How much substrate ?

[don]

Hi.
We're getting our first hamster tomorrow. The cage is all set up ready.
I've got an Alaska cage and we're using Carefresh Confetti.

Currently, I've got a full 10 litre pack of Carefresh spread in the cage, and this probably equates to about an inch to inch and a half thick.
Is it a good idea to add some more substrate for warmth ? What is the recommended depth ?

When it comes to cleaning, is it just a matter of spot cleaning the area where he goes to the toilet ? How much bedding is typically removed/replaced during a clean ?

Thanks.

[cypher]

Ideally with a barred cage you want to fill the base with substrate, that's just about deep enough, with a bin or tank you can go deeper but most are happy enough with about 15cm which the alaska allows.

For the first few weeks if possible just remove any damp or smelly substrate if or when you need to do more of a clean leave a minimum of a third of the old substrate, they really don't need cleaning that much especially if you can get your ham to use a litter tray.

For warmth & nesting just throw in a big heap of shredded plain white toilet tissue, your ham will be cosy & happy with that!

[Bertiebobbins]

I filled the Alaska tray with substrate, I was using Carefresh I think it took at least two 10l packs and I added a third as it compressed down. Nibble spent his first week making lovely burros out of it!

He potty trained as soon as we got him home so i never really need to remove substrate just change the sand in his potty. Glowy has taken a bit longer to potty train so I was removing quite a bit of substrate as he wee'd in several spots. Now he's trained I don't remove substrate just change the sand in his potties every couple of days, he needs two potties to keep him trained whereas nibble on ever needed one.

[don]

Interesting regarding the potties and litter training.

Is it a matter of observing where he likes to do his business and then put a potty there with some sand and some of the soiled substrate inside ?

[Bertiebobbins]

With Nibble I put a bit of the soiled bedding from his carrier from our journey home in the litter tray in a corner of his cage near where he decided to nest and he always used that. He has one of those small plastic corner litter trays you can get for about £2. He very occasionally uses his sand bath as a potty but only in one corner so it's easy to see and easy to clean.

Glowy was a bit more of a challenge but he was only 4 weeks when we got him (Nibble was 8 weeks). He's in a 100x50 cm cage and I think I ended up giving him 4 little potties dotted round the cage as he would wee everywhere, particularly in his nest and in his wheel. So I did a lot of spot cleaning lol! Interestingly when he got to about 8 weeks old he started going in just two of his potties and at 10 weeks he has now stopped weeing in his nest and only uses his potties, one each side of the cage as he is usually too busy to stop what he's playing and go too far for a wee! He has one small ceramic dish from £land and one of those proper hamster toilets you can buy, his is the savic one, both have sand in them.

Most Syrians will train with the method I used for Nibble, with Glowy I think it was his age that made it take a bit longer. Of course some just won't potty train at all.... I think the weeing in the nest is the hardest to overcome because of course you clean it because it's unhygienic, but usually they wee on whatever food they hoarded in the nest so you have to replace that..... If your hams does wee in the nest, when you clean it, replace any food you find with new food in the same place and leave a little of the old spoiled bedding in there so it smells familiar.

[Pebbles82]

Originally Posted by don

Hi.
We're getting our first hamster tomorrow. The cage is all set up ready.
I've got an Alaska cage and we're using Carefresh Confetti.

Currently, I've got a full 10 litre pack of Carefresh spread in the cage, and this probably equates to about an inch to inch and a half thick.
Is it a good idea to add some more substrate for warmth ? What is the recommended depth ?

When it comes to cleaning, is it just a matter of spot cleaning the area where he goes to the toilet ? How much bedding is typically removed/replaced during a clean ?

Thanks.

Minimum 3 to 4 inches depth of substrate is usually recommended, but I'd fill the base almost to the brim (ie about 6 inches). You can even heap it up in the centre of the cage a bit more. This not only saves on substrate in the long run (the bottom layer usually stays dry), but also helps reduce the height drop from the top of the cage and gives a cushioned landing. And it encourages them to dig tunnels. As the others say if you use a potty litter tray your hamster will probably start using it straight away - ours did. You need to wait a day or see and see which corner of the cage they choose as a wee corner (it's usually a corner of the cage). Then put the potty in that corner with some Chinchilla bathing and in the potty tray and a small piece of the wee'd on substrate on top of that so the hammy knows it is still his wee corner.

Otherwise, spot cleaning is basically taking out the odd handful of particularly dirty substrate and replacing it with a clean handful and mixing that in a bit. Try to leave the nest unless he wees in it. And certainly for the first two weeks try to just do the odd bit of spot cleaning just for the wee area (if he uses the potty you might not need to do any at all in the first couple of weeks, apart from empty and refill the potty every 4 or 5 days).

Their hoards are usually ok to leave unless they have been wee'd on or unless any fresh food is hoarded. Ours eats fresh stuff straight away and never hoards it.

If he does wee in his nest, try and leave as much of the nest behind as you can and put out more paper nesting material (below) so your ham can rebuild his nest.

I have this corner tray which works well but you can use any similar kind of receptacle really.

Hamster Potty corner Litter Tray for Mice Hamster Gerbil Cage House. Size: 16 × 7 × 12/12 cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

Ours is very careful and tidy in his potty! He pees right in the back corner and sits in the front for a wash.

As well as the Carefresh for the base, you'll need nesting material - torn up strips of white toilet paper are best. Take a few sheets of toilet paper, tear them into sheets and tear each sheet lengthways into about 5 or 6 strips and put a big pile of it in the cage (not inside the house, just in the cage). Your hamster will take some to build a nest with and the pile will gradually go down as he takes more when he needs it. It's normal for them to pouch the paper to take back to the nesting area.

This video from Erin's Hamsters is very good on cage cleaning (for after the first couple of weeks). It worked well for me and our hamster is now a lot less stressed about the whole cage cleaning thing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jVnEjrXbww

[don]

Thanks for the great replies.
Another pack of carefresh has gone in and it looks so more more cosy, if not dusty. There's probably 3-4 inches in there now.

I've got the zooplus potty, with some sand in it.

[Pebbles82]

Wow that's a nice set up! I love the shelves and steps. Did you make them? Great labyrinth house too. You could still go deeper with the substrate possibly - doesn't matter if it covers the entrance to the house as they like digging down into things - I have my substrate covering most of the house door and just scoop a bit out near the door so he can find the door! He then rearranges it how he wants - either digs a bigger channel or fills it in behind him to block the door off. But if you don't have any more it's fine just now.

Depending on what kind of character your hammy is, you might want to get the odd roof toy like a grass hammock or sputnik to prevent falls from the roof onto something hard. They can easily break bones if they fall more than 25cm onto something hard. They aren't very good climbers and are short-sighted, but some will monkey bar across the roof anyway!

Lovely set up though!

This kind of thing. I'd like one but don't have room in the cage there's so much stuff in ours lol.

Natural Grass Hammock for Pets at zooplus

[don]

I do have one of those grass hammocks actually, but don't have it in at the moment. I ordered one from zooplus and they sent me 4 !

I'm all out of substrate now but I've got some more on order. I will go a bit deeper with the substrate.

Yes, the shelves & steps are home made, and the materials weren't expensive. I found it quite therapeutic making the bits and pieces.

[don]

You've convinced me to put the hammock up