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Old 04-04-2017, 02:24 PM   #1
Graceread
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Default How deep should my bedding be?

What is the best depth for bedding? We live in the US. What is your favorite bedding?
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Old 04-04-2017, 02:36 PM   #2
Drago
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Default Re: How deep should my bedding be?

It really depends on what species you have some, like chineseys and robos enjoy burrowing a bit more than say, a Syrian. However, the bare minimum I would ever recommend keeping a Syrian on (and this is given they're not a burrower) would be 5 inches. A better minimum would be 8-10 inches with 12+ being best My favorite bedding and perhaps the best available in the US would have to be kaytee clean and cozy, but just about any soft, hypoallergenic, and minimal dust bedding will work just fine!
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Old 04-04-2017, 02:44 PM   #3
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Default Re: How deep should my bedding be?

For Syrians,you want 8-12 inches.For robos and Chinese I wouldn't go under 4 inches,but really they do appreciate just as much substrate as a Syrian As for the other dwarf species,around 6-8 inches at least is what you want.It doesn't hurt to go above and beyond this for any species,as there are so many benefits to using deep substrate!

In terms of substrate,you want something that absolutely cannot cause any allergies.This rules out wood products(even aspen can and more often than you'd think will cause issues).I know that Kaytee Clean and Cozy is a very good choice,and it does hold burrows perfectly on its own as well as if you get it from a good source(there are some issues ordering it from Amazon apparently)it has little to no dust.A lot of people also recommend Oxbow Pure Comfort,although I haven't tried it personally.Definitely stay away from Carefresh though,it's only good as a last resort substrate when there are no other hypoallergenic choices since while it generally doesn't cause allergic reactions on its own there is often a massive amount of dust.Not only does it have ridiculous levels of dust,it's also extremely expensive in almost any case Just make sure any substrate is unscented,as the scented varieties are completely unsafe regardless of "natural" sourcing(Kaytee scented varieties for example would be one of these unsafe substrates).
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Old 04-04-2017, 02:57 PM   #4
Graceread
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Default Re: How deep should my bedding be?

We have a Chinese draft hamster. The bedding we bought when we purchased "Coffee" (our hamster) is from Pet Supplies Plus Paper Bedding. It does not appear to have any dust or smell. Is this O.K. till we use it up? It won't take long...we have the bedding way to shallow. I will look for the ones you recommend. I'm not sure what our pet stores have. Also, we bought Chinchilla sand but our hamster is not at all interested. We just touched a bit on her back to dry up the oils from holding her. It is sand (not dust) but to me it still seems dusty.
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Old 04-04-2017, 03:00 PM   #5
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Default Re: How deep should my bedding be?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Graceread View Post
We have a Chinese draft hamster. The bedding we bought when we purchased "Coffee" (our hamster) is from Pet Supplies Plus Paper Bedding. It does not appear to have any dust or smell. Is this O.K. till we use it up? It won't take long...we have the bedding way to shallow. I will look for the ones you recommend. I'm not sure what our pet stores have. Also, we bought Chinchilla sand but our hamster is not at all interested. We just touched a bit on her back to dry up the oils from holding her. It is sand (not dust) but to me it still seems dusty.
That bedding should be fine granted it has no additives You can always order kaytee C&C online from places like Amazon (and I believe maybe chewy has it but double check first) What brand of chinchilla sand is it? Not all hamsters are interested in sand baths so I wouldn't recommend putting sand on her fur as this can sit there and cause irritation/dry skin which you don't want. Overall I'd just leave it there and see if she uses it, but if not that's perfectly fine too!
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Old 04-04-2017, 03:06 PM   #6
Graceread
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Default Re: How deep should my bedding be?

We bought Kaytee Chinchilla Bath Sand. Also, if you have 8-12 inches of bedding. How do you get her out of her cage with out wrecking her tunnels? I mean she might be hard to find, then your putting your hand in- digging around to find her?? I am assuming you completely empty the bedding each week as we have been doing?
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Old 04-04-2017, 03:08 PM   #7
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Default Re: How deep should my bedding be?

Chewy does in fact have it!They also have great prices on Whimzees,and I've even seem some diabetes friendly dog biscuits with excellent quality ingredients

https://www.chewy.com/sojos-good-dog...t-pie/dp/35057

Those are a really good example.They do cost more than some biscuits,but the quality is most certainly there.There are quite a few different brands though,but make sure if they're going to be shared with dogs that they at least don't have any corn or wheat and regardless of that for any animal they should have no digest,biproducts,artificial dyes or flavors,no artificial sugar(no added sugar at all for diabetes prone species),and only use specified ingredients.

As for getting hamsters out,hamsters come out on their own.Do not under any circumstances force them out of tunnels or hiding places,this can cause terrible stress Don't remove bedding weekly either,spot clean only.Overcleaning stresses a hamster out and makes them far more prone to illness,since it does seriously compromise their immune system.12 inch deep substrate can last a year or potentially more in most cases!
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Old 04-04-2017, 03:16 PM   #8
Graceread
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Default Re: How deep should my bedding be?

Sorry, I'm not understanding how to spot clean. One year...wow. How do you get all the little poops up. She poops all over. Yes, we are new to this. And urine too? I'm thinking it would smell.
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Old 04-04-2017, 03:17 PM   #9
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Default Re: How deep should my bedding be?

I agree with amity, over cleaning a cage really does more harm than good! How large is your cage? Depending on your cage size, you could go months without cleaning without having an issue as long as your bedding is deep enough. To get your ham out, Id wait for her to come to you. You can entice her out with diabetes friendly treats or perhaps just by calling her, but wrecking her tunnels and such will just stress her out unfortunately. The kaytee "critter bath powder" isn't a super high quality sand, and as you mentioned, is quite dusty this I wouldn't recommend it. The same company that makes harry/hazel hamster food also makes a chinchilla sand which is by far the best choice for a sand pit


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005O...8YL&ref=plSrch

Edit: spot cleaning means removing any peed on bedding and only a bit of the feces if they get excessive, but some needs to be left behind. No need to worry, you're being responsible by asking
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Old 04-04-2017, 03:33 PM   #10
Graceread
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Default Re: How deep should my bedding be?

We made a bin cage with 2 stories. We also made a travel cage. My daughter is 7. She holds "Coffee" constantly and made a pouch she carries her in. Coffee is super friendly. My daughter brings her to the pet stores and the workers are amazed at how tame she is. Hope we are doing everything ok for her. I won't use the sand then. Her fur is not quite as smooth looking, but that's ok. The sand made her fur look like the day we bought her. My daughter also wants to know about chew toys. We bought the Kaytee Apple sticks but we haven't seen her use them. Should we be worried about her teeth length? Maybe she chews at night but I don't see many marks on it. Would this be where the dog bones come into play?
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