my hamster ate cotton?

[binuu]

hello!! i am fairly a new hamster owner (in fact, i got my first ever hamster binuu just a few hours ago). i asked around for tips, and a lot of people told me to use cotton for bedding. so i did, but after about 10 mins i wasn't so sure about it and searched by myself a little bit more. as soon as i saw that it is unsafe i took the cotton out of the cage.
however, i think i saw my hamster eat a really small bit of it before i took the cotton out. i was already planning to take my hamster to the vet in a few days, but now that this happened should i take binuu there sooner? should i be worried?
i really don't know about hamster health and im kind of freaking out right now so if someone could share their opinions i would be really glad!

[Ria P]

Hello and welcome to HC!
Congratulations to your new hamster.

You are right, cotton or any kind of fabric is not suitable for hamsters. Paperbased substrate like Kaytee clean and cozy or Carefresh is good substrate.

I don't think a very small piece would do any harm though and i would just observe Binuu for now. If he starts to look or act sick then i'd take him to the vet because hamsters only need to see a vet when they're sick. Make sure that he has fresh water, food and things to chew on.

My hamsters often freeroam and i'm sure that they nibble the carpet or a blanket which hasn't harmed them.

You've done the right thing by joining this forum because here you can learn everything you need to know about hamsters, ask as many questions as you want and share stories and photos if you like.

[Ithuviel]

Yes cotton is unsafe and welcome to this comunity. Maybe you read Hemp (witch is safe) and is the raw material to make cotton?

Just do as Rias said.