Bedding refers to the substance that is mostly found at the bottom of a hamster cage. It essentially functions to keep a hamster warm and comfortable. It is also important for the bedding to be absorbent as it takes a bit of time for hamsters to be potty trained and even if they have been trained, it is not uncommon for them to urinate in other areas of the cage.

In this sense, bedding can be very helpful in controlling unwelcome odours. Furthermore, bedding is crucial in allowing a hamster to burrow in their cage, which is often a large part of enriching their homes.

It is important to keep a few criteria in mind when choosing the type of bedding you will use for your hamster’s home.

• Safety
• Comfort
• Utility
• Cost
• Cosmetics

Safety

The first and foremost consideration is the safety of the bedding. Some qualities of certain beddings can make them hazardous to hamsters. For example, bedding that has a lot of dust in its packaging can cause respiratory issues for your hamster. Whilst brands of bedding can generally be dust-free, it is important to check every bag as some of them may be dusty.

Other hazardous qualities include the presence of chemicals in certain types of wood shavings. For example, wood shavings from pine or cedar trees are considered chemically hazardous to hamsters.

Safety of the bedding is a primary consideration for your pet hamster.

Certain types of bedding that may seem suitable can be unsuspectingly hazardous. For example, cotton fluff bedding has been known to cause hamsters intestinal blockage when ingested, suffocation if it gets stuck in their throat, and can cause them to become entangled which can cut off circulation to their feet. Also, scented bedding is considered unsuitable because hamsters rely heavily on their sense of smell to navigate, so being enveloped in strong scents will make them feel disorientated and stressed.

Comfort

Whether they are running around, digging burrows or simply sleeping, most hamsters will typically spend the majority of their time in or on the bedding of the cage. Therefore, it is very important that the bedding is comfortable for them.

Different hamsters will prefer different types of bedding.

It is common that different hamsters will prefer different types of bedding. A hamster’s behaviour regarding their comfort preference for a certain type of bedding can be quite ambiguous to observe. However, based on experience I have found that a hamster will add material they find comfortable to their nest areas. For example, my hamster will move substantial amounts of one type of bedding (Carefresh) to his nest whilst never really moving his aspen shavings.

Utility

Utility here refers to the qualities of a bedding that improve quality of life for you and your hamster. Below are a few qualities of utility that might be considered:

The qualities of a bedding can improve quality of life for you and your hamster.

• Absorption of urine
• Odour control
• Insulation of heat
• Structural integrity for burrows
• Ease of cleaning

Even if your hamster has been potty trained, it’s always helpful to have an absorbent bedding since hamsters are known to commonly urinate outside of their designated litter area.

Odour control is more for you than your hamster because (as far as I know) they don’t seem to mind their own odours much.

Insulation of heat is critical in cold temperatures (around 15 degrees Celsius or less), so it is important to provide suitable bedding that will allow your hamster to keep warm.

It is important to provide suitable bedding that will allow your hamster to keep warm.

Since hamsters enjoy burrowing, providing bedding that will allow them to do so will enrich their homes. For example, paper pellet bedding does not maintain its structural integrity for burrows well but aspen shavings and Carefresh do.

Once again, ease of cleaning is more for you than your hamster. I think the most suitable types of wood and paper bedding are relatively straightforward to clean. I found that sand is trickier to clean but not too difficult in moderate amounts. Whilst I don’t place much priority on this quality, it may be more important for cages that are harder to clean.

Cost

The bedding will often be the largest contributor to monthly maintenance costs for your hamster. Assuming a suitable amount of bedding is provided (such as good depth and regular replacing), the costs can add up to more than what might be initially expected.

Ironically, smaller cages have a higher bedding maintenance cost as they have to be cleaned out more often and the bedding has to be replaced more frequently as a result. It is not too expensive compared to the maintenance cost of other pets, but it can be significant for some. Therefore, the cost of bedding should not be underestimated.

Costs will vary based on location and provider. Whilst price per volume is an obvious consideration, it ought to be noted that many beddings expand once it is out of the packaging. For example, a bag of bedding may be labelled 10 litres but if it expands up to 2 or 3 times, you may be getting 20 or 30 litres worth of bedding. So it is important to consider the expanded volume as opposed to just the initial volume in the bag.

The bedding will often be the largest contributor to monthly maintenance costs for your hamster.

I can think of a couple more tips that can help reduce costs whilst still providing a suitable hamster home.

• Firstly, it is significantly more expensive to provide adequately deep bedding across the entire cage. Therefore, to allow your hamster a place to burrow you can provide adequately deep bedding in at least one sizeable area of the cage and be slightly more reserved across the rest of the cage.
• Secondly, a method to boost bedding depth, maintain quality of life, and save on expenses. I found that my hamster’s favourite bedding happens to be the most expensive. In order to manage costs I first fill up the cage with cheaper types of bedding (that are still suitable) and then I provide a generous layer of his favourite bedding on the top. Whilst his burrowing area consists mostly of his favourite type of bedding, this method still allows him access to plenty of his favourite bedding across the rest of the cage on which he can run around and dig into.

Cosmetics

The cosmetic look of the bedding can be more important to some than others. Generally, the cosmetic look of a bedding is more for our sake since hamsters have poor sight. Some people like to decorate their hamster’s bedding with colours to create unique looks.

Some Recommended Bedding

Aspen Shavings

Aspen shavings are a type of bedding that consists of small pieces of hardwood from aspen trees. It is a common type of bedding for hamsters because it is considered safe and relatively cheap. Based on what I have observed, it is not noticeably uncomfortable but is also not the most comfortable either. Its absorbency is mediocre and it is also okay for odour control.

Examples of suitable aspen shavings:

• So Phresh Natural Aspen – bit.ly/32obdzb
• Kaytee Aspen – bit.ly/2zKjhh3
• Living World Wood Aspen – amzn.to/2LiEgxa

Aspen shavings bedding.
Image source: https://imgur.com/9foKw

Aspen shavings are suitable for burrowing too.
Image source: https://imgur.com/9foKw

Carefresh

Carefresh is one of the most popular and highly rated beddings for hamsters. It is made from fibrous pulp and is well-known for its excellent odour control and absorbency. It is also notably comfortable and insulates heat very well.

I have observed that my hamsters will often stuff Carefresh bedding into their cheeks to build their nests, more so during the winter season. Carefresh is noticeably more expensive than most other types of bedding, but I can confidently recommend it as it excels in all other criteria of consideration. Carefresh even comes in different colours so it caters to those who wish to further decorate their hamster’s home.

Examples of suitable Carefresh:

• Carefresh (Natural) – amzn.to/2ZDM01B
• Carefresh (Coloured) – amzn.to/2Px3zAG

Carefresh bedding.
Image credit: youtu.be/GywoyX2pzB8

Carefresh bedding is notably comfortable and insulates heat very well.
Image credit: youtu.be/GywoyX2pzB8

Paper (Pellets/Shredded)

Many types of paper (pellets/shredded) can be suitable as bedding for hamsters. There is a significant variation in the qualities of these different paper beddings. For example, shredded paper is often not too good at absorbing hamster urine and lacks good odour control. On the other hand, shredded paper can be very comfortable and many hamsters enjoy nests of that material. I think it is often advised that shredded paper be used mainly for hamster nests/litter as opposed to the main bedding for the entire cage.

Overall, paper bedding is quite cheap compared to alternatives like Carefresh and large bags of paper pellets can be very cost effective. Shredded paper can be made accessibly from ink-free printing paper, tissue paper, toilet roll or paper towels. Some paper beddings can also be environmentally friendly, if that is of interest to you.

An example of shredded paper bedding.
Image credit: youtu.be/oja6B-Jl4jw

I personally use recycled paper pellets partially for litter, nesting and overall cage volume. I must admit that I have only managed to observe my hamster’s interaction with the pellets for a couple of weeks. However, he seemed pretty comfortable with it in his nest and it was quite absorbent for his litter. I don’t think the pellets alone would be sufficient burrowing material so I make sure to provide a generous amount of Carefresh to subsidise for this. Based on other reviews as well as my own observations, I can generally recommend the use of safe paper bedding.

Examples of suitable paper bedding:

• Recycled Paper Pellets – amzn.to/2UjxACU
• Shredded Paper (Unscented) – amzn.to/30URdUw

An example of recycled paper pellets bedding.
Image credit: youtu.be/oja6B-Jl4jw

Conclusion

This article has covered some of the things to consider when you decide on which type of bedding to provide for your hamster. Generally, there are many variations regarding the provision of bedding. Every hamster and owner will be different so I have avoided the labelling of a ‘best bedding’. However, I have shared some beddings that I can confidently recommend based on personal experience, along with some practical considerations for each type of bedding. There are other types of suitable bedding if that is something you are interested in, but I haven’t included them here due to a lack of personal experience.

Further Reading

• Hamster Myths and Facts (hamsterhideout.com/forum/topic/104161-hamster-myths-and-facts)
• Safe and Unsafe Bedding Types (hamsterhideout.com/forum/topic/136246-safe-and-unsafe-bedding-types)
• Safe and Unsafe Hamster Beddings w/Alternatives (youtu.be/1cP_lBTyeaI)
• DIY Paper Bedding for Hamsters (youtu.be/XqQugFW0FYU)
• How to Use Soil in Hamster Cages (youtu.be/o5ARp-dqqKs)
• Hamster Care Community Forums (hamsterhideout.com/forum)
• Hamster Care Community Forums (hamstercentral.com/community)

For more interesting information:

• Hamster Care: An Introduction (Part 1)
• Hamster Care: Cages (Part 2)
• Is There Any Such Thing As “Vermin”?
• It will break your heart, but you need to see this
• Don’t leave them behind
• These are so touching and cute!
• What Do You Think?
• What some face in one day!
• A Living Hell?
• Hours Before Death
• How brutal
• We need more stories like this

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