Quote:
Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams
I would avoid hay.It isn't worth the risk,and there are other safe materials that help hold tunnels without the use of a less digestible material which would also have the potential for adding too much fiber to the diet(the fiber requirement is quite minimal for hamsters).
I found that a paper substrate combined with Carefresh crinkles(marketed as a nesting material but doesn't work for nesting)works just fine for burrowing,as the extra crinkles do help the substrate keep its shape more even though paper substrate generally holds burrows just fine.However,I could see aspen or other wood holding poorly without the addition of other materials,but wood as a substrate is a poor choice to begin with for many reasons.
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Hay is actually very safe for hamsters, granted it's from a good source. If you were super concerned you could always freeze it first for sterilization. I personally have also found hay to hold tunnels extremely well with my gerbils (where as carefresh never really offered much for them) and they are very enthusiastic little builders! Hamsters, especially as they get older, actually need quite a bit of fiber in their diets to help put less strain on their digestive systems so a bit of hay here and there isn't really much harm, in fact Germans consider hay to be a necessary part of a hamster's diet and cage! Plus, I personally feel that hamsters don't eat much if any of the hay that you provide. This is just my personal opinion