Bedding question...?

Question

I use pine bedding, is it really as bad as people tend to say? My hamster is quite comfortable in it. If not, then which is the best bedding I could use?

Answer 1

Your hamster may be comfortable in it and it definitely smells good, however, like Cedar bedding, Pine can cause respitory problems with any small animals. He/she may be okay now, but it could affect his/hers health in the long run. My recommendation is Aspen bedding, Carefresh/Total Comfort animal bedding or Kaytee Soft-Sorbant bedding which you can buy at any pet store. You can get the Aspen at Walmart and any store of the like.

Answer 2

Aspen is the best, however, if the bedding that you are using now smells fresh, looks clean, and most importantly, your hamster seems to be fine, than using pine is most likely fine for the health of your hamster. Cedar and pine have natural toxins that can harm a pet if swallowed, but it's in very moderate amounts and unless your hamster has a problem with eating his or her litter, he's probably ok with it. In fact, if you change the litter, even for an experiment to see which is better, the change could cause an imbalance in the hamster's body, (e.g. dietary habits) and harm him more than the pine. My suggestion would be just to continue using pine bedding, since your hamster is comfortable with it.

Hope I helped, and good luck!

Answer 3

You're not supposed to use pine or cedar bedding. These two can cause respiratory infections in hamsters which can lead to death. I recently made the mistake of getting pine bedding by accident and my hamster was in it for about a month and he has had a watery/goopy eye ever since hes been in it. Any other kind is fine.

Answer 4

Both pine & cedar can be dangerous for your hamster & even though he seems comfy it's probably scratchier than Carefresh, Total Comfort or one of the many other beddings you can use. They don't cost much more than pine or cedar, especially if you get the largest size available. It's a small price to pay for the little guy's comfort & safety.
We had been using Carefresh for our rats & mice, but the mice would carry it to the top level of their cages & fill it up really fast. Now we use Total Comfort for everybody, the pieces are smaller & it takes much longer for the mice to stuff their upper level full of it. Keeps 'em busy ;-)

Answer 5

The aspen bedding works really well for hamsters. It doesn't contain the toxic oils that Pine and Cedar do and it is less dusty than most commercial bedding.

Not only is it good at absorbing liquid, but it controls odor really well. Also, it is cheap and you can buy really large bags of it at most pet stores.

Answer 6

Pine or ceader bedding is not a good choice. The aniamls urine mixes with the chips and gives off an acid that you cant smell but hurts the animals respitory system. There are many other choices out there

Answer 7

pine bedding still isn't good not for those nose there eyes unless u want your hamster to be a little angel up there then i suggest different kind of bedding

Answer 8

your hamster could look comfy in it, but it's harmful to its health. my friend had three gerbils and she used pine and cedar bedding. her gerbils died in a year. i use the bedding that is made from wood pulp. it's a little more expensive but it's worth it. the brand is Healthy Pet. it works great for my pets because it's dust free. it also controls odor so you don't have to change it that often. its three times more absorbent than wood shavings.

Answer 9

I have herd that pine bedding if it is digested that it could get stuck in their bellys and then they would be put down....Carefresh seems to be one of the best beddings.

Answer 10

It's harmful and shouldn't be used. I use soft bedding for my hamster and mouse and they enjoy it. It also absorbs odor well and is easy and safe for them to move about their cages.