Substrate querie

[Schwartzie]

Originally Posted by Ria P

Schwarztie, yes i'm curious about your pot plant set up and would like to see photos because i can't visualize it even after watching the video.

I'm not bothered whether Henry burrows or not. He would have done so by now if he were that way inclined. I don't think he's bored in his cage or he'd ask to come out. He likes building his nests and that's all the engineering he wants to do.

Will get some from the garden and take a picture for you☺️☺️

[Ria P]

While stopping off for a new toothbrush for Henry i came across this home grown hemp substrate produced in Yorkshire. Has anyone tried it? It looks quite wood chippy but then again i've never looked at hemp substrate before. It's £4.49 for a kilo.

[alpacassei]

Never heard of before but I wouldnt use it for the whole cage since it is quite chunky. Maybe in a small area for texture and enrichment though.

I find Kaytee C&C holds burrows the best and its usually pretty cheap on Porton Aquapet. Personally I’ve never boticed much difference between Fitch and Carefresh except Carefresh os more expensive but come in more colours. The Tiny Friends paper bedding Ive only used once or twice for my guinea pigs but it reminds me a lot of Megazorb based on what Ive seen of Megazorb online (need to try it out soon). Its not as soft as the others but its very absorbent, doesnt seem like it would hold burrows as well as the other options though.

[Ria P]

Yes, the hemp looks quite coarse and stabby.

Henry doesn't burrow but i'm trying to find out what substrate he likes best. He doesn't seem to care what he walks on though as long as he has plenty of toilet paper for his nest and tbh, i can't see the difference between Kaytee C&C, Carefresh natural and Tiny Friends Eco bedding. I prefer to buy in a shop rather than online.

Porton Aquapet, is that the Porton near Salisbury?

I'm still looking for grasses or wheat sprays etc to compliment the natural look of Henry's set up so may have a look in the Porton shop. I hope its still there and not all gone online!

[alpacassei]

Kaytee CC reminds me a lot of soft torn up tissue in texture, Carefresh and Fitch have chunkier but soft pieces, and Tiny Friends has a firmer more granulated texture and smaller pieces.

According to their site, they still have a physical store in Salisbury as well as their online store.

Pets at Home usually has a good variety of substrates and natural forage mixes too

[Ria P]

Originally Posted by alpacassei

Kaytee CC reminds me a lot of soft torn up tissue in texture, Carefresh and Fitch have chunkier but soft pieces, and Tiny Friends has a firmer more granulated texture and smaller pieces.

Thanks for the description of the different substrates. I may try the Tiny Friends one next time but will give the hemp a miss. I prefer to buy in a real shop and use internet shopping as a last resort.

[Ria P]

Just one final question about substrate.

I saw Carefresh in a nice shade of green today which would set off the natural interior of Henry's cage nicely.
I couldn't see anything written on the packet about what dye they use so didn't buy it. Does anyway know if its a natural dye and safe for hamsters?

[AmityvilleHams]

It probably isn't natural dye unfortunately!

[alpacassei]

Not sure if the dye is natural or not but it is pet safe!

Where did you find green carefresh? I thought the green one was only availabel in the US?

[Ria P]

Originally Posted by alpacassei

Where did you find green carefresh? I thought the green one was only availabel in the US?

In a pets@home but its the first time i've seen it. Its a nice, mossy green.