Cheap Hamster Bedding

[Tootels]

Hi so I agreed my kids could have a hamster each. They got the biggest cage they could get £85 each. Toys. Things to climb on. Sand box toilet playpen carrier house etc etc. My kids say the hamsters will only eat the food that the breeder gave us. Which is only on Amazon so more expense.

The sand / food and paper bedding is costing me too much. I have to get two of everything.

I've tried sawdust as it's cheaper. They say hamsters don't like sawdust and they prefer paper plus it gets walked around their bedroom.

I've seen a reptile sand suitable for hamsters that will work out cheaper. I just can't find any paper bedding that's a decent price.

When we first got them they used to throw away a full bib liner of sawdust away every week. I've told them just to throw the soiled bits.

We have had hamsters before and I did growing up but it wasn't this stressful.

I hate to say this in ever post but I'm autistic. Just in case people say I'm the parent I should be telling them.

Thanks.

auboise bedding is cheap.

I don't know anything about hamsters- but if the cages are big can you move them in together so they're sharing and then you only need to buy bedding for one cage? And then sell the other cage and toys to help fund future food and bedding?

Hi no we were told to keep them separate.

I don’t know if this is any use,but when my lot where little I ‘potty trained’ hamsters
you get an old lid (coffee lids are perfect) and put sawdust in it-along with a little bit of soiled bedding
they will then toilet in the coffee lid (that’s still filled with sawdust) and all you have to do is change it often (I did it about twice a week-keeping a pinch of the soiled sawdust to put back in the ‘toilet’
worked a treat-I then changed the main bedding every Monday (my dad would collect the used bedding to use on his compost heap)
I also used sawdust and it didn’t seem to make a difference to them-they all lived about two years or so (apart from the really old one that we had for about 6 months)

We used to use actual shredded paper for bedding for all small animals. Do you know anyone with a small business or something that might be able to keep their shredded paper for you?

We buy ours in bulk from fitch first. I wouldn't use wood shavings as most aren't suitable for hamsters. Fitch first is paper based and we're happy with it.

Our hamster has deep sawdust in large cage and is happy. Has hay for bedding. Best price for both, that I have found so far, is Home Bargains followed by Asda. Has a sand box too.. Sand was from amazon but got some previously from Pets at Home, that was not too pricey.

I don't know anything about hamsters but for bedded for my polecast and litter tray for my cat I use shredded paper.
Cross cut shredders are around £30
Newspapers are fairly easy to come by I use the free metro ones especially, just make sure you remove any staples first.

I’d also suggest Fitch as a cheap option, it’s shredded paper (sawdust can cause respiratory issues) and great for burrowing which hamsters love. As you said, you only really need to spot clean once a week rather than remove all the bedding.

They will often use the sand bath for wees which helps with cleaning and managing any smells easily. Even cheaper than reptile sand is getting a bag of children’s play sand and oven baking it to make it safe for use.

Hamsters are lovely pets, hope your children are enjoying them!

Find a horse feed shop near you and go look at their bales of bedding

You can get large flake wood shavings, shredded wood, shredded cardboard etc. in 20kg bales for under a tenner

Example

millbryhill.co.uk/collections/equestrian-stable-horse-bedding

Tea bag bedding from carcroft pet shop online. Just get one bag not two as it’s absolutely massive and I’m only half way through a bag after a year.
www.carcroftpetsupplies.com/product-page/tea-bag-bedding-1
Teabag bedding is very similar to fitch as mentioned above.

You only need to change the soiled bedding, don’t clean it all out as this stresses the hamster and it will scent the bedding.

Reptile sand is fine just not the type with calcium.

Correct not to put them in the same cage - they would kill each other.

There are some great Facebook groups for hamster advice, that’s where I got the teabag bedding tip!

If you have a horse supplies near you that would be the cheapest and easiest way to get bedding, I use megazorb and it's about £9, lasts ages and you just remove the soiled bits.
Also try a sand bath, mine tended to pee in his! An ideal size is one of those sweetie jars from ikea, anything similar size will do though.
The advice not so long ago was a full clean every week but as welfare wasn't given a priority and the cages were smaller the bedding got stinky very quickly.
If you have a bin bag full of bedding it sound like you have a good sized cage though.
If dcs want to learn more on hamster care, I'd recommend Victoria Raechel on YouTube.

Thanks all

Hay - are you aware that a small traditional bale from an equine hay supplier is the same price as a tiny 2kg bag of petshop hay. If you have a suitable garden shed to store it in, and can find a big plastic bag to keep it in so it isn't messy, then you're quids in. When we had a Guinea pig, I used to sell 'fill your own carrier bag with as much as you can for £1' to friends/neighbours to cover the cost of the bale.

Hey hope this helps.

i have a hamster in a huge ikea detolf cage, each month i would stress knowing id have to spend loads on bedding.. at first i was buying multiple carefresh bedding from milko for £6.50 the small ones... and over time i found easier options

so i fill half my cage up with coco fiber soil.. £1.85 in wilko for a block you just water and brake apart (you can use normal compost soil but my way is cheaper) also the soil needs to be dry before putting in the cage. i would buy 2 blocks fill half my cage

then i buy teabag bedding it comes in huge bales £20 with delivery, it lasts 2-3 months hamsters need lots of bedding to burrow in no less than 6 inches.

i spoil my hamster so her cage is divided into sections of different substrates, soil fills the most as she spends more time in it (also so cheap)

then i have a section of beech chips a bag is (£11 in pets at home)

at the end it has teabag bedding filled right to the top.

Personally, when it comes to my hamster's bedding, I usually try to find the cheapest option that still meets his needs. I typically purchase it from my local pet store or online retailers such as Amazon or Chewy. I don't want to use any old pet bedding as it could be poor quality.

That being said I also like to use an alternative to commercial bedding, like shredded paper or cardboard. It's important to ensure that any material used is non-toxic and safe him. Another option is to use hay or straw, i have done this in the past and had zero issues with straw and it was a great cheap option, but I make sure to check it for any signs of dust or mold.

I hope this helps you find what you're looking for!

Hamsters will fight to the death if they come into contact with each other. They absolutely definitely need separate cages.

Assume you've got sorted now, but I'd second Fitch. It's gone up in price but still economical for the amount you get. I get the 10kg bag. It's not too big to store as it comes in an oversized bag and you can squish it into different shapes (eg to fit between wall and wardrobe or under a chair). Or you can put a throw over it - then it looks like a child's size beanbag chair!

Not sure what food it is you get from Amazon - Harry Hamster? That's ok. It has the correct protein levels and is sugar free and not as expensive as some of the German hamster foods that are popular now.

If you want to know what leftovers, veggies etc a hamster can have, there's a list here

https://www.thehamsterforum.com/ams/safe-and-unsafe-food-list-for-hamsters.38/