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Old 01-10-2020, 02:20 AM   #1
Bryony
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Smile Sand Bath

I am thinking of getting my Syrian hamster a sand bath, what are peoples experiences with them? Do your hamsters use them a lot?
Do your hamsters burrow in them or just use them to clean themselves. I'm just wondering how deep the sand bath should be.

Has anyone found any good sandbaths online? I hear some people use things like dog bowls. Also, where do you buy your sand?

Thanks for any help!

Last edited by Bryony; 01-10-2020 at 03:27 AM.
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Old 01-10-2020, 02:36 AM   #2
peculiarplanets
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Default Re: Sand Bath

Hi! I always use chinchilla sand for my sand baths. One of my previous Russian dwarfs seemed to love it, the other didn't care for it. My current Syrian only digs around in it. Mine is a large wooden platform that's on "the second floor" of the cage. It's not very deep, as the original purpose is for the hamster is to clean themselves in the sand. With the dwarfs I used a round tupperware container that was a little deeper. I usually just add 1cm of sand but add more if I see the hamster uses the bath a lot. For my Syrian I added more sand for her to dig around in.

I buy my chinchilla sand from an online pet store, but most pet stores have it!
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Old 01-10-2020, 04:56 AM   #3
cypher
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Default Re: Sand Bath

Syrian hams vary with sand baths, some use them a lot others not so much but I do think they should all have one, it needs to be deep enough for them to dig around in, dwarf hams tend to roll in the sand a lot but I'm not sure if syrians do that so much tbh.
Mostly they use it to help keep their skin & fur in good condition, some will like to pee in it which is quite handy as it clumps up & is easy to clean out any peed on sand.
Some people use something like a salt pig or even a small lasagne dish, I don't keep syrians myself so someone else would probably be able to make better suggestions for something suitable.
Chinchilla sand does very a lot in quality some being more dusty than others so it is important to get a good brand & make sure it's sand not chinchilla dust. You can also use childrens play sand but it needs to be dried out in the oven before use.
I use this one from Rodipet & find it really good, although it translates from German as dust it is sand!
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Old 01-10-2020, 05:00 AM   #4
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Sand Bath

HI, I have had 3 Syrians, 1 loved her sand bath, it was the first thing she used when she woke up, she would have the occasional dig in it too.
The other 2 never used their sandbaths, apart from to climb over. None of them used them as a toilet.

I use chinchilla sand. I have used a brown cardboard box with brown paper inside it - so sand didn't seep out, so I could keep a natural look in the cage. I have also used plastic ice cream tub and a plastic wham box (My hamster didn't chew).

I think it is worth trying it with them to see if they use them, but I have had people tell me I NEED a sandbath for my hamsters. Which is ridiculous, not all hamsters NEED/LIKE/USE a sandbath. So don't feel bad if they don't use it.
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Old 01-10-2020, 05:44 AM   #5
peculiarplanets
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Default Re: Sand Bath

I've definitely seen a difference between the dwarfs and the syrians, like Cypher said; the dwarfs roll in it and it's really adorable. My syrian and the one of a friend just dig around. I think the size of the bath depends on what the hamster does with it. Which is also why I suggested adding a small layer of sand first so you can see how they react. If you find they only bathe in it, a smaller bath would suffice. If they dig and play, you might need something bigger. And if they don't use it at all, that's fine too!
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Old 01-10-2020, 05:52 AM   #6
Ria P
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Default Re: Sand Bath

Yep, it very much depends on the hamster. My Syrian pees in his, my Robo seems to live in his when above ground and my dwarf rolls about in his.
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Old 01-10-2020, 09:05 AM   #7
Dessi
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Default Re: Sand Bath

My dwarf loves it, he takes a bath every day. I buy reptile sand.
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Old 01-11-2020, 09:49 AM   #8
Bryony
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Default Re: Sand Bath

Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher View Post
Chinchilla sand does very a lot in quality some being more dusty than others so it is important to get a good brand & make sure it's sand not chinchilla dust. You can also use childrens play sand but it needs to be dried out in the oven before use.

Thanks for sharing all your experiences with sand baths! I think I will try one for my little ham. Cypher, do you know how long (temp?) you have to bake the children's play sand for? Is it to dry it or to get rid of parasites?
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Old 01-11-2020, 04:47 PM   #9
Engel
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Default Re: Sand Bath

All mine love the sand. My robo digs and rolls around in it, so does my one Syrian. The other 2 Syrians dig in it and use it as a toilet

I've used tiny friends farm but it was quite dusty so I tried bird sand (fine stuff sieved to get the bigger bits out. But it has a funny smell to it, unfortunately I threw the bag away so I couldn't see if it was scented or not. I'm either going to try chinchilla sand, reptile 'desert' sand or play sand.

For the actual bath itself I used a plastic lunchbox with a layer in to see what they'd do. There permanent baths are a large lunchbox, chinchilla bath (metal), reptile water dish thing and today I picked up a can fridge organiser out of Aldi for £3.99 and it's about the size of the chinchilla bath and it's sturdy too. I've heard some people use large jars as sand baths too so be creative.
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Old 01-11-2020, 11:08 PM   #10
cypher
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Default Re: Sand Bath

I don't think baking sand is to kill parasites although I guess there could be a bug or two in there it's just to dry it but I've never done it myself so not sure about temp & time, just spreading it on a tray & putting it in at a low temp until it's dry I guess.
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