Carefresh natural vs ultra

[Carla Gordon and Derrick]

Hey everyone!
Gordy and Derrick have Carefresh bedding in their cage which they seem happy with. They had confetti when they were babies (I was overexcited), but we're getting through the massive bag of carefresh natural now. I'm tempted to try the ultra as it looks like it might be fresher and more absorbent, but thought I'd open up the question to more experienced hamster parents first. In a smaller bag it works out more expensive, but is it worth it?

Cheers!

Oops another question sorry: hemp mat in the bottom of the cage. Good idea or bad idea? I heard it keeps them warmer?

[cypher]

Haven't used carefresh for years now so can't comment on that but I wouldn't put hemp mat on the base of the cage personally, it is generally safe but still quite fibrous & absolutely everything gets really stuck in it & it could get peed on so you would have to replace it quite frequently I would think, a good depth of substrate & plenty of plain toilet tissue for nests should be enough to keep them warm.

[Fluffagrams]

I've not tried Carefresh Ultra but if you're getting through a larger bale of Carefresh, have you considered some of the alternative substrates out there that are available in bulk?

The most commonly recommended one on this forum is Fitch which is made from a food grade paper and is available in bales of 10kg or more. Here's a link to the site: https://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/ani...bale-20kg.html

A 20kg bale has lasted me about three months with three Chinese in separate cages (plus a loan hamster who lived here for a month and a litter that were in single sex cages for two weeks).

Other options are available, each with their own pros and cons. Vectis Hamstery has a helpful review section on her website that's worth a look: Vectis Hamstery and Exotics - Substrate Reviews

[Carla Gordon and Derrick]

Not worried about the speed we're getting through the Carefresh - I just meant out current bag was running out I might give Fitch a go next then. I mainly wondered with the Carefresh for the freshness of the smell (not that our boys are particularly smelly anyway, but the natural smells a little funky compared to the confetti).

I'll skip the hemp mat then too if there's no big benefit as they get a very deep substrate for burrowing anyway, and have a snuggle safe on its way!

Thanks both and that link is super helpful!

[pinkneon]

I personally don't like the ultra. It seemed rougher to me for some reason, though it could have been that bag maybe? I always got the natural as it comes in a bigger bag lol. I quite liked the blue, but more for the brightness than anything else! I did find the ultra didn't have the odd smell that the natural one has when you first open the bag, but again that might have been me! LOL

[velma]

I prefer the ultra to the naturals. I found the opposite to pinkneon and found that ultra was softer. And doesn't have the funny smell that naturals sometimes has. I keep meaning to try Fitch but I need to jiggle things around to find space to store it and the same with the bigger bags of Carefresh actually so I end up buying more smaller bags as it's easier to store but you're right, works out more expensive. P@h have had it on offer a couple of times in the past few months (sadly not at the moment) so it's worth keeping an eye out for that.

[chesca_27]

Agree with Velma - Ultra is a lot softer. Haven't used the Natural one in a couple of years because I didn't like the smell. It has a very strong unpleasant smell. The Ultra and colours ones are much softer, but Ultra is my favourite as it is the most absorbent and softest one.

[Carla Gordon and Derrick]

Thanks for the feedback guys! The hamsters have a little 'pocket money fund' set up for them so I'm happy to just spend it on whatever is best.

I'm going to pick up a bag of the ultra this weekend and see what they think of it (and me). I'm also thinking that spot cleaning the cage will be much easier as it'll be easy to tell where they've had any accidents! Gordy hates full cage cleans (and generally hates leaving his cage, which makes it harder) so that will be helpful

[AmityvilleHams]

Trying Fitch is definitely a good idea It is a superior substrate compared to Carefresh,especially when considering how much dust Carefresh almost always has where Fitch has no dust.This is extremely important for small creatures with delicate lungs,such as hamsters.If you need bedding right away though,you could just get Carefresh Ultra for now and once that's close to running out invest in Fitch.It's honestly one of the things I envy most about the UK due to how inexpensive it is and the quality difference!

[Carla Gordon and Derrick]

We'll do the Fitch order in the new year I think I just need to figure out how to store it in my little flat!