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Salem13 · 01-18-2022, 08:17 PM

Coir is very absorbent and can work fine as a toilet- it shouldn't go mouldy even if the hamster decides to exclusively urinate in it. I would suggest using it in a second container rather than replacing the sand with it. It's generally used more for digging enrichment than functional the way sand is.

I use it myself and enjoy it thoroughly. My dwarf likes to dig and roll in it constantly. I like to bury dried insects and seeds in it. My previous dwarf occasionally used it as a toilet but mostly liked to just shove his face into it. I originally liked to mix about 3 parts coir to 1 part sand to bulk up the amount and really make sure all moisture was dealt with but I no longer believe thats necessary.

When coir gets wet it sort of clumps together like sand but even lightly touching it will usually break it back apart. Because it's so absorbent you won't really need to replace it as often as sand. I like to keep the old coir in a container and use it for my plants.

As a note though it can come in both bricks and bags. The bricks need to be rehydrated and broken up then dried back out- this is the more cost effective option but is a lot more time consuming. Additionally the act of breaking up the coir with your hands can occasionally scratch up your skin a bit- this isn't an issue once its actually broken up so it won't hurt the hamster though. It's nothing serious and won't actually cause bleeding but it can cause faint rashes and such- or at least it does in me. Buying in bags is more expensive but you don't have to do anything to it. It can sometimes be a bit dusty right out of the bag but it settles pretty fast and really doesn't get kicked up into the air while being used. When initially putting it into the enclosure I like to do one or two quick sprits of water in a spray bottle. It's not enough to even make the soil damp but it helps keep the initial dust to a minimum.

Also just a note on the sand- you can actually rinse the sand out and reuse it if you don't want to keep buying more. To do this you half fill of bucket with the dirty sand then run water into it until it comes out clear. This is how people 'wash' sand for aquariums, it gets rid of all the tiny particles that can float around in the water like dust. You can then let it dry by air or spread it on baking sheets and pop it in the oven for a while.

01-18-2022, 08:17 PM
Salem13 Hamster Pup Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Canada Posts: 111	Re: Coco soil vs sand as toilet Coir is very absorbent and can work fine as a toilet- it shouldn't go mouldy even if the hamster decides to exclusively urinate in it. I would suggest using it in a second container rather than replacing the sand with it. It's generally used more for digging enrichment than functional the way sand is. I use it myself and enjoy it thoroughly. My dwarf likes to dig and roll in it constantly. I like to bury dried insects and seeds in it. My previous dwarf occasionally used it as a toilet but mostly liked to just shove his face into it. I originally liked to mix about 3 parts coir to 1 part sand to bulk up the amount and really make sure all moisture was dealt with but I no longer believe thats necessary. When coir gets wet it sort of clumps together like sand but even lightly touching it will usually break it back apart. Because it's so absorbent you won't really need to replace it as often as sand. I like to keep the old coir in a container and use it for my plants. As a note though it can come in both bricks and bags. The bricks need to be rehydrated and broken up then dried back out- this is the more cost effective option but is a lot more time consuming. Additionally the act of breaking up the coir with your hands can occasionally scratch up your skin a bit- this isn't an issue once its actually broken up so it won't hurt the hamster though. It's nothing serious and won't actually cause bleeding but it can cause faint rashes and such- or at least it does in me. Buying in bags is more expensive but you don't have to do anything to it. It can sometimes be a bit dusty right out of the bag but it settles pretty fast and really doesn't get kicked up into the air while being used. When initially putting it into the enclosure I like to do one or two quick sprits of water in a spray bottle. It's not enough to even make the soil damp but it helps keep the initial dust to a minimum. Also just a note on the sand- you can actually rinse the sand out and reuse it if you don't want to keep buying more. To do this you half fill of bucket with the dirty sand then run water into it until it comes out clear. This is how people 'wash' sand for aquariums, it gets rid of all the tiny particles that can float around in the water like dust. You can then let it dry by air or spread it on baking sheets and pop it in the oven for a while.