper towel that took too long to digest for a large amount he ingested. Some come with additional ingredients to increase strength. Normally you'd want to give him plain toilet paper ripped up a bit or very simple paper towel (nothing like extra strength fancily quilted in my opinion). I'd just stick to plain toiled paper for nesting though, it's thin and easier to digest if some ingestion happens.
__________________
~ Maxwell ~ Hamilton ~ Tofu ~
Reward yourself and make a hamster in need happy - Consider Adoption!
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07-16-2011, 02:12 PM
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#7
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PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: London
Posts: 2,246
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Re: Hamster died of eating a paper towel? :-(
I've given my hammy basic toilet paper and basic kitchen towel paper, and he's been fine. I usually rip it up into bits, and he uses it for his nest. It's hard to say with these things, as we don't know what type of paper towel was used, how big the sheet, etc etc etc. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry, but in my opinion, a few strips of plain kitchen towel shouldn't be dangerous.
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07-17-2011, 07:49 PM
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#8
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PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: sheffield
Posts: 1,120
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Re: Hamster died of eating a paper towel? :-(
no paper towels are not water soluble, (the ones you get in public toilets to dry your hands on) that is why you should never flush them down the toilet and if you do they can cause the pipes to block.
so yes, if a hamster did ingest a paper towel, it could cause a blockage to the gut, which would ultimately lead to death unless the hamster was operated on.
the composition of a paper towel is different to that of a normal sheet of paper, toilet paper, and kitchen paper, all of those WILL dissolve when wet
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07-17-2011, 09:49 PM
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#9
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Hamster Pup
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 170
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Re: Hamster died of eating a paper towel? :-(
Oh! So a paper towel is the one from the bathroom? The one I buy is very thin and cheap. Not as thin as tissue but def not as thick as thos brown paper towels from the the public bathrooms. The ones this lady used was viva brand which is really a good brand so I suppose it is notes soluble. I just probably redo my bedding. Here in the US a paper towel is interchangeable for kitchen towel (the words). And usually a kitchen towel refers to an actual cloth that you wipe down kitchen towels with. I guess that is why I am so confused and paranoid.
__________________
Hello! From Gandalfenstein the Mighty and Me!
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07-17-2011, 09:53 PM
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#10
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Retired Moderators
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: U.S.A.
Posts: 6,330
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Re: Hamster died of eating a paper towel? :-(
Well, bathroom tissue / toilet paper is the very basic thin paper you can use. Paper towels are the kitchen stuff and also used in the US public bathrooms to dry your hands with They are often made in multiple layers with quilting and sometimes additional ingredients to make it difficult to disintegrate (strong for washing and cleaning), especially the kitchen kind. So I'd avoid using the towels and use plain toilet paper tissue (I'd also not use stuff like Kleenex).
__________________
~ Maxwell ~ Hamilton ~ Tofu ~
Reward yourself and make a hamster in need happy - Consider Adoption!
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