Hamster Central - View Single Post - pup deaths and the effects of using silica cat litter

Sandi · 05-07-2018, 07:05 AM

hi!
I am new to this forum so please excuse me if this topic doesnt fit in the right section! I am a hamsterbreeder, maybe you could say an old breeder as I have bredhamsters for the best part of 25 years now, and have always had hamsters in my life more or less! Just to introduce myself I am a 62 year old woman with a crazy streak for the Syrian species of hamster.
I have always been successful up til now in getting big litters , 12-19 per litter,, and have been succesful in raising them to be fine hamster pups and finding good homes for them all. But lately things have been changing, I get smaller litters and when a large litter comes, there are a lot of pups that die. They die either by the mom eating them,but thats natural, but many just are lying dead with no obvious reason of sickness or injuryand I have been racking my brains as to whats going on now amongts my hamsters. They have all the right cages and equipment, they have always been fed the same food, but the only thing I have changed in the past year is the toilet, and there I have beeen using silica crystalled cat litter. And so slowly the hamsters are dying and not making it.
is there anyone that hAS THE SAME EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE THIS IS THE ONE thing i have done differently really, i mean could silica dust crystals get onto baby hamsters and they get the dust inside them from their mothers who have dug in silca dust when usng the toilet?
I have done a bit of research about this, and have come to learn that in cats, there is a tendency to respiratory sickness excaberated by the presence of silca dust., so if this is so in cats, how might it affect our small friends who have such tiny and sensitive respiratory organs? I dont know, I am playing Devils Advocate here, i only just need to find out why my pups are dying and if we indeed can have a real problem here.??

o

05-07-2018, 07:05 AM
Sandi Newborn Pup Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Nykøbing Falster Denmark Posts: 4	pup deaths and the effects of using silica cat litter hi! I am new to this forum so please excuse me if this topic doesnt fit in the right section! I am a hamsterbreeder, maybe you could say an old breeder as I have bredhamsters for the best part of 25 years now, and have always had hamsters in my life more or less! Just to introduce myself I am a 62 year old woman with a crazy streak for the Syrian species of hamster. I have always been successful up til now in getting big litters , 12-19 per litter,, and have been succesful in raising them to be fine hamster pups and finding good homes for them all. But lately things have been changing, I get smaller litters and when a large litter comes, there are a lot of pups that die. They die either by the mom eating them,but thats natural, but many just are lying dead with no obvious reason of sickness or injuryand I have been racking my brains as to whats going on now amongts my hamsters. They have all the right cages and equipment, they have always been fed the same food, but the only thing I have changed in the past year is the toilet, and there I have beeen using silica crystalled cat litter. And so slowly the hamsters are dying and not making it. is there anyone that hAS THE SAME EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE THIS IS THE ONE thing i have done differently really, i mean could silica dust crystals get onto baby hamsters and they get the dust inside them from their mothers who have dug in silca dust when usng the toilet? I have done a bit of research about this, and have come to learn that in cats, there is a tendency to respiratory sickness excaberated by the presence of silca dust., so if this is so in cats, how might it affect our small friends who have such tiny and sensitive respiratory organs? I dont know, I am playing Devils Advocate here, i only just need to find out why my pups are dying and if we indeed can have a real problem here.?? o