Keep Your Tiny Hamster Safe and Comfortable with the Best Hamster Bedding.

Do you wish to have or already have a hamster (maybe more) as your pet? If yes, one of the foremost things you will have to do is arranging them a cage. Typically, hamsters require an extra comfortable and clean cage to live by. Here, you have to consider that bedding any soft material in a cage would not make it suitable for your hamster. To keep them healthy, hamster bedding must be in enough amount of safe materials.

Here we have to remember that the requirements of a hamster can change with where they come from as well. Especially, Dwarf hamsters love burrowing into cages they make and look for extra comfort while walking on the Dwarf hamster bedding you have laid. Hamsters have very sensitive noses, and they have an excellent sense of smell. Therefore the space you create for them must be clean and fresh, or they may not feel comfortable there. Before you finish reading this article, you will gather and everything (plus more) you need to know about hamster bedding.

What to consider when making a safe hamster bedding?

• The material

Material of the bedding is the first thing you must take notice of when buying/making. Especially if you own a new hamster, finding suitable material for him may take some time. Sometimes you will have to change from one material to another until he gets used to his bedding. Although cedar or pine bedding seems like a good option due to low expenses, they can harm hamsters. Cedar/pine contains several chemicals that can give rise to allergies and some respiratory problems in hamsters.

If you prefer wood over other bedding materials like paper, wood pellets, or wood pulp, aspen wood will be a great option. However, bedding with wood pulp is more advantageous as it is dust-free, soft, and absorbent. Wood pulp is a product from recycled materials and is excellent in controlling odor as well.

• The depth

Do hamsters like lots of bedding? Yes, they do, which is why covering the cage bottom with a thin layer of bedding may not be enough. Try to keep a 2-3 inches depth bedding in the cage. That way, the hamster can build heaps of the bedding and use the excess bedding to burrow as wish. Hamsters hate to have empty spaces on the floor of their cages. Therefore, leave them some extra bedding to make their cage more comfortable for your hamster.

• Supply nesting materials

As for the nesting materials, you can insert torn-up paper towels/tissues or hay as well. Be careful to use newspapers because the ink used in them is not always suitable for animals. The best nesting materials are the neutral ones. As a substitution, you can use hay to provide both food and stuffing material for their burrows.

What can I use for hamster bedding?

What materials should you refuse?

Do not trust every bedding in the market even when you find some of them at a reasonable price. Be extremely careful to use appropriate bedding because you are dealing with your pet’s life here!

Why?

Can bedding kill hamsters?

The answer is a maybe yes!

Avoiding the following list would be better when you make bedding for your lovely hamster.

Corncobs

These are dusty and can create impactions after hamster eats them, hamsters cannot walk comfortably with a corncob bedding. Corn cobs are hard to digest, which can cause grave tummy issues in hamsters. Considering the level of absorbing liquids, these are at a low level, making a very uncomfortable ground.

• Bedding floss- Floss can not only choke your hamster but also cause impaction and can be deadly for them!
• Fragrant bedding

Although we all love to have a hamster cage with a pleasant smell, the opposite works for hamsters, it is not about the scent but the chemicals used for producing the smell, which can be toxic for them. Some substances are as powerful as to bring death to the hamster if they inhale them. But if you want the odor to be gone, instead of using toxic chemicals, be less lazy to clean the cage often.

Car litter

If you have a pinch of love for your pet, do not use car litter!

They are both uncomfortable and dangerous at the same time. The trouble increases if your hamster eats them as they are highly troublesome in digesting. These are dusty and full of various chemicals.

Printed newspaper

Ink is an essential thing to avoid when it comes to hamster bedding because you know that hamsters test eating their bedding.

So you can imagine what is wrong with the newspaper. Newspaper is nothing but a pool of ink!

Not only printed newspapers but also permanent markers and pen ink are toxic for hamsters.

Cedar/Pinewood shavings

Hardwood like cedar or pine can easily make dust of sharp tiny splinters. These can cause damages to hamster eyes, noses, and paws. The danger can increase if cedar/pine dust manages to travel as far as to hamster lungs. The combination that hamster urine makes with cedar/pine shavings invents a toxic scent, confirming the danger of these wood.

Fluffy but unnatural bedding

Sometimes you may see some hamster bedding in the market that drags your attention in a second by looking cozy.

Do not let your mind get deceived.

Although they provide comfortable bedding, grave harm could occur if hamsters eat these bedding. Sometimes tiny hamster legs can tangle in this fabric and cause breaking limbs as well. After all, natural products make the safest and best bedding for hamsters.

If your hamster shows the signs of impaction like constipation, discoloration, bloating, or abdominal pain, you better see a veterinarian immediately.

 If you wish to have a thorough idea about hamster health, click here:

Hamster bedding alternatives.

Now you know inserting any bedding material is not secure for your lovely pet. So you may wonder what to use in a contingency. What can I use for hamster bedding among the things I could supply myself easily? How to make hamster bedding by myself when I cannot reach any store? You got nothing to worry about that! Homemade hamster bedding can also perfectly serve your pet. Here you go with several alternatives for hamster bedding that may keep your pet cozy and safe.

Papers

Papers are an acceptable and effective alternative you could use as soft hamster bedding. If you are looking for some cheap hamster bedding, this is a good option. You can either rip papers with your hands or use a paper shredder to have bunchy bedding. To talk about the material, brown paper and unused computer paper will make it comfortable for your hamster in the cage.

Be careful not to use papers with lots of ink or papers that have permanent marker writing used on them.

Ink is dangerous for tiny creatures, including hamsters which is why you must always use clean and plain paper for their bedding.

Another thing to concern is that paper bedding can easily and quickly get dirty. Therefore you have to change it more frequently. As papers are easy to supply and cheap, it has become a standard option for hamster bedding.

Tissues

We are pretty sure that you have already come up with this idea while reading through the first option!

Yeah, you can use tissue as another cheap and comfy alternative for hamster beddings. They are soft and, most importantly, have an excellent ability to absorbent. Tissues will gently work for a bit of urine flow and be a good friend for sensitive hamster noses.

Remember to use tissues that have no fragrance because the fragrance is not that pleasant for hamsters like us. The chemicals which evoke scent can sometimes be harmful to your little friend.

Paper pulp

Yeah, a pulp made of some particular paper can also provide nice bedding for hamsters. Construction paper shreds are perfect for creating this pulp thick and comfortable. You have to keep in mind to use white and plain paper and never to use newspaper.

How to make this pulp?

• Shred paper into tiny pieces.
• Add hot water to dissolve paper.
• Leave the mixture to sit overnight(8-12 hours).
• Blend the dissolved mixture until it turns into a fine pulp.
• Let the pulp dry.

Once the pulp is ready, you can lay it in the hamster cage, and it will work as a comfortable and absorbent material.

Aspen wood shavings

Some wood would gently work as bedding for hamsters, and Aspen is no excess. Aspen’s soft and no dust condition make it grate and safe for hamsters only if you pick the quality shavings. Until now, we have mentioned more than twice that dust is not convenient for hamsters. So always pick dust-free, soft textured wood shavings.

So try your best not to supply wood from a lumberyard or somewhere. There is a considerable chance for bugs to affect those wood and therefore contain dust on shavings. Instead, the best way to have safe bedding is to purchase a quality product from a reliable store.

Even so, select the best out of all!

If you have already selected aspen shaving as the bedding, you will need to change it every few days. Another issue!

Your sweet hamster can carry shavings entrapped in their cute legs around your home!

Cellulose fiber

Although a little is more expensive than the other alternatives, cellulose fiber is worth purchasing. I am saying that because cellulose fiber is exceptional in quality and extra-long. Also, it provides an incredibly soft depth. This reduces the need to change the bedding content from time to time, which is truly an advantage.

In this case, also, ink and chemicals that procure fragrance should not involve. The benefits of using cellulose fiber include its ability to absorb trice as its weight. Therefore this fiber is perfect for cleaning up urine and any other water spill keeping the nest fresh, clean, and good smelling.

Custom hamster bedding

Sometimes you can combine two or more bedding materials and create new bedding out of them. You can make attempts if you want to use some expensive bedding material for a more extended period. For that, what you have to do is mingling the expensive material with cheaper and homemade material. This mixing can also combine and collect the positive benefits of several materials into a single nest.

How often does hamster bedding need to be changed?

If you have gone through the previous phrases, you may already know the depth required for hamster bedding. A depth of 2-3 inches of bedding can provide them the bedding for a comfortable life in the cage. Actually, for a better and healthier life, hamster bedding has to be something that your hamster can burrow into.

It might have been easy if bedding a hamster was a one-time task. But we all know that the bedding has to deal with hamster urine as well. In that case, change the bedding from time to time to maintain an odor-free cage. Also, your hamster’s health critically depends on how often you change the bedding material.

So, How to deal with bedding in the correct way?

Although you do not need to change hamster bedding every single day, you have another daily task related to bedding replacement. Hamsters select one or two particular places in their cages to urine. Finding these places and removing any wet bedding every day is the job you got! As it is hard to do with bare hands, use a tiny animal scoop. Once you remove all the wet bedding, refill the spaces with new and fresh bedding. Otherwise, the bedding will keep decreasing, which may not be comfortable for your little hamster.

However, is this enough for keeping perfect bedding in hamster bedding? Absolutely not! Besides removing and refilling the bedding as mentioned above, replacing the entire bedding weekly. This removes any other unnecessary things like bits of food, urine, or dust stored throughout the week.

If you are willing to know how to clean the whole hamster cage, check out here.

Hamster bedding product review.

Even after getting to know the essentials about hamster bedding, the marketplace will still surprise you. You will quickly get confused about what to buy among all the hamster bedding products. So to clear up your path a little, we have reviewed some of the most common hamster bedding in the market.

Carefresh Small Animal Bedding

Like all the other Carefresh products, this bedding consists of natural fibers. Carefresh Small Animal Bedding provides a soft, safe, and clean environment for the hamsters. This product is free of ink, dye, or any other harmful chemical, which is why you could directly apply it. You already know that hamsters cannot sustain dust as they easily get affected by breathing problems. As this product has avoided 99% of dust, you can be free from worrying about that issue.

It also results in eliminating allergies and discomfort. The material used for this bedding is dry, extra soft, and, most importantly, handy to clean. If you need very tidy bedding for your hamster, you can put trust with this Carefresh product. 4.4 pounds of this bedding can control the odor for approximately ten days without causing any trouble.

Advantages of using the product

• Absorbs twice the average shavings
• Control odor for ten days in a pretty manner
• 99% dust-free and therefore does not cause breathing problems

Disadvantages

• Issues with the texture of the material.
• The unpleasant smell of the bedding

Carefresh Confetti Hamster Bedding

This 50L hamster bedding package includes the most absorbing hamster bedding material ever. It reduces the odor to a negligible level and keeps the cage dry and clean throughout the day. Like every similar Carefresh product, this provides a fluffy and soft cellular fiber floor for your hamster. This fluffiness is not too much.

Therefore, hamsters can easily walk on the bedding and burrow as much as possible. Another feature of this product is the color of the bedding. This is multi-color and vibrant bedding that will keep your hamster active and cheerful all the time. You could use this for ten days before it needs a replacement due to odor.

Advantages of using the product:

• Brilliant in absorbing
• Bedding spreads in a large area after taking out from the bag
• Easy to clean

Kaytee Clean and Cozy White Hamster Bedding

As you have already read previously, hamsters’ needs change according to their region of living or where they originated. Some species like Syrian hamsters love hot temperatures, while Campbell Russian breed finds dry grass and sheep wool incredible. So it is necessary to have an idea about what they exactly want before laying them bedding.

The subjected product provides bedding comfortable and cozy for any kind of hamster species. This is extra soft, 99% dust free and therefore safe for little hamsters. You can trust your pet’s sensitive noses, eyes, or skin with this Kaytee product. Another key feature of this bedding is that it gently absorbs any wetness, eliminates the odor, and keeps it fresh.

Advantages of using the product:

• Absorbs twice the common wood shavings
• Available in different fragrances
• Fluffs up more than four times than the original size

Disadvantages:

• Issues with the texture of the material

Kaytee Extreme Odor Control Hamster Bedding

Hamsters have a lot of joy by hiding themselves in little burrows they create in their bedding. They are nocturnal animals who love to have a thrill in the night by playing in the nest. When they play and sleep, they love to feel comfortable bedding under their feet on both occasions.

Kaytee Extreme Odor Control Hamster Bedding will never disappoint your little pal as they are perfect in comfort and softness. This cozy material will even encourage hamsters to be active on the bedding and burrow as well. In that way, you can provide them the vibe of their natural habitat.

Also, this bedding is ideal for keeping your hamster dry and clean throughout the day. Once you add this Kaytee product to the hamster cage, you do not have to worry about replacing it for another 14 days. One of the primary reasons for this product to be popular is that pet owners can have some extra days to keep the same bedding.

Advantages of using the product:

• 99% dust-free
• Extra comfortable, cozy, and safe-guaranteed for little pets
• Absorbs twice than the average wood shaving
• Encourage hamsters for burrowing and nesting

Disadvantages

• A solid fragrant is there in the bedding material
• Absorbance is less than the indicated amount

Kaytee Aspen Small Pet Bedding

This product consists of natural hardwood shavings taken from Aspen wood. Claiming to be of premium quality, these shavings are perfect to buy under budget. Regardless of the cost, this bedding can last for a significant period. It is natural to doubt whether adding aspen wood in the hamster cage is fine despite all the fiber bedding.

But as we have already mentioned once, aspen shavings can make outstanding soft and comfortable bedding for your pet. Although the absorbance can be different than the other alternatives, this aspen product will not put your pet at any risk. Under supervision, Kaytee manufacturers have removed all the dust particles and made this bedding ideal for hamsters.

Advantages of using the product:

• Provides natural bedding for hamsters
• Free of inks, oil, fragrance, or any other artificial adding
• Gently controls odor naturally
• Processed to get rid of dust and big wood particles
• Soft for feet, nose, and skin

Disadvantages

• Contain woody scent
• Bugs can be there among shavings occasionally
• Bag of shavings can be heavier

Kaytee CritterTrail Hamster Bedding Trays

One way or another, dealing with hamster bed cleaning is not a pretty excellent job. How about using disposable hamster bedding then? Yeah, it would save a lot of your valuable time and eliminates that smelly job of removing and cleaning bedding. The three-in-one Kaytee CritterTrail Hamster Bedding package contains such disposable bedding trays. All you have to do is replacing a new tray after the previous one gets dirty or wet.

This product is perfect for both pets and pet owners. Being disposable does not make the bedding any loss of bedding quality, and all these trays include soft textured materials with high absorbency. Reminding us again about the previous Kaytee’s product, this bedding also encourages nesting and burrowing of hamsters. Throughout the time where a single tray is on duty, no need to worry about wetness. These 99% dust-free bedding trays will manage odor as well as moisture.

Advantages of using the product:

• Takes minimum time for cleaning and re-arranging the cage
• Recyclable and disposable
• Easily fit into standard CritterTrail cages
• Easy to swap out the trays

Disadvantages

• Sometimes debris can pool beneath the trays
• Lack of quality
• Sometimes intensify the odor in the cage

Kaytee Clean and Cozy Scented Small Animal Bedding

Just by first sight, you will notice that the specialty with this product is the “scented” part. Manufacturers have included the scent in this bedding to create a natural vibe for your hamster. This product has a few unique characteristics; mainly, this bedding is a combination of lavender buds and recycled paper. This product seems pretty decent and pleasant, including the lovely fragrance and calm white-purple color combination.

Besides these specialties, this bedding provides every other attribute of a good hamster bedding. It is 99% dust-free, comfortable, soft, and perfect for odor managing as well. Another prominent feature is that this paper-lavender mixture is absorbent six times its weight. With this last circumstance, we can assume that the subjected product is one of the top-level absorbing hamster beddings.

Advantages of using the product:

• It has an impressively absorbent quality
• Natural scent by authentic natural lavender buds

Small Pet Select Natural Paper Bedding

If you ever wonder about the best material for hamster bedding, that would probably be paper fibers?

They are soft, comfortable, and harmless if got eaten. As the name includes in itself, this product contains natural paper ingredients. They are assuring that these papers consist of no ink or fragrant and have eliminated all the toxic chemicals.

As any of these papers has no sharp ends, hamsters are safe enough to play and roll over the bedding as they wish. The manufacturer states that they have not used any method of bleaching the paper. Among all the other products, this bedding holds an important place due to the 100% safe paper it has used.

Advantages of using the product:

• Can expand trice as the original size
• Made from pure paper, which is ideal for hamster bedding
• Affordable in comparison

Disadvantages

• The quality of the product can drop with time
• Lack of odor control

If you are concerned more about Kaytee products, visit here.

Vitakraft Fresh World Ultra Strength

This product has used 100% pure unprinted and chemical-free paper, which is ideal for your hamster. It also unties you from the burden of removing and replacing bedding within short alternatives. Vitakraft Fresh World Ultra Strength bedding will gently take care of everything in the hamster cage for 14 continuous days. Within that period, you can hand over the task of taking care of odor to the bedding.

Advantages of using the product:

• Fragrance-free, and so does the chemicals
• Extremely soft and natural
• Can expand trice as the original size
• Easy to clean

Disadvantages

• The package of the bedding is loos which pretends to be larger than the actual size

Healthy Pet Critter Care Natural Bedding

This 30L bedding is another soft and comfortable bedding in the market. Natural biodegradable and germ reclaimed wood pulp is the key ingredient included in their packages. The natural production of this bedding determines to keep pets dry and clean for a significant period of time. Therefore the content in this bedding absorbs water and urine, weighing trice than the bedding weight wholly and quickly. This product is worth the money that it will cost you.

Advantages of using the product:

• Keep the bedding clean and dry for a significant time
• Good in expanding (A 12.5L bag will expand up to 30L in use)
• Eliminates ammonia smell

Disadvantage

• Bedding gets worn out faster

How much is Hamster bedding?

We hope you now have a crystal clear idea of what to use and refuse as hamster bedding. Although there are so many alternatives, the chance of buying hamster bedding from a store is at a considerable rate. If you peek into the market, you will easily find several hamster bedding manufacturers and merchants. On average, a branded bag of hamster bedding costs 5-10 dollars. As for the hamster bedding 50L package, the approximate cost will be around 20 dollars.

There is no fixed answer for “what is the best bedding for a hamster.” Therefore what you could do is logically think over every option and purchasing the best. Keeping all the quality standards in your mind, spend your money where it deserves the most. Most of the new hamster bedding in the market claim to be odor-free and keep fresh. Visiting an online store will convince you of the diversity of hamster bedding. If you want to know the hamster bedding price directly, we have mentioned links for each store below.

Carefresh Hamster Bedding

Carefresh is another little animal product brand that holds excellent popularity among a worldwide audience. With their products, Carefresh has come a prominent journey with their competitors like “Kaytee,” “So Phresh,” “Marshel” and “All Living Things.” Carefresh claims to the products made especially for small pets like hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs. This brand’s product quality includes softness, absorbent, and comfort. Manufacturers have created these products by obtaining natural raw fibers from the sources directly.

You may find specialized Carefresh bedding for hamsters in almost every marketplace.

Hamster Bedding- Petsmart

One of the leading American pet companies, Petsmart, owns hamster bedding in different sizes, materials, prices, and colors. Carefresh, Aspen bedding, paper bedding, and another line of hamster bedding are there for you to choose from. You will find bedding materials starting from 5 dollars to 20 dollars there.

For more PetSmart hamster bedding:

https://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/litter-and-bedding/

Hamster Bedding- Petco

Petco is also an ideal platform for the products for little pet animals like hamsters. You will find every hamster bedding brand in desired sizes from Petco as well. All popular brands have included Petco products, which you can easily purchase by visiting their website. Like so many other stores, Petco will deliver your pet care list to your doorstep.

Walmart hamster bedding

You can buy any of the hamster bedding by visiting a Walmart store either physically or online. The previous stories apply to Walmart as well. First, select the correct bedding wisely and simply add to the Walmart cart and let them deliver you the items.

Hamster bedding amazon

Almost all the products in the global market are quickly traveling through amazon. Regardless of your location in the world, Amazon will bring the bedding for your hamster to your doorstep.

Conclusion

Hamsters have attracted so many pet lovers toward them just by behaving cutely themselves in their tiny cages. These creatures have susceptible organs and a great sense of smell. Therefore their space of living must be tidy and clean to keep them active and healthy. Although several pet products are available in the market, all of them might not be good for hamsters.

That is why you have to be careful to choose only healthy products, especially hamster bedding, which hamsters tend to eat. You can instead make hamster bedding at home as well, but remember to keep the standard quality. You may use ready-made or homemade hamster bedding, which is entirely your choice. Nevertheless, always prioritize your little pet’s health and comfort over the easy supply or cost of the product.