[mangoandmimi]

Don't know what kind of kapok that is - wouldn't use it if it has seeds in it that can be ingested and considering this is part of a litter I definitely wouldn't use it. But some kapok I would say is fine to use, the high quality ones which are quite dust free (ie not the ones from the pod). The majority of germans who use it have done their research and have decided that it's fine to use, it is definitely different from the fluffy bedding that's sold here so they can't really be compared. The fibres are short and weak so there isn't the same risk of tangling round limbs and that experiment conducted that 'proved' that blockages could occur was so flawed that it doesn't really show anything at all.

I think it's one of those things where it's important not to pick and choose what is and isn't dangerous. Lots of people in the german hamster community deem barred cages as quite unsafe really which to be fair, is true when you see the amount of injuries occurring from bar chewing (snapped teeth, broken jaws, the list goes on) or falling from the tops of cages. Plastic too, if ingested it can cause serious damage yet people continue to use that without much thought and it certainly hasn't been deemed unsafe.

I will say I don't use kapok and probably won't as I'm happy with tissue, and rather not take the risk but I don’t see a problem with anyone who does choose to use it as a bedding.