Fitch

[freyashamsters]

Hi everyone
I received my bale of Fitch the other day and I thought I'd share my initial opinions on it. Please tell me if there is anything I've missed

PROS
-Very good value for money
-Virtually dust-free
-Bag lasts ages - 3 cage cleans only used a quarter of the bag
-Very soft, much softer than CareFresh
-Holds burrows and tunnels well
-Large quantity means you can put a deep layer in the cage
-Excellent absorbency & odour control
-No phenols or toxins
-Competely biodegradeable - safe for hams to ingest

CONS
-Size of bag makes it hard to store unless you have something like a shed
-Very heavy
-Plastic bag is very thin - if recommend using something like garden waste bags to store it
-Whiteness can vary from batch to batch
-No colour selection
-Can cling to LH males' coats
-Lot of money to spend at once

Overall I'd give this bedding a 9/10 and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for an absorbent, soft and dust-free bedding. Our LH Female Syrian loves it and so do we

[Fluffagrams]

I think you've made some very good points and I wouldn't disagree with anything you've said.

I first tried Fitch about a year ago when both myself and one of my hamsters developed sensitivities to wood shavings and Carefresh worked out to be more expensive and since then I haven't looked back.

It's a nice substrate that my hamsters also use to build up their nests and as Lord James will be able to verify is great for tunnelling and digging. Jessie will also tell you that it's good for building mountains too.

I find that whilst it is a bigger expense than buying a smaller bag of wood shavings, I find that its value pays off in the long term, particularly if like me you have more than one hamster. I found the hard way about the bag being a bit thin though after spreading some all over the kitchen floor when my first bag arrived.

[Pebbles82]

I love it! Agree with everything you say there. Because of the size/storage issue I only get the 10kg bags and one of those still lasts me about 6 months. I prefer to store it indoors so it doesn't get damp. My tip would be - stick it in the corner of a bedroom with a throw over it and it looks like a beanbag

I hadn't noticed that the inner plastic bag was thin but I tend to fill a smaller plastic bag from the big one and leave the big one where it is. I'd actually give it 10/10 because it's the best thing I've used - plus it doesn't smell of anything - some substrates smell quite funny.

[freyashamsters]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

I love it! Agree with everything you say there. Because of the size/storage issue I only get the 10kg bags and one of those still lasts me about 6 months. I prefer to store it indoors so it doesn't get damp. My tip would be - stick it in the corner of a bedroom with a throw over it and it looks like a beanbag

I hadn't noticed that the inner plastic bag was thin but I tend to fill a smaller plastic bag from the big one and leave the big one where it is. I'd actually give it 10/10 because it's the best thing I've used - plus it doesn't smell of anything - some substrates smell quite funny.

Thank you! That sounds like a great idea - I will definitely try it as it sticks out like a sore thumb in my mums room! Yes I like how it is completely unscented
as well

[Pebbles82]

I tend to leave the inner plastic bag inside the more heavy duty black plastic bag it comes in and just open it from the top. The plastic bags are really "tall" so I've found you can squish the bag into different shapes ha ha. Because there's extra space in the plastic bags for the substrate to squish into. So sometimes I've squished it tall and thin to fit between a wardrobe and a chair, and other times I've squished it low and flat to fit under a chair, but now I just have it as a beanbag with a throw over it.

[Cheddar]

Hey Freya
Thank you for this post - it's very helpful to me!
I will definitely try fitch if I get a hamster and if the hamster does not respond to it happily then I will buy carefresh.
In my opinion I think for £22, fitch is worth the money for how big the bag is.
I am going to read the reviews on Amazon so I can use people's perspectives to help me with my research and allow me to make decisions when purchasing
~ Cheddar xoxo