Can I use these?

[AprilPearl]

I wanted to put some hemp mats on the wooden platforms in Quigley's cage. Will this one be ok? And should I just lay the mats over the platforms, or should I attach them somehow to stop them sliding off?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, I would like to see how he reacts to a sand bath. I have some if this. Is it safe?

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pe...-sand-15-litre

On the sand's packet, it says "Only allow your pet to bathe for up to 10-20 minutes at a time to help prevent dry skin." but, I thought lots of people put sand baths in their hamsters' cages permanently. Is constant access to a sand bath bad, then?

What container can I use for the sand bath?

[Jeir]

Hemp is fine for hamsters; a lot of people use hemp as a substrate. You might want to attempt to secure it in place, as hamsters have a habit of digging at any small gap they can find, and are surprisingly strong for their size.
As for the sand, yup, many people do put it in the cage permanently, myself included. They tend to be a combination bath/potty, and chinchilla sand is, in my view, better than normal sand at keeping the smell down.
You can put the sand in pretty much any plastic/glass/ceramic container you like that will fit in the cage. Some people use the bottoms of plastic food containers, some use ceramic baking trays, some use those round-ish cookie jars turned on its side. One thing I'v noticed over the years, though, is that Syrians tend to prefer having a corner to aim for, while dwarfs don't really care too much.

[AmityvilleHams]

I'd suggest large ceramic cereal bowls/soup bowls for humans They tend to be quite easy to find,and generally come in a variety of interesting colors or designs.They're usually not expensive either!

[cypher]

I've found hemp mat stays put pretty well so you don't normally need to fix it down.

You can use anything that's hamster safe material for a sand bath, ceramic or plastic unless he tends to chew plastic, glass jars etc.
That's the sand most of us use, I think the time restriction is probably aimed at chinchillas but just leave it in the cage all the time anyway.

[flowerfairy]

You can get sand a lot cheaper on zooplus. Cant link cos it takes you straight to my account. I got that hemp stuff cheaper too but cant remembervwhere from (not very helpfully).

Found it. Amazon for 7.22 sold by amazon eu s a r l

[Drago]

Both things are safe to use, but could be bought cheaper as mentioned above. I've always wanted a hemp mat, but it's very difficult to find here in the US. The warning is aimed at Chinchillas as they should never have dust in their cages longer than 25-30 minutes

[AprilPearl]

Thanks everyone I have the hemp mats down now. Just trying to find a suitable sand container.

[Pebbles82]

Those are the same hemp mats I've bought before (the Hugro ones - some other makes are terrible). I got them from Zooplus at less than half the price. Rodipet also do one that is much thinner.

The 40cm by 100cm one is £4.99 on Zooplus. I tend to get two at a time to save on postage, because at some point they need replacing. They do seem to last quite a long time but can start shedding a bit after some time.

Nests & Nesting Materials at zooplus: Hemp Floor for Small Animals

They are really quite difficult to cut! You need very sharp scissors. As to whether to stick them down - I think it depends on the size of the shelf and what else is on the shelf. If the shelf is deep enough and there is something standing on the shelf (eg something ceramic and heavy or a wood house) they should be fine loose. I did stick one down on a narrower shelf (15cm deep) just by painting plastikote on the shelf and putting the hemp mat on when the plastikote was wet and letting it dry. That stuck it on well. Problem is when you want to replace that one it leaves part of it stuck to the shelf! I think it's easier just to stand a heavy enough toy or something on it to stop it moving.

I couldn't get hold of the Hugro ones last time and got this one from Rodipet. Which is thinner, easier to cut and seems to shed less.

Costs approx £7 and is a bit bigger. But Rodipet postage is £8.

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/nagarien...0x50x50cm.html

I have the hugro one round the bars in Newtie's cage and the thinner one on top of his house. The thinner one does move around a bit more so prefer the thicker Hugro ones even if they are difficult to cut up!

The sand you linked is the same as the old brand of Supreme Chinchilla Bathing sand - it's just been repackaged with the Tiny Friends brand, so it's fine. I don't think a hamster would spend more than 15 minutes in it anyway You could just put it in a litter tray rather than a sand bath as well. I used to do that. At the moment I don't have a litter tray as I'm still not sure where Newtie goes to the toilet lol. I have a dish with some sand on top of his house which he poops in and digs in but doesn't wee in. The sand goes everywhere lol - and it's quite a deep container. Newtie is such a tunneler that I suspect he does it in various places underground at the moment. I'll find out next time I do a mini clean.

It depends on the hamster a bit. Our last hamster didn't like sand. He would empty the sand bath and fill it with Fitch. So I just put it in his litter tray in the end and he covered that up with Fitch as well, but did use the litter tray.

Hemp mats aren't necessary really but can cushion any falls onto the edge of a shelf from the roof. I also used to put one on top of the house in winter so it was like insulation and cosier

[AprilPearl]

Thanks Serendipity. I did see the hemp on zooplus, but unfortunately it was under the minimum order price. If I’d known about needing to replace them I would have just got 2 from zooplus! Oh well. Next time. Yes, they were a real bore to cut. But, I managed it eventually. Haven’t stuck them down.

I have a little hamster toilet which has never been used. I guess I could put the sand in that.