How deep should my bedding be?

[JLPrairie]

When hamsters chew sticks you sometimes can see little teeth marks. Check to see if there are any. If not, it isn't very surprising. Most hamsters refuse to chew wood. Mine likes loofa, but yes, this is usually when I would throw in some Whimzees. Or Greenies. Probably Whimzees.
Here's a Whimzees v. Greenies thread, in case you have some difficulty deciding which dog chew to buy:
Greenies or Whimzees?
Some people say Milk Bones are ok too, but the ingredients are pretty horrid, so I didn't get any.

EDIT:just noticed you already said you didn't notice any teeth marks. Ignore the first 2 sentences, please.

[AmityvilleHams]

I wouldn't use Greenies at all,there are just too many cases of them being unsafe and the ingredients are always questionable.They use "fruit" colors or something like that(some sort of unspecified fruit based dye,forget the exact phrasing they use,but unspecified regardless)which could mean anything therefore is honestly not worth risking.

There are way better biscuits than Milk Bones especially in the US(even if there weren't I would still never use them with the exception of a few that have decent ingredients,not hamster safe though),so I'd agree on that For example Sojos have some hamster safe biscuits(not all diabetes friendly,though there is at least one flavor that is)as well as Wet Noses and quite a few other brands.Sometimes the dog biscuits may be organic or human grade(Sojos is human grade,Wet Noses are organic)but those things aren't extremely important as long as the ingredients are good and they come from a reputable company.There are a few shady companies out there for dog products(Evanger's and Diamond for example,loads of recalls and sketchy practices)but with the good companies you can usually find some nice treats for hamsters!

[cypher]

If you can get the sand Drago linked to that would be great for her, not just for coat condition but also for helping to keep claws trim & Chineseys just love to dig & roll in their sand, mine will do it for ages. For some reason they seem to much prefer a rounds sand bath, unlike Russians which generally roll onto their backs in the sand Chineseys like to kind of lie on their side & go round & round in circles (very funny to watch) so if you can get something round & deep enough for a good dig I'm sure Coffee will love it.

Cleaning doesn't have to be difficult, they do normally pee in one place (plus the wheel!)& once you figure out where that is you can just clean that area every few days or when it needs it, that way you can leave her burrows intact most of the time.
Don't worry about the poo! You can leave that for some time without a problem, I generally just clean maybe half or a third at most of the cage once a month or even less if it doesn't need it.
If she's having a good quality diet with natural seeds then that will help to keep her teeth trim, some hams don't chew wood & even the odd ham doesn't take much interest in whimzees, I have to say my Chineseys aren't that mad about whimzees unlike my Russians but they do like the occasional greenie, dog biscuits can help too but the most important thing is the main diet & if you give extra seeds like sunflower to always give them in the shell so they have to chew their way in.
I give mine a monkey nut about once a week & getting into that is good for their teeth too, you may need to make just a tiny break in the shell at each end to get her started on it but if she can chew her way through the shell then you won't need to be worrying about her teeth!
If you ever want to check them though try holding a treat just above her head & as she reaches up for it you should be able to get a good look at her teeth.

[ChocoMintAnswersSincere]

I do 3" of bedding for my syrian and like care fresh.

[AmityvilleHams]

I don't think that 3" is enough for a Syrian Carefresh is very much a personal choice but I'd say it's more of a last resort substrate.There are superior substrates out there,which are actually respiratory friendly unlike Carefresh.

[JLPrairie]

I used CareFresh with my first two hamsters (RIP Cocoa and Peter), but the problem ended up being that I started developing an allergy to it. Although I was allergic to dust before, it got much worse. I was sneezing whenever I played with my hamsters. Plus, it doesn't expand a lot, and as a lot of the CareFresh clumps disintegrate into dust during the shipment and whatnot, you don't get your money's worth (especially since CareFresh is so expensive).

I use Kaytee Clean and Cozy, works a lot better.
I don't think 3 inches is suitable for a Syrian, I use 4-6 inches for my Winter White and plan to have more bedding (especially since I've figured out how to make DIY bedding using toilet paper, so simple and easy even though it doesn't have much odor control, which doesn't really matter if the hamster is potty trained) once I've upgraded Titania to a larger cage.

[Graceread]

We found and bought Kaytee clean and cozy and yes...Coffee loves her burrows!!!! We also bought some whimzees and she likes the green one!! We bought the Sojos chicken pot pie dog treats she doesn't touch those (our cats just think they are o.k.) We tried again the sand bath and all Coffee will do is walk through it to get out the other side
She goes on a play date tonight (and every Friday) to my daughters friends house where they play together with their Chinese dwarf hamsters. The hamsters get along well but it's only for an hour or two. We having loads of fun. Coffee is super sweet and she even went to the holistic pet shop and got her picture taken with the Easter bunny. Does anybody want to see it? Thanks for ALL your help!!!!

[Drago]

I personally wouldn't recommend allowing your chinesey to have a play date with your friend's hamsters. Chinese hamsters are solitary by nature and really should never be introduced to one another except for the purposes of breeding (which should be left to those who are experienced). Besides the inherent dangers of breeding, you could also end up with them having a fight. They may appear to get along, but being forced with other hamsters can be highly stressful and stress can lead to illness Things can change in an instant and while they may get along just fine one day, they could kill one another the next and that's not a risk that I personally would ever take. Another issue is that disease could be passed on from one hamster to another and you could wind up with a very high vet bill, or worse even, a dead hamster. Your hamsters really wouldn't benefit from a play date at all, so instead perhaps you could just play with one another's hamsters individually? In the end it's your hamster and your choice, but please remember that it's only humane to do what's in her best interest


Glad to hear though that she's enjoying the new bedding!
I would love to see the picture of little Coffee with the Easter bunny

[JLPrairie]

Show us the pic!
Please don't let the two hamsters have any contact with each other. Even the scent of another hamster can stress them both a lot.

[Graceread]

Ok yeah the girls mostly just hold their own hamsters by themselves and play. They don't put them together. I'll make sure to tell them tho. Boy there sure is a lot to learn about them.