[chloeeruth98]

That's an interesting one... I think some hamsters are less interested in burrowing and prefer running around, and lots of soft substrates are more aimed at burrowing.

My Syrian girl Maisie seemed perplexed by 4" deep Aspen and carefresh substrate and kept walking around in a really odd way! She's much happier with mostly paper based litter, I think because it provides a firmer surface for her to run about on. She tends to like 'running errands' and busying herself between her food bowl, sand baths, toys and wheel! She doesn't bury or dig anywhere except for in her 2 sand baths (lunchbox size Tupperware tubs) or in her bed to make her nest.

I tend to use about 3" deep of back2nature litter over the main area of her cage, and sprinkle about 1/2" carefresh over that, so she can gather bits for her bed. For the area under her nesting house though, I use all carefresh, and make that more like 4-5" deep, as she likes to dig a little tunnel and nest to sleep in. She loves safebed bedding strips too, which I leave outside her nesting house door, and she carries them inside to line her tunnel and nest carefully!