Bedding - cost and changing timing

[Thumper]

Hi,

This is my first post...

My daughter wants to buy a Syrian hamster.

We're looking at getting a Savic Aura 120 and filling it to 25cm depth

I am trying to see whether the cost is doable because, if I am correct, I will need 180litres to fill to that depth. I can't find anything safe cheaper than £27 for 60 litres (but that may be because I don't know what I am doing).

If that is the case I'd need £81 a month just on bedding alone! Is that how it works? Or am I missing something?

Thank you all in advance. I apologise if this has already been covered (I did search)

Thanks

 

[Maz]

Hello Yes it does hold a lot of bedding. I have actually filled the base of the Aura before and it took almost two whole bags of Fitch (70 litre bags) - that was to fill it 25cm. Those are about £32 a bag. However don't panic. Yes it is quite an expensive outlay at the start, but after that you won't use much bedding. Predominantly you would then just "spot clean" the pee area (or some syrians will use a litter tray which is handy! Then you just empty the litter tray). You can go quite a few months like that, because with that much bedding, most of it stays clean and dry - it's only their pee that is unhygienic. And Syrians do only pee in one spot. Once you find out where they are peeing it becomes much easier.

After maybe 3 months you could do a one third clean - as if you visually divide the cage into thirds - and just do one end. So then you take that third of bedding out. But you then put about half of it back again! So you keep anything that is clean and dry, mix it in with new bedding and add that back. This is partly because it doesn't need removing and partly so things still smell familiar for the hamster. Then some time after you do the next third. And so on - then it can go a few months again with spot cleaning. Spot cleaning is basically taking out a handful or two of pee'd on bedding and replacing it with a couple of new handfuls.

With the third method, I have often found there is only one third of the cage that actually needs it (the area where they sleep and have a toilet) and the rest of it tends to be perfectly clean and dry. Some syrians will actually chuck out the smelly bedding for you! They chuck it out on top of the substrate for you to take away. Baby Syrians often don't get into habits like that straight away though.

So initially you would need something like two 70 litre bags of Fitch. I'll link it below. You should have a bit left from the second bag, but would probably need to get a third bag to keep in - and that should last many months.

Fitch recycled food grade paper bedding - from Amazon

You can also buy it direct from Fitch where the price shows a bit cheaper but once you add delivery I think the cost is about the same.

1 x 70LTR Fitch Paper Pet Bedding

Fitch 70L Paper Pet Bedding Bales size are 500mmx440mmx330mm Fitch Pet Bedding. It is very absorbent,may vary in softness and colour, our bedding is warm and is ideal for dogs,cats,rabbits,hamsters,guinea pigs and many other animals. The paper is shredded into small pieces of about 15-20mm...

www.fitchfirst.com

 

[Thumper]

Hello Yes it does hold a lot of bedding. I have actually filled the base of the Aura before and it took almost two whole bags of Fitch (70 litre bags) - that was to fill it 25cm. Those are about £32 a bag. However don't panic. Yes it is quite an expensive outlay at the start, but after that you won't use much bedding. Predominantly you would then just "spot clean" the pee area (or some syrians will use a litter tray which is handy! Then you just empty the litter tray). You can go quite a few months like that, because with that much bedding, most of it stays clean and dry - it's only their pee that is unhygienic. And Syrians do only pee in one spot. Once you find out where they are peeing it becomes much easier.

After maybe 3 months you could do a one third clean - as if you visually divide the cage into thirds - and just do one end. So then you take that third of bedding out. But you then put about half of it back again! So you keep anything that is clean and dry, mix it in with new bedding and add that back. Then some time after you do the next third. And so on - then it can go a few months again with spot cleaning.

So initially you would need something like two 70 litre bags of Fitch. I'll link it below. You should have a bit left from the second bag, but would probably need to get a third bag to keep in - and that should last many months.

Fitch recycled food grade paper bedding - from Amazon

You can also buy it direct from Fitch where the price shows a bit cheaper but once you add delivery I think the cost is about the same.

1 x 70LTR Fitch Paper Pet Bedding

Fitch 70L Paper Pet Bedding Bales size are 500mmx440mmx330mm Fitch Pet Bedding. It is very absorbent,may vary in softness and colour, our bedding is warm and is ideal for dogs,cats,rabbits,hamsters,guinea pigs and many other animals. The paper is shredded into small pieces of about 15-20mm...

www.fitchfirst.com

 

[Maz]

Sorry I've just edited my post above and added a bit more

 

[Thumper]

Thank you so much for your kind help!

It has allayed my fears.

My daughter is asking how you get the hamster to use a litter tray?

Thank you again

 

[Socks' Mum]

For the litter tray, just put some soiled bedding on the surface of the tray and she should wee where she can smell old wee. Some hamsters automatically use sand. The best sand is reptile sand without calcium.

 

[Maz]

It's a good question. Some of that depends on where the hamster decides to nest If you have a multiroom house, you can put a corner litter tray in one of the rooms in there, with sand in it. I get these

Trixie corner toilet

They seem to like an "ensuite bathroom" - ie a toilet and sleeping area nearby and in a sheltered area. However hamsters are also pernickety and contrary and will only use it if you put it in a place that they decide is a toilet!

If the hamster decides to create an underground burrow, it's possible they may also decide to have an underground toilet! And then they may or may not use the potty. The trick then is finding the pee area. The rule of thumb is - if you can't smell it - don't worry! With all that bedding it is not really an issue. Eventually it means having to feel around under the substrate in the area you suspect - and then find you can't find it ha ha. So don't worry - you will find it when it starts to smell.

They tend to keep their nest and hoard separate from their pee area out of habit anyway so it doesn't really cause an issue. Because there is so much bedding.