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01-31-2020, 10:29 AM
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#2
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Hamster Overlord
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: London
Posts: 763
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Re: Is this safe?
That's kapok which is another type of fluff and its safety is questionable at best. It may have the same issues as cotton fluff bedding, i.e limb entanglement, obstructions, choking.
It's used a lot in Germany and considered safe by many there, but personally I wouldn't recommend it when there are safer options, like paper and tissue.
This website has lots of information on kapok:
https://strongbrew.ca/kapok
Last edited by sushi_78; 01-31-2020 at 10:39 AM.
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01-31-2020, 01:46 PM
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#3
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Hamster Addict
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 1,010
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Re: Is this safe?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sushi_78
That's kapok which is another type of fluff and its safety is questionable at best. It may have the same issues as cotton fluff bedding, i.e limb entanglement, obstructions, choking.
It's used a lot in Germany and considered safe by many there, but personally I wouldn't recommend it when there are safer options, like paper and tissue.
This website has lots of information on kapok:
https://strongbrew.ca/kapok
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Very interesting that you say it is used a lot in Germany as the only use of Kapok that I've ever known was as the stuffing for German WW2 lifejackets.
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01-31-2020, 01:55 PM
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#4
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Hamster Overlord
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: London
Posts: 763
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Re: Is this safe?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vierville
Very interesting that you say it is used a lot in Germany as the only use of Kapok that I've ever known was as the stuffing for German WW2 lifejackets.
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A search for "kapok" on a German hamster forum brought up a few results of people mentioning they used it.
https://www.das-hamsterforum.de/sear...q=kapok&o=date
One thing about kapok, is that it does have very short strands compared to cotton, so the risk of limb entanglement should be less. That still doesn't make it completely safe of course.
And yes, the natural = safe mindset is very annoying. Natural is just one of those buzzwords that manufacturers use to entice customers, but of course it doesn't mean anything. Cotton and cedar are also natural.
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01-31-2020, 02:42 PM
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#5
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PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 4,545
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Re: Is this safe?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sushi_78
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I noticed the mention of some sort of corn fiber bedding there as well. That would be absolutely unacceptable too, since corn is not suited to bedding usage(molds much too easily to be safe, typically fine as a food ingredient for hamsters though).
There's also this mentality here of "well they do (insert thing) in Germany so it must be fine". I don't always see it, but we really need to be careful with that mentality - not everything people do in one country is automatically safe, and where there are associated risks with unnecessary products we should not simply ignore them because Germany uses it. I know Germany has some valuable information for hamster care but nothing is perfect!
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01-31-2020, 01:56 PM
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#6
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House of Hamsters
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
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Re: Is this safe?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vierville
Very interesting that you say it is used a lot in Germany as the only use of Kapok that I've ever known was as the stuffing for German WW2 lifejackets.
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That's interesting and could well be the same thing.
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01-31-2020, 11:24 AM
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#7
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Hamster Pup
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 92
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Re: Is this safe?
Ah i thought so! Thanks for the advice and I'm glad I didn't buy it now
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01-31-2020, 12:29 PM
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#8
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Cosmic Hamsters
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,593
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Re: Is this safe?
I wouldn't buy/use it. I think the advice I have read on it is if it doesn't dissolve/disintegrate in water, forget it. because it wouldn't dissolve if swallowed by your hamster. Not worth the worry when paper works just great with no worries.
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01-31-2020, 01:25 PM
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#9
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Hamster Addict
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Shropshire, UK
Posts: 923
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Re: Is this safe?
While it's non toxic, it doesn't dissolve so can cause blockages if enough of it it consumed. Also fibres on it can wrap around teeth and limbs
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01-31-2020, 01:42 PM
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#10
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PM Fluffy for custom title
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 4,545
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Re: Is this safe?
While kapok does indeed share the same issues as cotton, one could even now argue that it's even more dangerous. I don't think I've ever heard of cotton having spontaneous combustion!
I do have a massive dislike to say the least of the "natural = safe" train of thought that a lot of companies use to target pet owners with less knowledge on many safety risks for our pets, but it isn't one strictly reserved to hamsters. I know I've seen endless dangerous products even for dogs(rawhide which is never natural and always harmful and unsafe flea repellents for a tiny portion of the examples) and those are one of the most common pets to have!
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