hamster potty training and potty litter question

[candice clews]

Oh okay wont be able to do it then, i thought chinchilla sand and dust was the same thing! (Silly me!)

This is what we have from pets at home, unfortunately its dust

Screenshot_2015-04-16-18-50-59.jpg

Can i ask why you can't use chinchilla dust and what the difference between the two is (sand and dust) ?

[Nienna]

Dust has finer particles than sand, and it'll negatively affect a hamster's respiratory system. Chinchillas can close their nostrils better than hammies can.

UK members will do better at recommending products, but you could use children's play sand, rinsed and baked in the oven.

[candice clews]

Thankyou okay will leave it then has not got sand only got dust for our chinchilla!

[velma]

I use Supreme Science Chinchilla Sand because my local pet shop sells it. I think you can get it cheaper online though. And, as Nienna said, you can also buy & bake children's play sand if it's more economical.

[candice clews]

Thank you velma i will look into it!

[cypher]

I use the supreme science sand too, you can get it quite cheaply from amazon Supreme Petfoods Science Bathing Sand 1.5 Litre: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

[candice clews]

Originally Posted by cypher

I use the supreme science sand too, you can get it quite cheaply from amazon Supreme Petfoods Science Bathing Sand 1.5 Litre: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

Ive looked at exactly the same product, however I'm not sure you can buy that one, its the cheapest out them all though, most are £6 - £7 - £8. It says add on product though and also says will only be dispatched with an order of £10 or over! Ive clicked on the add on the product thing and the whole idea of it is to purchase products totaling over £10 and then getting this cheaper than what other retailers or sellers sell them for

[RubyDG]

I have a Syrian with a large corner litter tray. He likes to use two corners as a potty but always keeps one corner clean to use as a bath. Personally I use Argos children's play sand and pop it in the oven for 30min (give the sand a good swish around halfway through). Sticking the sand in the oven might sound like a hassle but honestly it's dead easy and I completely change out his litter tray once a week. For me it's worth it because for £2.99 I get 15kg of sand which lasts ages and I don't have to be frugal with the sand itself, I know my hamster definitely appreciates a big deep litter tray to rummage around in. I know every hamster is different but from my point of view sand is what they would be using in their natural environment anyway and odor isn't an issue at all with a regularly changed tray. To me paying £2.65 for 1.5kg of sand just isn't worth it.

[cypher]

Candice I know it is a bit of a pain if you only want to buy sand & nothing else but I keep a list of those add on ham things & try to remember to get them when I buy something else!
I do buy quite a lot on amazon's subscribe & save so I get my sand even cheaper.

[velma]

I like the idea of using the children's play sand but I don't have to the room & I can pick up the supreme science quite easily. I think I remember someone on here saying they'd found it at the range or Wilkos, one of those So might be worth having a look?