Warning....Fluffy Bedding

[Teenzeh&Cherie]

WARNING ( NO NOT EVER USE !!!)



I went to the cage this morning and could here what i thought was a newborn hamster cry...i thought OMG i've sexed them wrong ( male cage)

So i gave them some food and traets and only 3 out of 4 came out !!

So i went hunting for the 4th...there i found him with the wooly bedding tied round his little front paw..i've freed him from most of it ...his hand red and swollen...i got to find a way to keep him still enough to remove the rest !!!



We bought it months ago...but i dont remeber putting it in there !!!!...

the best place for it now is in the bin so it cant ever be put in my cages again !!!!



Well after 20 minutes or more we managed to remove it by myself firmly holding the hamster over on its back ( thumb under chin)

And my friend sitting patiently undoing the nouse that had been formed....but we got it free after some scary minutes.

The "Snug Bed" pet bedding came from a shop called wilco ( ment to be ideal for mice, gerbils, hamsters )



in small writing it says:

If your pets twists the bedding and gets it wrapped around its limbs, remove immediately to avoid constriction.



But luckly although it says that it also says that they will give CASH-BACK PROMISE....if not happy with product !

[babyboos]

Oh I do hope he is going to be okay and you found him in time to stop the circulation being compromised. Great advice (sarcastic) like we are watching our little ones 24/7! Hope you are feeling more calm too and write a nice letter to the manufacturer asking why they are selling this product if it has this known side-affect.

[Teenzeh&Cherie]

I done the letter and sent a short while ago...I was so lucky that my friend knows what he's doing with hamsters...not many men would come round just to sort out a poorly hamster.

I now intead to write to a number of companys who sell this type of bedding to see if they put a warning on





Could you please tell me why your natural Nestex product do's not come with a warning ?



I bought this product after reading that it was ideal for hamsters and mice- snug,warm,clean & cosy.



Today i've had to save my hamster from having his front paw amputated...after he got it caught in some bedding of the same type....when wound it forms a strong cotton thread. (was not your product but the same)

Very swollen and sore where he'd started to try to eat his own paw to free himself.



I will continue to use your Neetnest which is alot safer and havent had any problems with my 23 hamsters with this product.



I dont think Animals should have to suffer and if a warning was put onto this product then the owner would have more of an informed choice to make.

[Emma]

Fluffy cotton-wool type bedding is completely unsuitable for small pets, due to problems like you've had with it winding round limbs, and also if the animal decides to eat it, it can cause gut and cheek pouch impactions.



Most beddings of this type do now have a disclaimer on the packet. As babyboos said, like that will help! But really, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. I used to use it for years, and had very few problems, but it's not worth that risk is it.



To be honest, I think writing to manufacturers won't change things, they make products as long as there is a market to sell them. Writing to pet shops and asking them to stop stocking them will make a difference, IMO. Not that I've done that myself, but if you wanted to make a difference I think it's the pet shops, especially the chain ones, that campaigning should be aimed at. And educating owners via sites like this one



For bedding I use paper shavings (I think it's called Safe-Bed? It's just plain white paper tissue squares basically). The animals can't get tangled up, and it's digestible. Although only Alfie has bedding anymore, since the robos moved to their new big tank, they just make nests and tunnels in the sawdust and I haven't given them specific bedding material as they only spread it all over the cage.



Apparently there used to be a brand of cotton-wool type bedding that was endorsed by the NHC (National Hamster Council) until a few years ago, the endorsement was removed due to financial reasons. I was told that there was evidence that the product in question was "biodegradable" - not sure what that means - that still wouldn't make me happy using that product though!

[SnuggleHam]

Opsy!! I was confused and I picked carefresh as bedding, then I realized what you really mean is "nesting material" not bedding. To me when one talks about bedding it means what they use to cover the bottom of their cage with.



I use an equivalent to carefresh called crittercare as my bedding, but I usually offer two plies of tissue for them to tear up and sleep in.



I’m so sorry to hear about your little one. It’s to bad you didn’t hear about the dangers before hand and had to learn the hard way. I certainly hope that the swelling goes down and everything will be ok

[Teenzeh&Cherie]

i recieved this e-mail from the General Enquiry - Nestex





Dear Cherie,



Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Firstly I hope that your Hamster is recovering, secondly, this is indeed a rare and isolated incident especially with a fully grown adult Hamster. I say this as we put a warning on the pack outlining the safe use of our bedding with new born kits & young animals. Your comments will be aired and discussed at our next production meeting.



Thank you for your valued comments.



Kind regards,



Stuart White (European Sales Manager)

[SnuggleHam]

Ya right, How many people do you think they have had complain about this? I highly doubt that they will change anything or pull it off the market, they probably just tell ya that to make you feel better.



If they did do something is would be a nice surprise..

[babyboos]

Nice of them to acknowledge your little one's suffering at least. I hope they are true to their word. Well done to you for bringing this incident to their attention.

[Teenzeh&Cherie]

I recieved a letter today from Wilkinsons ( where i bought my fluffy bedding)

They thanked me for contacting them and the problems i had.

quote :

" After some investigation , I am pleased to be able to reassure you that the problem described does appear to be an isolated occurrence. However , may i assure you that we will continue to monitor customer comments and product returns closely"



As a gesture of goodwill they have given me a gift voucher to the value of £10 - Which i will use towards paper bedding and food and treats.

[Emma]

Haha - isolated occurence. Hmm!



Wilkinsons is good for picking up cheap cages and toys - where else can you find a 99p wheel, even if it is only really suitable for robos - but I don't get anything else from there. Most of the food they sell is poor quality, I know they carry Supreme range "Harry Hamster" etc but its with different packaging and looks suspect to me, it doesn't mention the probiotic that is now in HH food, I'm suspicious it might be quite old!