Tips to Make Hamster Bedding Comfortable and Clean

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Hamsters are cute little animals. People love to have it as a pet. The animal is full of energy. it keeps both the adults and infants entertained the entire day!

It can be your bundle of joy provided you create the perfect ambiance for it to stay. You can accomplish this by offering it the best hamster bedding.

Go for the most suitable bedding

Your hamster is your most prized possession. Give it the best bedding material like:

• Aspen

Provide it with aspen bedding that is widely popular for being a safe wood-based bedding option. It is very much affordable and has odor control. The only flaw with aspen is – it tends to stick amidst the fur of specific species of hamsters. Nevertheless, it is still the best wood-based hamster bedding.

The good news is – even if it sticks to the fur, it is not detrimental for your hamster. All you need to do is to brush your little furry animal at regular intervals. Additionally, this might even serve as the perfect mini bonding session as well!

• Paper-based bedding

Easily available, it is extremely safe to use. It is incredibly popular as it can be found in many colors like purple, green, pink, and blue. More color options mean you can easily spice up your cage aesthetics. Avoid having these scented alternatives. They contain toxins producing health hazards. Your hamster has a very sensitive nose. A strong scent is likely to cause a whole lot of irritation in them.

• Toilet paper

If you are planning to use toilet paper as paper bedding, be aware of the major drawback it contains. It has limited odor control. This means you will have to change the bedding more often. When you do so, you can experience a pleasant smell all the time.

Are you looking to make your hamster’s cage more comfortable?

Yes, the market is flooded with numerous kinds of cages meant for hamsters. If giving maximum comfort to the furry animal is your criteria, avoid a cage with plastic or glass walls. It becomes an aquarium cage and the hamster might get suffocated in it. The better alternative would be to settle down for a mix of materials so that the hamster feels safe and comfortable.

Change the bedding at regular intervals

As a proud owner of the hamster, you want to provide it with the best amenities. This is very much understandable. Nevertheless, make sure not to change the entire bedding no matter how small the cage is. The rule of thumb is – always leave behind one-third of the old bedding. This is of utmost importance since the hamster will make use of this to find its smell in the cage. During winter, change the bedding once every month. Likewise, during warmer seasons, change it every 15 days.

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Clean the bedding in a proper manner

The hamster spends a considerable amount of time on the bedding. Due to this reason, the bedding is likely to get soiled. Ensure to scoop out the soiled bedding and this ought to be done daily. Hamsters usually have the habit of urinating in specific corners of the cage or enclosure. Scoop out all wet bedding and replace the same with fresh bedding.

Hamsters make use of their water bottles and food bowls whenever they feel so. Clean these items so that it does not consume anything unhealthy.

Wash your hamster’s habitat once a month.

Choose the safe bedding

There are several bedding materials available. Each has its advantage and disadvantage. When it comes to the most cost-effective option, pine and cedar bedding are the best. Nevertheless, it suffers from a huge bottleneck. For instance, they contain chemicals which in turn can cause allergies and respiratory problems in hamsters.

Look for safe bedding materials like:

• Hemp
• Wood pellets
• Wood pulp/paper

Wood pulp is the best alternative among these as it offers several benefits. These include benefits like:

• Helps control odors
• Soft and absorbent
• Dust-free
• Contains recycled materials

Make provision for sufficient depth

The bottom of your hamster’s cage or enclosure ought to be made appropriately. For instance, ensure it has sufficient bedding materials. This is necessary since it will enable the hamster to build up piles of it. The best part – they will not require leaving empty spots present in the cage.

Similarly, mere covering the tank or cage bottom is not sufficient. Remember – bedding is something that ought to give maximum comfort to your lovely hamster. Ideally, think about providing a good amount of depth from 2 to 3 inches. This will give freedom to the hamster to burrow. In addition, it will be able to find more excess depth even after daily cleaning removal.

Give adequate importance to safety

Like many other animals, even hamsters require safe bedding. It will ensure they live the healthiest and longest life possible. Keep this aspect in mind when you are procuring bedding for it. For instance, avoid materials that tend to pierce the skin or poke the hamster. If that happens, it is likely to cause wounds and splinters. Subsequently, this might even invite various kinds of infections in your hamster.

Avoid using the cat litter

Yes, it is very interesting and self-satisfying to make hamster bedding of your own from common household items. In case you have a cat in your home, avoid putting all cat litter in the hamster’s cage. There are several reasons behind this, like:

• The cat litter might have a rough texture. It will make the hamster very uncomfortable if it decides to take a walk around.
• Some litter ends up getting clumped when it becomes wet. This clump can be the real culprit as it might get stuck in the fur of the hamster.
• The cat litter may have chemicals for controlling odor. It might be very harmful to your hamster.
• If you leave behind your hamster amidst the cat litter, it might attempt to eat the same. Unfortunately, this may even adversely affect its intestine making it very sick.

Ensure their habitat is in the correct place

Having a perfect habitat and having habitat for your hamster are two different things. While the latter requires the least attention, the former does. For instance, you need to ensure their habitat is in the correct place. Ideally, the place in question ought to witness a more controlled environment in terms of its temperature. Avoid choosing a spot that is very close to drafty windows or vents.

Cardboard is inexpensive homemade bedding

If you are looking for an inexpensive homemade hamster bedding option for your hamster, cardboard is the right answer. They are a great absorbent and clean bedding material. You will find many options to choose from like:

• Greeting cards
• Shipping boxes
• Egg cartons
• Paper towel rolls

Avoid considering cardboard that contain ink on their surface. The hamster might choose to ingest the said ink while gnawing. Make the bottom of the cardboard suitably comforting. You can rip cardboard into smaller pieces for covering the bottom.

Clean the bedding with attention to every small detail

The bedding will smell whenever the hamster soils it. Take out the entire bedding and clean the entire cage. Hamsters usually have this habit of stashing away bits of food. When this stashed food is not cleaned for a prolonged period, this might give rise to a foul smell. Replace the hamster bedding frequently. This way you can prevent instances of such foods rotting in the cage.

Deep clean your hamster’s habitat frequently. You can always rely on using bleach or vinegar for better outcomes. Whenever you do so make sure to rinse every single item thoroughly. Before you decide to put back the accessories and bedding, make sure the habitat is completely dry.

Be mindful of certain natural materials present in the habitat

There are times when your hamster’s cage will have the presence of certain items like grass clippings or backyard leaves. On the face of it, these appear to be natural materials in your hamster’s bedding. After all, these are the same materials which hardly contain any hazardous thing like a chemical.

Nevertheless, they can still pose a great threat to its health safety. For example, they may contain undesirable things like:

• Insects
• Insecticides
• Dust

If these items are left unattended for a long time, it might lead to unfortunate health consequences for the hamster.

Why is it so important to change the soiled bedding?

The moment you see your hamster’s bedding full of filth, it is better to replace it. It is irrespective of whether you changed it yesterday. Keep the bedding spotless to prevent the hamster from getting in touch with harmful bacteria. Similarly, it is a good move to change the bedding immediately after your hamster has recovered from an illness. It will prevent the virus and bacteria from breeding from the pee and poop of your hamster. If the hamster is allowed to roam around the bacteria-infested hamster bedding, it is more likely to get re-infected yet again. As a concerned pet owner, you will not like to witness such a scenario, right?