Settled in

[arnoldshirl]

Originally Posted by Stanza

Your photos of Cinnamon Bun are so cute, great to hear she is settling into her new home, it looks cosy

Thank you. Her happiness makes me happy. I need and always want her to be cosy, even if that means she needs to renovate her place her wild way.

[arnoldshirl]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

In the US we have Small Pet Select and Oxbow Pure Comfort for substrate made from actual virgin fiber paper, rather than cellulose pulp(Carefresh, very common for hamsters to have allergic reactions to that even if they don't happen right away and it tends to be extremely dusty) or recycled paper(Kaytee Clean and Cozy, which frequently has dusty batches, hard pieces, etc).

In the long run I would strongly advise switching over to children's play sand rather than continuing to use reptile sand of any kind. It's a far better economic value and while you do have to rinse, sift, and bake play sand it is completely worth it when you consider how much more sand you end up getting for far less than you'd pay for reptile sand.

Well I am in the US and I haven't seen those on the shelf in Petsmart. I'll definitely add these to the list to research online to find too.
Bake play sand? Really? I need the directions on that, if you don't mind sharing that info. I never knew play sand had to be baked, isn't is safe as is because children play in it?
I do agree on the repti sand not being a economic value. $15-$18 for a mere 10 LB bag is pricey. I'll check on play sand. Any particular brand of play sand?

[AmityvilleHams]

Originally Posted by arnoldshirl

Well I am in the US and I haven't seen those on the shelf in Petsmart. I'll definitely add these to the list to research online to find too.
Bake play sand? Really? I need the directions on that, if you don't mind sharing that info. I never knew play sand had to be baked, isn't is safe as is because children play in it?
I do agree on the repti sand not being a economic value. $15-$18 for a mere 10 LB bag is pricey. I'll check on play sand. Any particular brand of play sand?

Small Pet Select is online only, not in pet stores. Oxbow is carried by some places but I don't think it's been in store as much lately.

Soft Paper Bedding for Rabbits - 100% Unbleached Virgin Fiber - Small Pet Select U.S.
Unbleached White Paper Bedding for Rabbits | Small Pet Select - Small Pet Select U.S.

Some Small Pet Select products won't be safe though, such as the lavender version of the paper substrate they came out with recently which is extremely dangerous to some small pets especially rats & mice(lavender causes neurological issues in those - best to be on the safe side with hamsters too just in case, but at the very least it's very irritating to them anyways). I also wouldn't use their recycled paper pellets or pelleted litters in general, they're much harsher on paws and not very good for hamsters overall compared to sand.

As far as baking sand goes and the entire process, it is very important. Even "sealed" packaging isn't enough to keep out bugs and such so it really does matter for safety to take the time to prepare play sand!

For the baking itself, generally I've found most people tend to go for around 350-375f for around 30 minutes in a rimmed baking sheet. For specific brands, the main thing is to get one that isn't dyed and is just natural sand. I think a lot of people have just used the Quikrete sand for example, but I'd imagine different areas & stores will have different options.

[arnoldshirl]

Quikrete all purpose sand? The coarse sand that has very small stones in it? That doesn't sound safe for my little lady. She is the size of a chicken's egg and not expected to play in substrate that is coarse. Does baking it make it softer? I am not a rocket scientist but I don't think it would make it softer, just kill any bugs living in it is all. And I am not stating that you mentioned it would, don't misunderstand me there. I have some Quikrete All-Purpose Sand in the garage, but it is what I used to mix with my concrete. If this is the Quikrete you are referring about, then I will stay paying the price for repti sand.

There's a lot of products that are hard to come by now-a-days. Something about companies unable to export, at least that is what I am being directly told from suppliers. I am definitely not going to even attempt products with any scents. I have seen quite a few on YouTube have colored substrates and some of those products I have seen in PetSmart and even at my local Pet Shop, they are scented or dyed. States it on their packaging. I will not risk my hamster's life with these products.
Worse case scenario of me running out of substrate will be me having to shred an entire package of toilet tissues for her until I find the right and safe substrate.

[AmityvilleHams]

It wouldn't be all purpose, it would be a play sand. You definitely wouldn't want anything coarse or with stones in it!

Honestly with my rats I started out using the plain cheap toilet paper from Walmart(around 60 cents or so for a 4 pack) as their main substrate. It worked fine for them but since then I've switched to shredding my own plain paper bags instead since they prefer the texture and they can make their own nests with it very easily. It's not the most convenient choice, but it's another decent option to have especially in a pinch.