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Otaku · 07-12-2020, 01:23 PM

AmityvilleHams: Thank you for your advice! I had either read on one supplier page or heard on a review that the teabag bedding was from offcuts and not from used teabags themselves however, your warning does make me question the source of the materials so I'll scrub that off the list.
I also really appreciate your warning against Aspen substrate. As a safe type of wood shaving I read 'Aspen' often but allergy warning ring alarm bells. It's certainly better to be safe than sorry so I will eliminate that option too.
As for the hemp bedding, I didn't realise that. Looking at the hugro bag it says '100% plant-based', not '100% hemp'... a real eye opener!

Luna: Thank you for replying! I used to use Megazorb for my rabbit's litter tray. It was soft and light, but it had a slight smell and could be dusty, particularly toward the bottom of the bag. For that reason I am hesitant to use it for my hamster as he has to live on/in the substrate. Additionally, he is a long-haired Syrian so I fear it might get tangled in his fluffy butt, which isn't ideal as he is an absolute sweetheart but not keen on handling, so mummy helping him would be stressful.
There are 20kg bales of Aubiose on ebay for £20 including shipping. Is that a fair price? It's so hard to compare when some are in liters and others in kg.
Apologies for not pricing the SPS paper bedding alone, the mixed bedding pack seemed a good deal until Amity said that Aspen can cause allergies. But yes, the 52l compressed/178l usable volume is £40.68. The fact that Kaytee only shows the 'usable volume' made it difficult to compare - I suppose because it is supposed to expand x 3 I simply need to divide the usable volume by 3. (I dislike how vague it can be as it allows companies to mislead customers because they have not explicitly stated anything.)

It sounds like SPS soft paper bedding is the way to go.

Thank you both so much for your input! I shall follow up with a review, including a comparison with Kaytee C&C and images.

07-12-2020, 01:23 PM
Otaku Hamster Pup Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 125	Re: Substrate AmityvilleHams: Thank you for your advice! I had either read on one supplier page or heard on a review that the teabag bedding was from offcuts and not from used teabags themselves however, your warning does make me question the source of the materials so I'll scrub that off the list. I also really appreciate your warning against Aspen substrate. As a safe type of wood shaving I read 'Aspen' often but allergy warning ring alarm bells. It's certainly better to be safe than sorry so I will eliminate that option too. As for the hemp bedding, I didn't realise that. Looking at the hugro bag it says '100% plant-based', not '100% hemp'... a real eye opener! Luna: Thank you for replying! I used to use Megazorb for my rabbit's litter tray. It was soft and light, but it had a slight smell and could be dusty, particularly toward the bottom of the bag. For that reason I am hesitant to use it for my hamster as he has to live on/in the substrate. Additionally, he is a long-haired Syrian so I fear it might get tangled in his fluffy butt, which isn't ideal as he is an absolute sweetheart but not keen on handling, so mummy helping him would be stressful. There are 20kg bales of Aubiose on ebay for £20 including shipping. Is that a fair price? It's so hard to compare when some are in liters and others in kg. Apologies for not pricing the SPS paper bedding alone, the mixed bedding pack seemed a good deal until Amity said that Aspen can cause allergies. But yes, the 52l compressed/178l usable volume is £40.68. The fact that Kaytee only shows the 'usable volume' made it difficult to compare - I suppose because it is supposed to expand x 3 I simply need to divide the usable volume by 3. (I dislike how vague it can be as it allows companies to mislead customers because they have not explicitly stated anything.) It sounds like SPS soft paper bedding is the way to go. Thank you both so much for your input! I shall follow up with a review, including a comparison with Kaytee C&C and images.