Which of these beddings is the best? (UK)

[ChunkyPineapple]

Extra info: I live in the UK and have a dwarf (hybrid) hamter currently living in a Barney cage.

I'm looking for some bedding to use as I'm currently using the p@h wood shavings. They're a bit dusty and I know softwood isn't good to use. As I'm in the UK I think they should all be kiln dried but I've heard that doesn't necessarily help but I'm not sure.

Current thoughts:

Megazorb: about £16 including delivery (from amazon) for 11kg. I've heard it can be quite dusty/smelly

Fitch: £14 for a 4kg bag, £23 for a 10kg bag. I'm not sure I have the storage for a larger bag

Carefresh: I've got a small 10l bag at the moment - not a fan, it's quite hard and doesn't expand as much as expected but open to try it if any other types are better.

Kaytee: It's all out of stock at the moment. When I tried it before it was quite dusty but that may have just been the batch. Does anyone know places where it's in stock or know why there's a shortage?

Aubiose: I'm not sure I have the storage for a 20kg bag.

Small pet select: about £20 for a 56l bag (16l when compressed), white currently out of stock. I've heard it's really good.

Has anyone tried any of these beddings and have a favourite? I'd really like to move away from the p@h shavings but it's all I have for now and would like to avoid wasting money on things that could potentially harm my hamster

[sushi_78]

I've tried Megazorb, Fitch and Carefresh. I think Megazorb used to be good but it seems really dusty nowadays. It made me cough just pouring it out so I'm sure it can't be good for animals. It does have a smell, but it varies from bag to bag.

I agree with you on Carefresh. I find it quite hard and it's expensive.

Fitch is good. It has no dust, it doesn't smell and it's reasonably good quality (though they keep putting the price up). A 4kg bag is about the size of a large shoebox. I buy the packs of 5x 4kg bags because they're easier to store than one big bag. At £40 this works out as £8 for each 4kg, but as you buy less it gets more expensive.

I do have a bag of Kaytee but I haven't used it yet. It seems really soft though and if could afford it I would use it all the time but I get through a lot of bedding and Fitch comes in larger quantities. I haven't opened the bag enough to see how dusty it is but everyone who tries it seems to find it really good. It is expensive. A 50l bag is about 2kg and £16, so 4 times the price of Fitch.

[Ria P]

Hi and welcome to HC!

I like Kaytee clean and cozy best. It's available from Porton Aquatics. I use it in sleeping and burrowing areas.

I use Carefresh in play areas like around wheels or where hides and tunnels are placed. I find that the firmness of Carefresh is suitable for these areas.

Haven't tried any others but use Pure Pastures wood shavings in play areas of temporary cages with Kaytee and Carefresh in living and sleeping areas.

[LunaTheHamster1]

Hi, I have tried all of them apart from small pet select

Megazorb will work out the cheapest, and like you said it can be a bit dusty and some people don't like the smell, the only way you will tell if you don't is by trying it. Millbry hill might be a bit cheaper (it used to be) or if you have an equestrian shop near by it will only be about £8/£9

A bag of Aubiose, storage wise takes up about the same amount of room as the megazorb bag does. It's just a bit more rectangular and it seems more densely packed. I like it, seems great for odour control, but i use softer paper bedding on top, especially where they sleep. I am allergic to it but hamsters seem fine.

Not a fan of carefresh, think it is expensive, dusty and hard, the white made my hamsters eyes close up due to dust as soon as I swopped the bedding she was fine again. When i tried the coloured ones my robo got some hair loss(I do not know if this was related or a coincidence).

Kaytee clean n cozy is very soft, but it doesn't seem to go far, but works out cheaper than carefresh and comes in smaller bags so maybe easier to store. I have had dusty bags and bags that were not as dusty, seems a bit hit and miss.

Fitch is softer than carefresh, but slightly harder than kaytee. It Doesn't seem as dusty as Kaytee or carefresh and holds burrows well and it does work out cheaper than both kaytee/carefresh. I get the one in a box for approx £28.50, last time i did all the maths it worked out the cheapest per k/g, but again it is quite big and you will need storage space, it is more of a square shape so not as long and thin as the aubiose/megazorb bag.

Hope this helps, you have made me think, I need to do a video on all the different types of bedding

[Pebbles82]

I am a Fitch fan - been using it for years. The 10kg bag isnt too bad in size - it comes in an oversized plastic bag so you can squish the contents into different shapes to squish the bag in somewhere! Had mine squished in a gap beside a wardrobe once. Or leave it on the floor and put a throw over it (looks like a child's beanbag chair then).

Interesting that you found Kaytee dusty as I had a bad dusty batch last year - I wonder if it's pandemic related. So I stuck with Fitch. I really like it - its the only dust free bedding IMO.

[ChunkyPineapple]

Thank you all! With storage it's related to living with my parents but I think I could split bedding into plastic boxes to make it easier to store wherever it fits. I have created a spreadsheet to try and compare the different beddings and costs lol but it seems they all have different pros and cons so I'll look into it a bit more while considering all your opinions

[Pebbles82]

Last time I bought Fitch I noticed they did three 4kg compressed bales - so I got those last time. It costs slightly more at £27.99 for 12kg instead of £22 for 10kg. But it's a lot more convenient to store. I bought the three 4kg bales last time and each one is not very big. However I actually prefer the uncompressed 10kg bag as the substrate is looser in it and you can squish the bag to fit under a chair eg

This is the three of 4kg

Fitch First - Fitch First Paper Pet Bedding

This is the 10kg bag

Fitch First - Fitch Original 10kg Pet Bedding For Smaller Critters - Pet Bedding in Bulk - Pet Store