Hamster bedding strains the underside of your pet’s cage. It supplies a delicate floor, presents burrowing alternatives, and even acts to catch and comprise pee and poop. Getting the precise bedding is vital. There are industrial bedding choices out there, together with sawdust and shredded paper merchandise. However, whether or not you are attempting to save lots of a couple of dollars, or you possibly can’t at all times get easy accessibility to the bedding you purchase, there are home made alternate options that you need to use.
Beneath, we’ve got listed six home made hamster bedding choices, most of which use available supplies that it is best to be capable to lay your fingers on.
The 6 Varieties of Do-it-yourself Hamster Bedding
1. Shredded Paper
Shredded paper hamster bedding presents a step up from newspaper, however it’s good to take care when selecting the paper. It needs to be unbleached and unused. And the softer the paper, the higher. Napkins, kitchen rolls, and bathroom paper make cheap choices.
The paper will take in urine effectively, and your hamster can dig round in shredded paper, however it isn’t that snug and in the event you’re shopping for paper for this objective, it might work out fairly costly.
Most individuals have kitchen rolls and bathroom paper spare
Soaks up urine effectively
Unbleached, unused paper shouldn’t trigger irritation
- Will be costly in the event you don’t have a relentless paper provide
2. Newspaper
As a one-off, final resort, newspaper can be utilized as a brief answer. When you want bedding and may’t get to the store till the following day, newspaper is viable. Nevertheless, the ink can run and should irritate your hammie’s pores and skin. It additionally will get sodden with urine and it doesn’t supply any burrowing or digging alternatives.
It’s available, although, as most of us have some mendacity round the home, even within the type of free leaflets and newspapers that come by the door. When you do want to make use of newspaper, put down a number of layers and change it as quickly as attainable.
Cheap
Available
- May cause pores and skin irritation
- Can’t be used for burrowing or digging
- Will get sodden when moist
- Solely an emergency, short-term answer
3. Hay
When you’ve got any previous hay that has gone too stale to feed your hammie, you possibly can nonetheless use it. Pull the hay aside somewhat so it isn’t a strong block and use it to line the bottom of the cage. Sure hay, like Timothy hay, is delicate so it’s snug. And, in case your hamster chooses to nibble on its bedding, it’s completely protected. Nevertheless, hay could be dusty which may trigger or exacerbate respiratory issues.
It might additionally appeal to mites and develop into moldy. Not all sorts of hay are appropriate, both, so you will want to verify earlier than utilizing.
Great way to make use of up previous and unused hammie hay
Comfy and heat bedding
- Will be dusty
- Can appeal to mould and mites
4. Shredded Cardboard
Shredded cardboard is an effective possibility for individuals who obtain quite a lot of parcels. Take away any sections which have tape, adhesive, or ink on them, after which shred the remainder of the cardboard. Ideally, you will want to shred it by hand to forestall sharp edges and defend your hamster. And it may be troublesome at hand shred the paper right down to an inexpensive measurement.
Though cardboard does take in urine, it takes longer than tissue paper and it received’t do a lot to carry poop.
Wonderful means to make use of up cardboard
Will be free
- Takes various work to hand-shred cardboard
- Not nice for accumulating poop
5. Cloth Scraps
Cloth scraps are reusable as a result of they are often washed, and they’re particularly useful bedding through the chilly winter months when they’ll hold your hamster heat and comfortable. Use fleece or scraps from knitted garments. Make sure that the scraps are reduce in order that they’re too massive to slot in your hamster’s mouth and make sufficient to cowl a number of inches on the backside of the cage.
When you make additional, you possibly can change half when you clear it. To scrub the bedding, take away solids, put the bedding in a laundry bag, and place it in scorching water. Dry it out and hold it till you subsequent do a partial clear.
Fleece makes heat bedding for chilly winters
Will be cleaned and reused
- Cleansing means additional work
6. Paper Pulp
Pulping paper removes ink and some other undesirable impurities, due to its screening course of. Making it’s a considerably labor-intensive course of, however you probably have quite a lot of paper that you’d in any other case discard and don’t need to pay for industrial paper pulp bedding, it’s a good different.
Rip pc paper into small items.
Add to scorching water and stir the combination to take away ink.
Squeeze all the paper into a big ball and drain to do away with extra water.
Put the paper again within the bucket and repeat the method a number of instances to make sure all of the ink is gone.
As soon as the ink has gone, create balls roughly the dimensions of tennis balls and soak them for a number of hours.
Break them down into smaller balls.
Permit the balls to air dry.
Pulping removes ink and prevents irritation
Good use of undesirable, used paper
Regularly Requested Questions
Do Hamsters Want Sand?
Hamsters profit from having the ability to have common sand baths. It helps hold them clear and it mimics their wild behavior of rolling in sand to do away with mites and different nasties. Present a sand bathtub: even when your hamster by no means makes use of it, its presence received’t hurt them.
Do Hamsters Want Bedding?
Hamsters use bedding for a number of functions. First, it supplies a delicate layer on high of the laborious cage ground. It additionally encourages burrowing or digging, which is a pure habits for hamsters. Lastly, it additionally helps take in urine and collect poop in order that it’s avoided your hamster’s physique. Each hamster cage ought to embrace bedding, and it needs to be commonly changed or cleaned.
How Deep Ought to Hamster Bedding Be?
The depth of bedding will rely, partially, on the dimensions of the hamster cage. A great cage shall be 2 toes tall. A cage of this measurement will want at the least 6 inches, and as much as 8 inches, of bedding on the underside of the cage.
Can I Use Soil As Hamster Bedding?
Any soil you utilize must be unfertilized, untreated, and utterly freed from any chemical substances or different components. It also needs to be dried. Usually, it’s an excessive amount of of a danger to make use of soil so it’s best prevented as a bedding materials.
Conclusion
Hamsters are pretty cheap and low-maintenance pets. However, whereas they don’t take as a lot care as another pet sorts, they do have sure necessities that should be met. A type of necessities is the supply of a protected and clear bedding materials. Hamster bedding serves a number of functions that profit your hamster and it additionally makes your life simpler by absorbing urine and accumulating poop.
There are industrial bedding choices out there, however in the event you’ve run out or are searching for another possibility, the home made hamster bedding choices above can show helpful.
Featured Picture Credit score: Stanislaw Sulica, Shutterstock