Syrian Hamster Basics - Bedding

Syrian Hamster Basics - Bedding

Full disclosure, I am not an animal expert. Information in this post is based on lots of research and my own experiences.

I will be talking about the basic things beginner Syrian hamster pet owners should have for their Syrian hamsters. Not all Syrian hamsters are the same so adjust according to your hamster.

In this post, I will go through the popular bedding choices Syrian hamster pet owners use.

Different hamsters like different bedding so try different types and see which ones your hamster likes best.

Natural Bedding

There are many types of natural bedding types; however, there are safe and unsafe types of natural beddings.

Aspen is the most popular natural bedding there is and it is one of the few safe wood shaving substrates. Aspen bedding gives a really nice natural style to your enclosure and it can also help with odour control. It comes in fine shavings and large shavings. Some forums said that aspen tends to stick and get tangled in their hamster's fur, especially for the long-haired For Syrian hamsters, therefore, they generally recommend large shavings.

Do not use pine or cedar wood shavings. They are known to cause respiratory problems for hamsters so stay away from them.

Recycled Paper Cat Litter

This is the cheapest option for bedding but it may not be as comfortable as the others. When looking for these kinds of bedding, ensure that the cat litter says it is made out of 100 percent paper. Not all cat litter can be used so be careful and when in doubt, ask the staff for help.

Paper Bedding

There are many brands that carry paper bedding for rodents but the popular ones are Carefresh, Kaytee, and Fitch. They come in all different types of colours and sizes and different brands have different qualities and textures for their bedding. Some pet owners dislike Carefresh because it has baking soda in it to help with odour and it tends to make the bedding smell weird.

It seems that Fitch is only available in the United States so Carefresh and Kaytee are more popular in my area. In general, larger bags of bedding are cheaper compared to smaller bags but sadly many physical stores may not carry the large-sized 30L bags so ordering online may be a better choice. Paper bedding tends to be slightly more pricey compared to other kinds of bedding so do keep that in mind.

For my hamster, I have a mix of Carefresh paper bedding and Aspen wood shavings. This helps with increasing the depth of bedding without using as much of the expensive Carefresh paper bedding. A 60L Carefresh paper bedding bag can last me for 8-10 months, with deep cleaning every three weeks.

Nesting Material and Others

A simple nesting material is tissue paper. Just rip the tissue paper into small strips and place it into your hamster’s enclosure. They will use this tissue paper to nest in and make their “beds.” Ensure that the tissue paper you use is 100 percent pure pulp.

For toilets, some people like to use toilet substrates which will help with odours and bacteria. Always make sure it is safe for hamsters. Some toilet substrates will clump together when it is wet and gets ingested by your hamster. It will cause serious gastrointestinal damage and your hamster will get really, really sick.

I like to have a small bowl or saucer filled with plain, hamster-safe sand and he will pee and bathe himself in it.

Never bathe your hamsters with water. They will become really stressed and may die.

Syrian hamsters make great apartment pets because they are quite low maintenance, don’t require lots of space, and are pretty hardy. Have fun taking care of your hamsters!