Bedding is the material you line your hamster’s enclosure with.
In the wild, hamsters dig burrows, which are a series of tunnels, to live and breed in. Hamsters will also store food in their burrows. Hamsters are prey animals, so living underground also keeps them safe from predators. Giving your hamster at least 4-6 inches of bedding will not only mimic their natural living environment, but also encourage their burrowing behavior. Deep bedding will also keep them warm and help them feel safe.
The best bedding will effectively absorb urine, eliminate odors and keep your hamster comfortable and healthy. Therefore, it is important to choose bedding that is free of fragrance and chemicals, and it’s soft and nourishing.
There are 2 types of bedding appropriate for hamsters:
- Aspen shavings – are the only hardwood type bedding appropriate for hamsters. They have very delicate respiratory systems, so any bedding that has too much dust or with various chemicals and aromatic oils is harmful to them. Aspen is great at odor control and is pretty inexpensive.
- Paper based bedding – is the our recommended bedding for hamsters. It provides a safe, clean and cozy environment for your pet.
Safe Bedding
The Kaytee Clean & Cozy is one of the best paper bedding variety available in the market today. It is soft, dust and chemical free. It comes in a variety of colors, from natural, to white and colored options. Avoid any scented variety (lavender, vanilla etc) because these can affect the hamster’s respiratory system.
Best Price: $20.99 for 85L package
Savings tip: save 10% with Petco’s order online and pick up in store promotion.
Uber is another great best paper bedding variety. However, it is not as available in as many stores and it doesn’t come in a wide variety of colors. It is soft, dust and chemical free. Their confetti variety is a cheaper version to the colored Kaytee Clean & Cozy.
Best Price: $9.26 for 36L package
Savings tip: always compare different sources and websites for the best price available. Right now, Walmart has the best price and available for online purchase.
Small Pet Select is a good paper based bedding and very cost effective. It is available on Amazon in natural and white. It doesn’t come in colored varieties as other brands. It is advertised as being super absorbent, soft, dust and chemical free.
Best Price: $39.99 for 178L package
Savings tip: Larger packages offer a lower price per liter and will obviously last longer. Their 56L package costs $22.99, which is less cost effective.
Oxbow is a very good paper bedding at a high price point. It is soft, dust and chemical free. It is only available in natural, white and a mix of natural and white.
Best Price: $16.99 for 21L package
Savings tip: Larger packages offer a lower price per liter.
Boxo is another very good paper bedding, but quite pricey. It is absorbent, soft, dust and chemical free. It is only available in natural, white and a mix of natural and white.
Best Price: $23.99 for 51L package
Savings tip: Larger packages offer a lower price per liter.
Carefresh is a good paper based bedding, but not as soft as the other ones listed above. It is our least favorite, even thought it comes in a wide range of colors. It is available on Amazon and pet stores.
Best Price: $16.99 for 60L package
Savings tip: Larger packages offer a lower price per liter.
Aspen Bedding is the most common wood- based bedding safe to use. There is quite a variety of brands to choose from. Snake Aspen tends to be a little softer than the one specifically made for small animals, but it’s all about personal preference. Try a few brands and decide which one works best for you.
Best Price Kaytee : $11.24 for 113L package
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Unsafe Bedding
- Pine and Cedar shavings
- Softwood shavings
- Cotton, fluffy or fibrous bedding
Cedar, pine and softwood shavings contain a chemical called phenol that naturally occurs in these woods. It’s what makes them smell so nice and acts as an effective bug repellant, but is dangerous to small animals. Cedar shavings also contain plicatic acid, a carboxylic acid from the resin acid group. It is considered a highly irritant and contact allergen. Pine shavings do not contain the harmful plicatic acid that cedar shavings have, but contain high levels of abietic acid, which when not heat cured; can cause similar problems after exposure.
All these compounds are thought to pose a potential health risk, especially with regards to respiratory problems (asthma, inflammation, allergic responses) and changes in the liver and kidneys. Medical studies of softwood beddings and hepatotoxicity found a connection between the use of red cedar, white pine, and ponderosa pine and changes in both barbituate sleep time and the activity of liver enzymes. For more information about the dangers of these shavings, read here.
Fluffy cotton wool type bedding, often sold in pet stores as a soft and safe nesting material for small animals, is not safe at all. The fibers in this type of bedding do not dissolve if ingested, which can cause stomach blockage and even death. It can also become stuck in the hamster’s cheek pouches. This bedding is also known to wrap around a small animal’s limbs and cause injury.
Another dangerous product sold in pet stores as a “better” alternative to fluffy bedding is kapok, a fine, fibrous substance like cotton that grows around the seeds of the ceiba tree, used as stuffing for cushions, soft toys. You can read here more about the dangers of kapok and why it should be avoided at all cost.
