Allergy?

[Rashy]

I have started to react at hamster pee. Everytime I do change the terrarium or do something where the pee is near, I do start to itch in my eyes and they can get red.
I wonder how I should attack this problem. Here in norway some people do use sand from toystores as sand in the cage. But is it better to use sand there are spesific to use in the toilet? I also feel like the smell do come fast in the terrarium as it gets trapped because of the glas doors.

Do you have some ideas for what I can do? Better sand? Change the terrarium more often?

[Ria P]

If you know where your hamster pees then i would place a toilet there so you can simply lift it out to clean.

Is there enough ventilation in the terrarium? Does it have a meshed lid?

Sand is better than toilet litter and you can use playsand but would have to wash and bake it first.
I use the Tiny Friends Farm bathing sand for the toilets.

Strange that you have started to react now and not before though.

[BreeMMA]

Hey

Sorry to hear about your allergy, have you tried taking antihistamines? Or hay fever injection? Not sure if it will help but dogs make me itchy and the injection helped a lot.

For the pee - my last hamster would dig a really deep burrow and pee in it while she was asleep, as well as pee a lot in her sand bath. Totally normal I think! I would clean the cage once a week and just put all the pee bedding in the bin. Doing a full clean where you remove more than half of the bedding in the cage might upset your hammy

For the sand I use reptile desert sand - it’s safe and has no calcium unlike the friends farm sand. It’s also much softer sand than the friends farm, which is a bit grainy.

I did toilet train my last hamster with a potty but once I gave her a sand bath (I didn’t know she needed one when I first got her) the potty training went out the window and she went in there, however the peeing in her burrow and on the wheel did eventually reduce.

Hope it helps! At the end of the day the cage is your hamsters house and they will do what they like in it haha!

[Rashy]

Yes, I have allergy pills.
I`ve heard that sand you can buy in the pet store, is to small to use because the hammy can get it in the lungs?

Haha, yes they do

[Ria P]

Originally Posted by Rashy

Yes, I have allergy pills.
I`ve heard that sand you can buy in the pet store, is to small to use because the hammy can get it in the lungs?

Haha, yes they do

I think you may be talking about chinchilla dust not sand?

[Rashy]

Originally Posted by Ria P

If you know where your hamster pees then i would place a toilet there so you can simply lift it out to clean.

Is there enough ventilation in the terrarium? Does it have a meshed lid?

Sand is better than toilet litter and you can use playsand but would have to wash and bake it first.
I use the Tiny Friends Farm bathing sand for the toilets.

Strange that you have started to react now and not before though.

For some years ago the hamster club here in norway didn`t tell hamster owners that spot cleaning is best. So when I had hamster, the cage were changed at ones a week. I think it does become different when spot cleaning, specially when the hammy does pee here and there

The chinchilla sand is the sand the hamster club do recommend. What kind of sand would you recommend?

The terrarium do have meshed lid yes but he has a big playground that he is in more then the cage

[Rashy]

It found vitapol sand, jr farm sand, lolo pets sand.. What to choose?

[LunaTheHamster1]

I use JR farm sand after Serendipity put me on to it. I don't know about the other 2 brands.