Hamster Wheel Issues - HELP ASAP! CAN'T SLEEP!

[Pebbles82]

Tissue paper is one of the safest things Paper substrate is non allergenic and strips of plain white toilet paper do well for nesting - they don't have problems pouching it. Fluffy bedding for nesting is of course very dangerous but you probably know that!

I use Fitch paper bedding and have done for years - our hamsters like it because it's soft (it also holds tunnels) - they sometimes take the odd bit for the nest as well as the toilet paper strips. Some people use Kaytee Clean and Cozy which is similar. Not sure if it works out more expensive though. Fitch costs me £23 for a 10kg bag which is about the size of a child's beanbag and you can squish it into different shapes to fit under a chair or next to a wardrobe eg (so doesn't take up too much space). One of those lasts me a good six months with spot cleaning and a litter tray.

They do like soft things!

I wouldn't use any damp making substrates - just more problems than its worth - their health is the most important thing.

I have that wheel too Mine is screwed upside down in a barred cage.

[Imogen]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Tissue paper is one of the safest things Paper substrate is non allergenic and strips of plain white toilet paper do well for nesting - they don't have problems pouching it. Fluffy bedding for nesting is of course very dangerous but you probably know that!

I use Fitch paper bedding and have done for years - our hamsters like it because it's soft (it also holds tunnels) - they sometimes take the odd bit for the nest as well as the toilet paper strips. Some people use Kaytee Clean and Cozy which is similar. Not sure if it works out more expensive though. Fitch costs me £23 for a 10kg bag which is about the size of a child's beanbag and you can squish it into different shapes to fit under a chair or next to a wardrobe eg (so doesn't take up too much space). One of those lasts me a good six months with spot cleaning and a litter tray.

They do like soft things!

I wouldn't use any damp making substrates - just more problems than its worth - their health is the most important thing.

I have that wheel too Mine is screwed upside down in a barred cage.

I actually use the Kaytee Clean and Cozy for my hamster. He loves it! I paid £13 for a 49.2 litre bag and I've barely dug into mine. I've had it for about 7 weeks now. However, I'm debating on purchasing another bag so I can add some texture like I wanted to with the coconut fibre but instead use one side wood chippings and the other side clean and cozy (instead of that coconut substrate).

And yes, I always make sure I stay away from fluffy bedding as well as any scented and dusty beddings.

... I actually haven't heard of fitch paper bedding I don't think (is it that one that comes in various colours like blues and greens etc. ? or is that carefresh?), I'll research into that and see what works out cheaper! I'm pretty sure your bedding will be cheaper since mine mounts up to 2kg for £13 pfft.

May I ask where you purchased your bedding? Was it amazon? It sounds like such a good deal for £23.

[Pebbles82]

Either direct from the manufacturer or via Amazon so it’s online only. If ordering from Amazon it still comes direct from the manufacturer and I think costs a bit more. So I order from Fitch pet bedding. It used to be the most popular substrate on here - until Kaytee clean and cozy started to be available in the Uk . I think they are very similar but prefer Fitch as it is just paper (recycled food grade paper). Kaytee C&C may be a bit more convenient as it’s in smaller bags and compressed. I quite like that the Fitch is more loose and not compressed. I have used Kaytee C&C as well as a back up in case I ran out of Fitch but had one bag that was a bit dusty a few months ago so that put me off.

Fitch is completely dust free. Maybe not quite as soft as Kaytee C&C but soft compared to other beddings. Also means I’m buying British . Delivery is free and takes about two working days.

Fitch First - Fitch Paper 10kg Single Bale Bedding For Smaller Critters - Pet Bedding in Bulk - Pet Store

It does seem to last forever! To fill a 100cm from empty takes about a third of that 10kg bag. After that with spit cleaning and partial substrate changes about every two months it lasts me at least six months - sometimes much longer.

You can start by just mixing it in with the current substrate so gradually it gets changed over, over time. Another way of providing variety is mixing two different substrates together.

I switched over from wood shavings initially and when they were mixed out hamster used to pick out the bits of Fitch and take them to his nest.

It only comes in white. Sometimes the colour varies a bit depending on what they’ve been recycling. Sometimes it is pure white, sometimes more off white or a bit beige.

[Imogen]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Either direct from the manufacturer or via Amazon so it’s online only. If ordering from Amazon it still comes direct from the manufacturer and I think costs a bit more. So I order from Fitch pet bedding. It used to be the most popular substrate on here - until Kaytee clean and cozy started to be available in the Uk . I think they are very similar but prefer Fitch as it is just paper (recycled food grade paper). Kaytee C&C may be a bit more convenient as it’s in smaller bags and compressed. I quite like that the Fitch is more loose and not compressed. I have used Kaytee C&C as well as a back up in case I ran out of Fitch but had one bag that was a bit dusty a few months ago so that put me off.

Fitch is completely dust free. Maybe not quite as soft as Kaytee C&C but soft compared to other beddings. Also means I’m buying British . Delivery is free and takes about two working days.

Fitch First - Fitch Paper 10kg Single Bale Bedding For Smaller Critters - Pet Bedding in Bulk - Pet Store

It does seem to last forever! To fill a 100cm from empty takes about a third of that 10kg bag. After that with spit cleaning and partial substrate changes about every two months it lasts me at least six months - sometimes much longer.

You can start by just mixing it in with the current substrate so gradually it gets changed over, over time. Another way of providing variety is mixing two different substrates together.

I switched over from wood shavings initially and when they were mixed out hamster used to pick out the bits of Fitch and take them to his nest.

It only comes in white. Sometimes the colour varies a bit depending on what they’ve been recycling. Sometimes it is pure white, sometimes more off white or a bit beige.

Ahh, thank you! As with making different textures for the hamster to walk on, how would you recommend going about separating it so it doesn't mix in after a ton of burrowing? Is there a way to do that?

[Pebbles82]

I'd give up on that lol. Hamsters tend to rearrange their bedding A LOT! Depending on the hamster. However you can use medium sized bendy bridges on their side to make a kind of partition/fence between substrates.

[Imogen]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

I'd give up on that lol. Hamsters tend to rearrange their bedding A LOT! Depending on the hamster. However you can use medium sized bendy bridges on their side to make a kind of partition/fence between substrates.

I've found with my hamster (Remy), he actually seemed to stop the whole idea of burrowing when I moved him to his 709 square inch bin cage. His other one was 417 so it was just under required limit so I went out and purchased the cage he's in now and will stay in for a while. I may try and get round to building a fully DIY cage with a glass front that's a lot longer than what he has now and a bit wider but I don't ever see myself being able to give that to him. Perhaps another hamster in the far future as I wish to continue owning hamsters from here on now.

But yeah, back on to the burrowing part of things, he was quite a burrower in his old bin cage that he was in for 2-3 weeks and he made tons of tunnels. But for some reason ever since moving him he's completely stopped, I suppose it's because he has a lot more things to do in his cage but no idea why he stopped. As for the bridge idea, thanks! I was thinking of getting two of these but never got around to it.

[Imogen]

I got my wheel today! On the third layer of that Plasti stuff, dries much quicker than I anticipated and am delighted with how nice it spins as well as way more quiet compared to my other one. Haven’t seen the little guy run on it of course yet but so excited to see him on it! All is good but I’m wondering, it came with this little door stop shaped piece of wood? I am guessing it’s some sort of like stopper to stop the wheel turning? If not it seems to fit perfectly under the wheel quite well.

[sushi_78]

I can't remember any of my wheels coming with an extra piece of wood. It was probably included by mistake.

[Pebbles82]

I haven't seen that either! Have you got a photo?

[Imogen]

Sure, I'll send over a photo now. It's so bizarre because it's cut so well like a door stop and fits perfectly underneath the wheel to stop it moving