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AmityvilleHams · 07-27-2020, 10:02 AM

Another far superior alternative to Carefresh would be Small Pet Select's paper bedding. Others have found it lower in dust than Clean and Cozy(which does in some cases have dust issues too - just not as commonly as Carefresh).

Personally I would go for substrates less likely to cause allergic reactions. Wood shavings of any kind, even aspen, tend to be the most likely to cause an allergic reaction. Aspen reactions may not be as common as pine reactions but they still do happen. If you did end up in that situation, you'd end up in the potentially quite frustrating situation of having to remove all the substrate which ends up wasting time and money and ultimately causes more stress to the hamster even if it really is necessary in such a case!

Aubiose is also something you could mix with a high quality paper substrate that is extremely unlikely to cause a reaction. There have been some very rare cases of reactions, but it does seem like humans are typically the ones to react and not hamsters when it comes to hemp. If you're going to choose hemp, be extremely careful as not all brands are created equal and some do have unsafe additives - for example citronella.

07-27-2020, 10:02 AM
AmityvilleHams PM Fluffy for custom title Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 4,545	Re: Wood shavings as a base? Another far superior alternative to Carefresh would be Small Pet Select's paper bedding. Others have found it lower in dust than Clean and Cozy(which does in some cases have dust issues too - just not as commonly as Carefresh). Personally I would go for substrates less likely to cause allergic reactions. Wood shavings of any kind, even aspen, tend to be the most likely to cause an allergic reaction. Aspen reactions may not be as common as pine reactions but they still do happen. If you did end up in that situation, you'd end up in the potentially quite frustrating situation of having to remove all the substrate which ends up wasting time and money and ultimately causes more stress to the hamster even if it really is necessary in such a case! Aubiose is also something you could mix with a high quality paper substrate that is extremely unlikely to cause a reaction. There have been some very rare cases of reactions, but it does seem like humans are typically the ones to react and not hamsters when it comes to hemp. If you're going to choose hemp, be extremely careful as not all brands are created equal and some do have unsafe additives - for example citronella.