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Old 02-13-2023, 12:58 PM   #1
PetsareGreat
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Default Birch bedding? Teabag bedding?

Hi everyone

I'm getting ready to bring home a hamster.
Am currently trying to find a substrate, and came across Rodipet Birch bedding.
Was wondering if anyone else is using it / has used it and what you think?

Another one I found is teabag bedding, again, anyone using/used it and what do you think?

For both of them are they good at keeping up tunnels?

Thank you.
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Old 02-13-2023, 03:06 PM   #2
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: Birch bedding? Teabag bedding?

Teabag is unfortunately a strict no. It's just not safe due to the type of paper used since it can and basically always will contain plastic bits which are of course not safe if ingested.

As for birch, the wood itself would be safe but personally I wouldn't want to use any sort of wood for an entire cage. A high quality paper substrate will hold tunnels very well while wood isn't necessarily going to be as good for that.
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Old 02-14-2023, 06:03 AM   #3
PetsareGreat
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Default Re: Birch bedding? Teabag bedding?

Thank you.

I'd like to use a wood bedding ( so probably the birch bedding) with something else, as teabag bedding is out, what would you recommend please?

I've used Fitch and Carefresh in the past and didn't get on with either.

Carefresh is too expensive and I found it too dusty, plus it didn't hold up tunnels and I found bits in the bedding that shouldn't be there.

Fitch, while it did hold up the tunnels well, wasn't very good at odour control and again, I found it too dusty at times and I found things that shouldn't be in there.
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Old 02-14-2023, 09:22 AM   #4
sushi_78
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Default Re: Birch bedding? Teabag bedding?

I don't have a problem with teabag bedding personally (opinions will vary of course). I don't find it ideal as a main bedding because it's springy and not very absorbent. I use it as nesting material. The lack of absorbency isn't ideal for nesting material either, but I have a huge bag to use up! I could post you some to try if you wanted, as you probably don't want to buy a very large bag when you're not sure about it.

The plastics are microscopic particles. We also use plastic water bottles, plastic cage bases etc, and occasionally a hamster will nibble those without any harm being done. The concern is more with certain types of brittle plastic that could cause injury in the rare event that a shard is swallowed.

Bear in mind that humans dip teabags into water and then drink it and that doesn't kill us so I don't see how the presence of microscopic particles around a hamster could reasonably cause serious harm. I'm aware there are concerns about the long-term, cumulative impact of microplastics, but that's more relevant to humans who are drinking tea made with teabags than it is to a hamster who isn't eating its bedding.
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Old 02-14-2023, 09:38 AM   #5
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Default Re: Birch bedding? Teabag bedding?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sushi_78 View Post
I don't have a problem with teabag bedding personally (opinions will vary of course). I don't find it ideal as a main bedding because it's springy and not very absorbent. I use it as nesting material. The lack of absorbency isn't ideal for nesting material either, but I have a huge bag to use up! I could post you some to try if you wanted, as you probably don't want to buy a very large bag when you're not sure about it.

The plastics are microscopic particles. We also use plastic water bottles, plastic cage bases etc, and occasionally a hamster will nibble those without any harm being done. The concern is more with certain types of brittle plastic that could cause injury in the rare event that a shard is swallowed.

Bear in mind that humans dip teabags into water and then drink it and that doesn't kill us so I don't see how the presence of microscopic particles around a hamster could reasonably cause serious harm. I'm aware there are concerns about the long-term, cumulative impact of microplastics, but that's more relevant to humans who are drinking tea made with teabags than it is to a hamster who isn't eating its bedding.
Thank you.
I'm looking for a main bedding, so sounds like teabag bedding isn't ideal for that.
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Old 02-14-2023, 05:33 PM   #6
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Default Re: Birch bedding? Teabag bedding?

Plastic isn't digestible. It doesn't matter what kind, the non brittle types just make it a tiny bit less dangerous by removing one of the many unsafe aspects. That doesn't make it safe at all though. It's important to keep in mind though that hamster safety and human safety are two extremely different things that very often just don't align.

I'd lean towards something that only uses virgin fiber like Small Pet Select's paper bedding if that's an option for you. That removes potential risks that recycled products carry.

Odor control is also going to depend on substrate depth. Deep substrate is going to be more absorbent in general than a thinner layer, and it has the benefit of lasting much longer especially if you're not overcleaning. Overcleaning can also stress hamsters out plus make them overcompensate by making them scent mark far more than they otherwise would which can include urine marking and make things get a lot smellier!

I'd also like to add the option of Aubiose in. It's a very high quality pure hemp - some hemp has unsafe additives like citronella so it isn't always a safe option depending on brand. It also is sold towards horses so it comes in fairly large amounts, and in the UK from what I've seen it tends to be fairly affordable. Hemp also has the benefit of being extremely unlikely to cause an allergic reaction in hamsters unlike wood. I know we've heard of some humans being allergic to hemp on the forum but overall hamsters just don't seem to be in general(nothing is impossible though).
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Old 02-14-2023, 06:43 PM   #7
sushi_78
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Default Re: Birch bedding? Teabag bedding?

Indigestible isn't the same thing as dangerous. It simply means it can't be broken down into useful nutrients by the digestive tract. A lot of our food is indigestible - insoluble fibre, small seeds and so on. Also wood is indigestible or very poorly broken down by the digestive tract but that doesn't make all wooden things dangerous because hamsters don't typically swallow their bedding or what they chew in any significant quantities. Even paper bedding would be dangerous if a hamster decided to swallow lots of it but fortunately hamsters instinctively know that it's not something that ought to be swallowed. I don't know if it's the case with hamsters, but some rodents actually have a flap of flesh in their mouths that prevents bits of wood or whatever they are gnawing from reaching the throat and being swallowed. Hamsters are really quite a bit more robust than their small size might suggest!

There's no reason to believe a hamster occasionally swallowing a microscopic plastic particle is any more dangerous than a child occasionally swallowing a small plastic bead (likely less dangerous as they can't choke on a microscopic particle). Most plastics (and definitely the ones used near food products) are chemically inert which means they don't cause any kind of toxicity in the body (human, hamster or otherwise) and the only risk is that of an actual physical obstruction or injury from a large piece of plastic which isn't a risk with teabag bedding due to the tiny size of the particles.
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Old 02-15-2023, 11:26 AM   #8
PetsareGreat
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Default Re: Birch bedding? Teabag bedding?

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams View Post
Plastic isn't digestible. It doesn't matter what kind, the non brittle types just make it a tiny bit less dangerous by removing one of the many unsafe aspects. That doesn't make it safe at all though. It's important to keep in mind though that hamster safety and human safety are two extremely different things that very often just don't align.

I'd lean towards something that only uses virgin fiber like Small Pet Select's paper bedding if that's an option for you. That removes potential risks that recycled products carry.

Odor control is also going to depend on substrate depth. Deep substrate is going to be more absorbent in general than a thinner layer, and it has the benefit of lasting much longer especially if you're not overcleaning. Overcleaning can also stress hamsters out plus make them overcompensate by making them scent mark far more than they otherwise would which can include urine marking and make things get a lot smellier!

I'd also like to add the option of Aubiose in. It's a very high quality pure hemp - some hemp has unsafe additives like citronella so it isn't always a safe option depending on brand. It also is sold towards horses so it comes in fairly large amounts, and in the UK from what I've seen it tends to be fairly affordable. Hemp also has the benefit of being extremely unlikely to cause an allergic reaction in hamsters unlike wood. I know we've heard of some humans being allergic to hemp on the forum but overall hamsters just don't seem to be in general(nothing is impossible though).
Thanks for the suggestions.
I will look those up.
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