2007-09-10 05:37:54 · 11 answers · asked by goth :) 1 in Pets ➔ Rodents
shes a winter white dwarf hamster by the way, and about 6 or 7 weeks old, please help im worried! she literally sits down with a piece of sawdust and munches away at it like a sesame seed =(
2007-09-10 05:45:19 · update #1
to the guy who said shes not swallowin, i can promise you she is, its not in her pouch, shes nibbling and swallowing without a doubt
2007-09-10 05:46:35 · update #2
Are you sure she's eating it and not stuffing it in her pouches to carry it somewhere else in her cage? it may seem like she's eating her sawdust. On the other hand is it the big shaving's she's chewing on? Could be she needs something to gnaw because of her front teeth. Hamsters like all rodents need to gnaw to keep their front teeth from growing too long.Get her a piece of wood or some chew sticks from the pet shop if you haven't already done so. Also give her more bedding material like tissues. She might need more.
2007-09-10 05:48:36 · answer #1 · answered by Scarlet 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had 2 Roberovski hamsters who did this. They did actually EAT the sawdust, too.
No, it's not safe, maybe in small quantites it would be okay, but if she's eating it all the time it's a big no. It's really not good for her digestive system, it has to work overtime to break it down. It probably has also been chemically treated to get rid of the bugs.
I don't know why she does it, I thought it was maybe to wear their teeth down or something, but I had chew things in my hamster's cage and they never touched them!
The only thing you can do is change the type of bedding you use. If you have a cage, you can get a vegetable-based bedding, looks like bits of ripped-up tissue paper, that she can munch away at happily. If you have her in a tank, you can put a few inches of soil down, very amusing to watch her burrow, (small hamsters like it better than Syrians) it dosen't need to be cleaned out as often, and the hammies love it.
Best of luck :o)
2007-09-12 05:48:41 · answer #2 · answered by the_happy_green_fish 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hamsters are the same as all over rodent types, they have to constantly keep chewing as otherwise their teeth with over grow and end up causing MAJOR problems. she is more than likly either stuffing her pouches to move the shavings to try and make herself a more comfy environment to live in, or she is just chewing them up into minute little pieces and spitting them back out. i have never yet known a hamster to actually EAT and SWALLOW bedding. but if by the chance she actually is, then she will be chewing it up into small enough parts that she can pas through so i wouldnt worry about it too much (i would worry alot more if you said she was chewing and swallowing that stupid and pathetic fluffy bedding that people insist on using)
as long as it is general animal wood shavings unscented etc, then i wouldnt worry. but as i said originally it is very unlikly that she is actually eating it, the only way i can see her trying to eat it is if she is starving hungry
2007-09-10 06:09:08 · answer #3 · answered by animallovinggirlie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Never use sawdust anyway, it's too dusty so can irritate respiratory system. Try Aspen, beech chips, hemp bedding, Carefresh or another paper based bedding etc.; not cedar or pine.
2007-09-10 08:11:31 · answer #4 · answered by Peggy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't reccomend using sawdust as bedding. Try pine chips. My hamster loves them and sometimes chews on them.
2007-09-10 07:27:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
IM NOT BEING ANNOYING BY WRITING IN CAPITALS BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT:::
HAMSTERS SHOULDN'T EAT SAWDUST, GO TO YOUR VET RECEPTION AND ASK THERE, THEY DON'T CHARGE FEES,
ALSO, SAWDUST IS WHAT HAMSTERS LIKE, BUT MINE DEVELOPED LUNG CANCER BY BREATHING IN THE DUST - IF YOU CAN, SWITCH TO A DIFFERENT BEDDINGS,
and they like tissues as well.
Good Luck!!!x
2007-09-10 09:21:12 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think you should be concerned. Sawdust is just shavings of wood, they can't be harmful. Perhaps, she ain't eating it, just stuffing into her pouch or gnawing on it!
2007-09-10 07:39:37 · answer #7 · answered by SPMZ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put in some tissue/ kitchen towel / toilet paper and watch him chew. He will make his own sawdust.
2007-09-10 05:46:54 · answer #8 · answered by mailliam 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could be lacking minerals in her diet try a mineral block from your local pet shop.it will also help keep her teeth in good order.They don't cost much but are worth every penny.
2007-09-10 06:17:36 · answer #9 · answered by Goldy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they only put it in their mouth they don't swallow and no you can't stop it doing that unless you remove the saw dust
2007-09-10 05:44:10 · answer #10 · answered by jr1984 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋