The Best Hamster Bedding for Your Furry Friend

When you’re considering what bedding is best for hamsters, there isn’t too much weight to be placed on the difference between breeds of hamsters you have. All hamsters, Syrian and dwarf breeds, have similar requirements, especially when it comes down to what not to get. Sawdust is dangerous to both as it contains fine dust your pets can inhale and impact their breathing.

Similarly, scented bedding should be avoided for the same reason and any type of fluffy, synthetic material or cotton wool type bedding should be avoided. Hamsters have died from getting fluffy bedding wrapped around their limbs or stuck in their digestive tract.

All breeds of hamsters are burrowing creatures, one piece of research showed that hamsters in 80cm deep bedding showed no wire chewing behaviours compared to those in more shallow bedding, so deeper is better for all breeds!

There are lots of hamster-safe bedding available for your little furry friends that don’t have to break the bank either. Products like Wood Pellet Small Animal are super cost effective and very absorbent when it comes to urine, but for your four-legged friends who love to burrow into their substrate, they might find it a little more difficult with this. 

Wood shavings are a staple in hamster homes, it’s cheap and you can buy large bales to store and use gradually so you don’t have to visit the shop every week to stock up. Bedding like Hutch Hemp is a little pricier but this super-soft bedding is so cosy for your fluffy friend and still represents great value.

When you’re looking for the best hamster bedding for odour control, the biggest draw is a substrate that is highly absorbent. If a product can soak up all the urine, you’re less likely to catch a whiff of it when you’re in the same room. Many brands of bedding fit the bill for being absorbent but a few fall short.

While timothy hay is a great substrate that your hammy can have a gnaw on too, it won’t soak up much urine. Paper-based bedding on the other hand does a great job. Products like Carefresh 10L White Ultra are super absorbent and will keep your hamster home smelling fresher for longer.

While it’s tempting to save some money and use something you already have as substrate, you have to be careful with what you put in your beloved pet’s cage. Newspaper isn’t ideal bedding, as hamsters will sometimes eat some of their bedding and the ink can be dangerous to ingest.

Shredded paper is usually too hard, and hamsters can get papercuts from walking on it. The only thing that would be suitable is toilet paper, but filling a cage with torn-up toilet paper will take time. It’s more cost effective and always safer to go for quality bedding made specifically for hamsters.

It’s recommended to change your hamster’s bedding once a week, however some are messier than others so it can depend on the individual.

Finding the best odour-trapping product to use as bedding will make it easier to not clean their cage too often just because you smell urine when you’re nearby. If your hamster has a larger cage, you can also use the cost-effective method of spot cleaning. A larger area means it will take longer for the bedding to become soiled and if you can clean out areas rather than empty all the bedding on a regular basis, this can save you some money in the long run. Paper-based bedding that clumps when it gets wet is great for helping you to find where you need to spot clean.

To find the best bedding for your beloved pet, take a look at our wide range of small critter bedding options to find the best fit for you and your four-legged friend.