Panicking about hamster nesting material...

[cocoathehamster]

Cocoa mover in a month ago, and we are new to hamster keeping. When I was a child we had umpteen gerbils, and they used to have lurid coloured fluffy nesting material. One of them was badly injured and lost a paw when the nesting material got caught around its paw and cut off the circulation.

Cocoa currently has nesting material that?s fluffy in the same way ? although it is now undyed and claims to be safe and biodegradable etc.. She?s makes a beautiful nest out of it, but I don?t trust it. What should we be using?

try some of the paper based products, we used one made from long strips. Then soften them down in the nest and always looked very comfy.
don't use shredded writing paper as the ink can be poisonous.

I used to give my mice toilet rolls and they would tear bits off to line their beds.
Do hamsters chew paper like mice do?

I use a shredder now (cuts 4x40mm strips) for my GPs but they don't eat paper.

What about paper towels? You could shred those.

Thanks for your replies,

There are a couple of cardboard rolls from the inside of toilet rolls in the cage but cocoa is more interested in climbing on them / running through them/ rolling them around then tearing them up.

Is the bleach the makes paper white a problem for hamsters? Could I used tissues, or toilet paper?

I'll might try shredding kitchen roll...

Toilet paper!!

It the best and cheapest thing for hammys!

All the best hammy owners use it

Oh and DO NOT use fluffy bedding!

Its very dangerous, can get caught up inside them, round their legs etc and cut of circulation! Horrible horrible stuff! Should be banned!

Toilet roll can be a bit dusty. Try shredding a whole kitchen roll.

My 2 scoff at the sight of kitchen roll! T'is not soft enough apparently

Fluffy bedding has duly being removed and disposed of and replaced by shredded kitchen roll, which has being enthusiastically dragged in to the house so so-far so-good.

Cocoa is a lovely chirpy bubbly friendly hamster and I'ld hate her to come to harm.