Some safe bedding options:

• Aspen shavings.
• Care-Fresh
• Shredded brown paper grocery bags (not the glued parts)
• Shredded brown Contractor's paper
• Shredded computer paper (like old reports or e-mails...nothing with colored ink on it (some colored ink is toxic to hamsters).

Bedding

Do NOT use cedar shavings. This is absolutely the worst choice for bedding as it causes severe respiratory problems due to the volatile oils present in the shavings. Pine is a close second for the worst choice as it can cause kidney and liver damage as well as respiratory problems. If you must use pine, make sure the bag says "kiln dried) on it. If the shavings still smell really strongly of pine then they probably are still dangerous to your hamster.

So what other good bedding options are available? Aspen shavings are suitable as they are made from a hardwood tree that does not contain the irritating oils found in pine or cedar. Some other ideas are cel-sorb and yesterdays news (recycled newspaper pellets), and care-fresh.

My bedding of choice is either shredded paper care-fresh, or aspen shavings. I usually use shredded recycled white paper with black ink on it (not news paper because it is way to dirty and will destroy any shredder. It will also turn the hamsters a nice gray color). I also sometimes get rolls of brown contractors paper at Lowes or Home Depot to shred. Use a cross cut shredder as the smaller pieces are much more absorbent, not as sharp and they cannot wrap around any part of the hamster like cut strips can.

Paper shreds also tend to have lower dust levels compared to shavings which is a big plus if allergies are an issue. Hamsters really love to burrow into it and pairs raise babies in it with few problems. The parent hamsters actually get very upset if I change their bedding from paper shreds to shavings. If I must use shavings (when I have been using paper), I make the switch before a female has her next litter or not until current babies are 10 days old. Females are much less likely to harm their babies after a bedding change if the babies have their eyes open and can move around (this happens at 10 days usually). I normally use shredded paper and resort to shavings only if I am ill or have very little time to make bedding. It takes me about 3 hours to shred enough paper each week for the number of hamsters I keep.

It is best to use the same type of bedding all the time if you can manage it. Any cage change seems to cause at least a little stress for the hamsters and more if different bedding materials are used. The best analogy I can give is that it would be like leaving your house and when you come back, your carpet is a different color and the furniture has all been changed. The first thing you might wonder is if the re-decorated house is even your own. It would be completely unfamiliar to you. Hamster are no different. Keeping bedding and running wheel the same will keep the hamsters calmer. That said, small changes can be good. Adding simple toys like a crumpled ball of paper can enrich your hamster's life as he will be more active and come to investigate the intruding object. Just avoid large changes and you will have a happier hamster.

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