Help please

[Gimleyand Meeko]

Hello all,

So nutmeg has just been cleaned out and is now on the aspen bedding, I need help as I am worried if it is too rough. She has been nibbling/ eating it for about 10 seconds and then continues to explore the cage. I am worried that it will cause a cheek impaction- or am I being paranoid as I haven't been on wood shavings for about 4 years? Here is the pic too 😄IMG_0567.JPG


Here is a Picture of the bedding, the reptile one as Erin said that it was the same as the rodent one 😄

[Gimleyand Meeko]

I am so sorry for the picture becoming massive! I don't know how that happened 😭

IMG_0566.JPG

[PumpKinSpiceLatte]

They look quite sharp... It could be your ham just doesn't find this bedding comfortable, as you've used a different kind she's grown comfy with

[Thin Lizzy]

It does look a bit rough. What did she have before?

[cypher]

It's really not possible to tell from a photo if it's sharp or not, how does it feel to you?
I've never used aspen myself but it one of the commonly used substrates mostly in the US I think so it should be safe but if you're not happy with it I would change back to what you had before is she was ok with that.
Weren't you thinking of switching to fitch at one time?
ETA I just remembered the problem you had with fitch, had forgotten all about that sorry, did you contact the company in the end? It did sound more like a problem with storage & the fitch getting damp than anything else as you had a negative diabetes result when you tested, so many of us use fitch & find it about the best there is I wouldn't give up on it.

[AmityvilleHams]

If in doubt,don't use it.It is reptile grade but it can still be pokey(any aspen can,but this is mostly an issue with horse grade wood shavings of any type).At the end of the day it can be better to be overcautious and have nothing happen than to not do anything and then an accident happens!

[SKB_Hamsters]

I use p@h aspen myself and I haven't found my bags to be rough or sharp and mine looks like your picture. I also mix my aspen in with back 2 Nature pellets when I use it in the cage.
Is Nutmeg pouching the aspen or just nibbling at it? And has she been nibbling it a lot?

[Gimleyand Meeko]

Hello,

Sorry I have just seen the replies

To answer everyone:

PumpKinSpiceLatte: Ok, she has just yesterday had it placed in her cage; she has built a nest and I will put in some toilet roll as nesting material.

Thin Lizzy: She was on Fitch before, a bit of a change but I started to find bugs in the bedding and removed it from both cage and storage location

Cypher: It feels not that rough on my plam but on the underside of my hand it is, I didn't contact Fitch and will need too, I am going to order another bag of Fitch and try it again I think

Amityvillehams: Very true!

SKB_Hamsters: How long have you used it for? She is nibbline, I think she pouched a single bit but not anything more Are the Hamster Nuggets/ Pellets food then?

[SKB_Hamsters]

Originally Posted by Gimleyand Meeko

SKB_Hamsters: How long have you used it for? She is nibbline, I think she pouched a single bit but not anything more Are the Hamster Nuggets/ Pellets food then?

I would keep a close eye on Nutmeg, I don't think there is a problem if she is occasionally nibbling/chewing on pieces but if she starts continually nibbling or pouching lots of it then it might be best to remove.
I've been using this aspen for over a year alongside Fitch and back 2 Nature pellets. No the back 2 Nature pellets are not a food but a paper based pellet substrate which I normally mix into any wood based substrate to absorb pee or any spilt water and they act as odour control as I found wood based substrate on their own aren't good at this alone. Here is a link for the back 2 Nature pellets on the p@h website http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pe...=back+2+nature
This is the link to a page in my thread and in the first 2 pictures you can see the aspen and back 2 Nature pellets in my Pumpkin's cage (in the picture they are in layers but it gets all mixed together. (All About My Pumpkin)