Is Carefresh Bedding Safe for Hamsters?

Your hamster requires bedding that it can burrow into so that it may maintain its health and be happy. Bedding can absorb pee and provides a comfortable and secure surface for your hamster. Finding the most suitable bedding for your hamster can be time-consuming, especially if you are new to the experience of hamster ownership.

Hamsters owners often ask, Is natural bedding safe for hamsters? Is it suitable for hamsters to use Carefresh bedding?

Hamsters may safely consume Carefresh bedding, making it an excellent choice for their bedding needs. This bedding helps prevent hamster odor, encourages digging, and is safe to eat. As a result of package compression, it will also last 2.5 times longer than other beddings.

Hamsters like to dig holes in the ground and make nests when they live in the wild. The natural environment and the species of hamster both have a role in determining the kind of nests they construct.

Here we’ll look at some of the materials that make for excellent hamster bedding, as well as certain materials that should be avoided if possible.

Carefresh bedding package

Why Do Hamster Cages Need Bedding?

Your hamster needs bedding in its enclosure so that he may burrow in it and hide food and treats. Burrowing is an instinctive behavior for wild hamsters, which allows them to keep warm and hide from predators and other benefits. Even domesticated hamsters have an inherent urge to burrow, and restricting it can create stress. Therefore, daily inspection of your hamster’s bedding is essential to providing appropriate care for your hamster.

blue hamsters bedding
Source

But there are additional reasons to give your hamster some bedding. Bedding, for example, can help absorb and decrease the unpleasant scents that come along with keeping a tiny pet. This is especially helpful in enclosed spaces. Bedding absorbs and holds pee, so you don’t have to clean your hamster’s cage daily.

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In addition, the bedding will make it possible for your hamster to feel more at ease in the atmosphere you have created for him once you have set up its cage. Your hamster doesn’t like to walk and rest on harsh plastic or metal rods all day long. Your hamster will love a soft sleeping surface. In addition, your hamster may live for a longer period of time if he is comfortable and does not experience undue stress.

Is Carefresh Bedding Safe for Hamsters?

The Carefresh may be used with rodents such as hamsters, chinchillas, rats, and guinea pigs. The use of recovered fiber in bedding has a number of advantageous effects. The recycling component decreases the environmental impact, for one. Additionally, the fibers are less abrasive and more efficient than a wide variety of other materials.

It may absorb odors for ten days and is twice as absorbent as shavings. Carefresh doesn’t dust or disintegrate like other bedding, making cleanup easier. The lovely fibers could be too thick for their own good, though. It might be difficult for burrowing hamsters to travel through the fluffy stuff.

Other Safe Hamster Bedding

Getting affordable hamster bedding that’s safe for your pet is essential. The following varieties of bedding are inexpensive and risk-free and can be purchased in pet supply stores and on the internet.

Aspen Shavings

Wood shavings are likely the sort of small-animal bedding that is most frequently accessible to the greatest number of people. Shavings are an excellent and affordable option for hamster bedding, and the product’s value improves even further when purchased in greater quantities.

Aspen shavings with a heart

However, it is essential to make sure you use the appropriate shavings. Hamsters should not be housed in an environment that contains pine or cedar shavings. These shavings are often more rigid, and any splinters that break off might be dangerous for your pet. They have the potential to affect your hamster’s respiratory system as well.

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Instead, you should make use of aspen shavings. They’re safe for hamsters and, while not super soft for digging, you may couple them with soft bedding. 

Paper Litter

Paper that has been shredded can be used as secure bedding for hamsters. If you intend to use shredded paper, check to see that it does not contain any ink, as some inks are poisonous. Your hamster should avoid coming into contact with shredded newspaper. Instead, you could make use of paper towels or regular paper. Hamsters are known to take great pleasure in the activity of digging into soft paper towel shreds. However, traditional paper can become stinky, so you will need to clean your hamster’s cage frequently.

Timothy Hay

Timothy hay may serve both as a bedding material and a food source. This bedding is included in most hamster food recipes, so if your furry buddy wishes to have breakfast in bed, he may do it securely. This hay isn’t as absorbent as other bedding alternatives, but it makes a nice nest for burrowing hamsters. Timothy may also be used as an inexpensive hamster bedding option, particularly if you can get a bale of it from a nearby farmer.

Timothy Hay Bedding with a heart

Types of Bedding to Avoid

Even though there are many alternatives for safe hamster bedding, there are still some goods on the market that you need to avoid using as bedding for your hamster.

Scented Beddings

Scented beddings mask some of the aromas associated with hamster ownership, but they may be too powerful for your pet’s delicate nose. Your hamster may develop respiratory problems due to using these scented beddings because they are made with synthetic chemicals and fragrances. It’s advisable to choose safe bedding and routinely clean your hamster’s cage than to use scented bedding.

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Cat Litter

Some hamster owners use cat litter as bedding for their pets, although this presents many possible challenges. Simple cat litter pellets can help eliminate smells when used as a substrate for bedding. It is essential to provide sufficient soft bedding for your hamster to burrow into. Avoid scented and clumping cat litter. If your hamster consumes or fills its cheek pouches containing clumping litter, it can create blockages and kill your pet.

Fluffy Bedding

Many pet supply companies provide fluffy bedding, which may seem attractive. Unfortunately, the use of this bedding, which is also occasionally marketed as nesting material, can put your hamster’s health in danger to a significant degree. The production of fluffy bedding frequently involves artificial fibers, which, if consumed, might result in intestinal obstructions. Hamsters can become tangled in this bedding and be injured.

Pine and Cedar Shavings

Avoid pine or cedar shavings, as recommended. They are abrasive and have the potential to irritate the bronchial passages.