Bird sand

[Muis]

Hi,
i have a question. is it save to use bird sand for my hamsters cage? i want her to have a sand box but i cant find a pet shops that has sand specificly for hamsters. the bird sand i found is made from crushed shells and it says that the sand has an anise aroma.

xxx-Muis

[Fluffagrams]

Originally Posted by Muis

Hi,
i have a question. is it save to use bird sand for my hamsters cage? i want her to have a sand box but i cant find a pet shops that has sand specificly for hamsters. the bird sand i found is made from crushed shells and it says that the sand has an anise aroma.

xxx-Muis

Where about in the world are you so that we might be able to recommend the best options for you?

Personally I'd avoid anything with an aroma as this can lead to irritation and allergies.

I've not often seen sand sold specifically for hamsters but it's worth looking for Chinchilla Sand in the pet shop which should be fine. You'll need to make sure it's not chinchilla dust though as this can irritate a hamsters airways.

Alternatively some people use children's play sand. As the grains in most of the play sand's I've seen are washed and rounded, they're less likely to irritate.

[cypher]

I wouldn't use anything scented at all & crushed oyster shell is quite sharp.
You want to look for Chinchilla sand, not dust. This is the one most of us here in the UK use, the packaging has recently been changed, it used to be Charlie (chinchilla) but now says Charlie, Harry & Gerri on the pack so they must have realised it's often used for hams & gerbils too!

[Vectis Hamstery]

If I haven't managed to get hold of anything else I've used bird sand, but never anything scented (and I sieve the shell bits out before putting it in the hamster's cage).

[LisaMichelle]

I use chinchilla sand (not dust) but ErinsAnimals on YouTube uses children's play sand from the Early Learning Centre. That would probably work out cheaper in the long run too.

[AmityvilleHams]

If you want a very good deal with a bit of extra effort,children's play sand can work very well once sterilized by baking it.In some places it can even be the only safe option,but that depends on the country!

[Muis]

hi and thanks everyone ,
I did manage to find chinchilla sand so that is what i'm using now
bye bye