Budget Hamster set up 2025

[Maz]

I was thinking we could do with an updated basic budget hamster set up. Not everyone can afford nice hides and bedding gets expensive too! I always like the idea that anyone could keep a hamster in a good environment, even if a bit strapped for cash. Last time it still came to about £100. This time I'm going to do four versions - two for the Uk (DIY and non DIY) and two for the US (where they have large bins!) DIY and non DIY, and anyone else can add their own version of a basic budget set up to this thread as well - because there may be multiple options! These are mine! Food not included here - just cage set up.

Uk non DIY Option (for dwarf or syrian hamster - deduct £5 for dwarf hamster wheel but may need more bedding for height reduction of this cage).

Total £115.48 (for 100cm cage)

£35 to £40 (approx) Second hand Savic Plaza 100 (example of used one)

£31.99 Fitch bedding 70 litre bag (this should give about 8" to 10" in a 100cm cage)

£11 Omlet multiroom cardboard houses (pack of 3)

£7 Rosewood PicknFly sprays selection

£4.50 - childrens play sand from Argos

£3.30 cork granules as alternative substrate

£4 (approx) Carrot hay cottage (alternative substrate/forage/additional hide)

£16.99 Trixie 28cm plastic wheel

Free - large cardboard box to cut up and create bedding depth panels inside bars (may or may not be suitable for female syrians who could chew it off!)
Free - 2 x empty ice cream tubs as sand bath and alternative substrate
Free - large strong cardboard box with one side cut out, to make a freestanding platform
Free - pringles tube, wiped out or silver inner pulled out (assuming you eat pringles)
Free - alternative cardboard tubes - eg kitchen roll inner tube slit down one side
Free - strips of toilet paper for nesting


UK DIY Option

Total £133.78 (for 120cm diy enclosure - assumes you have basic tools).

£40 Ikea Platsa wardrobe frame 120cm x 55cm x 60cm (laid on its back)

£15 (approx) Lid made from strips of wood and mesh

All the other items are the same as above! 70 litres of Fitch should give about 8" of bedding


US Non DIY

Total $213.66 (equivalent to £157.51 Uk money approx)

$99.99 New Sahara enclosure from exotic nutrition (not sure how easy it is to find used enclosures)

$30.99 100 litres Kaytee Clean and Cozy bedding from Amazon (note you can get 184 litres of Boxo paper bedding from Walmart for $57.80 which will last longer)

$15 Omlet cardboard multiroom hides x 3

$7.99 selection of sprays from Amazon

$11.99 Reptisand (non calcium) from Amazon - couldn't find anything cheaper

$17.99 Niteangel cork/coco bedding - alternative substrate (couldn't find anything cheaper)

$12.02 - Prevue nature's hideaway grass hut - additional texture/forage/hideout

$17.69 Wodent wheel 11" from exotic nutrition

Free - Pringles tubes/cardboard tubes
Free - 2 x empty ice cream tubs for sand bath and alternative substrate
Free - large strong cardboard box with one side cut out to make a platform

Note - someone from the US maybe able to come up with better options if they know where to shop!


US DIY

Total: $211.67 (equivalent to £156.04 Uk money approx)

$88 (approx) 200 quart sterilite plastic store bin
$10 (approx) mesh and cable ties to cut out roof panel and mesh

The rest of the list is the same as above for the US Non DIY cage set up!

Note - someone from the US may be able to do a better list if they know where to shop!

Note 2 You can buy Boxo paper bedding in bulk from Walmart - 184 litres for $57.80 - which is a lot of bedding!

Pstl Boxo Small Anim Bedding 184L - Walmart.com

Buy Pstl Boxo Small Anim Bedding 184L at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[Yorkie]

This is an amazing thread Maz,would just like to add,350.litre of chipsi classic is less than twenty quid on Amazon and tea bag bedding is only 20 quid for two massive bags that most struggle to store lol I am **** at links ,but I got my Trixie's on eBay ,brand new for 14.60. And for quite a while I used a couple of pirex dishes ,second hand,and those storage jars that I have as a sandbath now for hides etc. I can't think of anything else now,hope this is useful .

 

[Maz]

That's really good to know. I've heard of teabag bedding but haven't tried it before. Is that from Amazon did you say? £14.60 is a much better price for the Trixie wheel, so that's worth remembering.

I think a lot of people in the US dont know about Boxo bedding - it works out so cheap for paper bedding and it's a really big bale - it's been around for years, but for some reason is only available at Walmart (I think!). Maybe an own-brand product.

Decided to adapt this thread into an article for the home page.

 

[Yorkie]

That's really good to know. I've heard of teabag bedding but haven't tried it before. Is that from Amazon did you say? £14.60 is a much better price for the Trixie wheel, so that's worth remembering.

I think a lot of people in the US dont know about Boxo bedding - it works out so cheap for paper bedding and it's a really big bale - it's been around for years, but for some reason is only available at Walmart (I think!). Maybe an own-brand product.

Decided to adapt this thread into an article for the home page.

The teabag bedding will just pop up if you search for it on Google. It is available through various shops,so you can choose your cheapest. Chipsi 350 is on Amazon .There is another cheap one by Norfolk industries too that supports people with disabilities,their bales are massive,and they sell through Amazon. Also,the teabag bedding is best mixed with something else. So although you pay more at the start,you will take forever to go through it.

 

[Maz]

I'd be really interested to see the link for the one by Norfolk industries. Is it this one? If so it seems a good price. 85 kg/litres of bedding plus paper nesting material for £21.50 with free delivery! That definitely works out cheaper than Fitch. I am tempted to substitute the Fitch for it above, but I haven't actually tried it, so have only included things I've tried and can recommend.

Have you used their bedding? Is it good and not dusty?

Large Cosy Pack - Small Pet Bedding - Norfolk Industries

Promote natural nesting and burrowing behaviours in your small pets with our bundle of Paper Flake Bedding and Recycled Paper Bedding. Ideal for small animals.

www.norfolkindustries.co.uk

 

[Yorkie]

I'd be really interested to see the link for the one by Norfolk industries. Is it this one? If so it seems a good price. 85 kg/litres of bedding plus paper nesting material for £21.50 with free delivery! That definitely works out cheaper than Fitch. I am tempted to substitute the Fitch for it above, but I haven't actually tried it, so have only included things I've tried and can recommend.

Have you used their bedding? Is it good and not dusty?

Large Cosy Pack - Small Pet Bedding - Norfolk Industries

Promote natural nesting and burrowing behaviours in your small pets with our bundle of Paper Flake Bedding and Recycled Paper Bedding. Ideal for small animals.

www.norfolkindustries.co.uk

Yes,it's this one.We haven't used it sadly,but I have always earmarked it in my head as a cheap option.Now that I have mentioned,I may give in and get some.The reviews are quite good

 

[Yorkie]

Yes,it's this one.We haven't used it sadly,but I have always earmarked it in my head as a cheap option.Now that I have mentioned,I may give in and get some.The reviews are quite good

But obviously an idea for budget friendly

 

[Maz]

I probably need to get some to try as well. Then I can make the budget set up cheaper! Trouble is I have loads at the moment and don't need any!

It's a really good find - thank you very much We all need cheaper hamster bedding!

 

[Yorkie]

Likewise,but you can ask them for a sample.i am assuming their paper flake bedding is more suited to our hammies,they do do hamster bundles

 

[Maz]

Likewise,but you can ask them for a sample.i am assuming their paper flake bedding is more suited to our hammies,they do do hamster bundles

I couldn't work out if the flake bedding was nesting material and the "recycled" paper was bedding - I assume so as the recycled paper was the bigger bag.

 

[Yorkie]

The recyled paper is old newspapers,so I would be worried about print and pAPer cuts,but I think the flakes are soft. What do you think? If I was going to buy,I would sample first for def

 

[Maz]

Hmm. I didn't see it said newspaper. Maybe it's been treated somehow to remove the ink?

 

[Yorkie]

Hmm. I didn't see it said newspaper. Maybe it's been treated somehow to remove the ink?

Yes,maybe

 

[Maz]

The recyled paper is old newspapers,so I would be worried about print and pAPer cuts,but I think the flakes are soft. What do you think? If I was going to buy,I would sample first for def

I was having a look again and it's a little confusing in places, but I think it's the paper flake bedding that is intended for hamsters. Those larger packs say for guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas and hedgehogs.

And my maths needs looking at too as 1.2kg is obviously larger than .85kg I read it as 85kg, not .85kg. So neither is a very large pack for the price. Hard thinking in kg as well when everything else is in litrees.

But as a comparison, Fitch used to be in 10kg (large) and 20kg (huge) bags, before it changed to litres. The biggest one now is 70 litres which was supposed to be the equivalent to the old 10kg bag (but is slightly less than before in my view).

So if the paper flake is 1.2kg a bag and there are 12 bags of it, then it's about 14.4kg - so technically those 12 bags should be more than a 70 litre bag of fitch. But when I've bought fitch in smaller bags, I found the equivalent number of small bags didn't seem to give as much bedding as one large bag! Which I always found confusing (but their small bags were compressed).

And yes the other type is recycled newspaper, which personally I wouldn't want to use. I don't see how it can be allergy free if it is recycled printed newsaper (unless newspapers have started using non toxic, allergy free inks). I do remember someone saying a few years back that newspapers no longer used toxic inks but ......... AI says although newspaper ink is less toxic than before, it is still risky if ingested. Which would be my worry (mind you AI isn't that reliable!).

The recycled newspaper bedding they say is for nesting and burrowing and is in the smaller packs, so I think just the paper flake bedding would be the only one suitable really. Their shop only seems to sell packs of both,

So I've had a look at their list of stockists. One of whom is Jollyes, who sell the paper flake bedding from NIDP. Where it says it's white, soft and dust-free, hypoallergenic and won't cause harm if the pet eats it. They sell it 100g bags for £1.26. One kg is 1000 grammes, So 10 bags of 100g paper flake would only give 1kg of bedding. 10kg (the equivalent of a large bag of fitch) would be 10,000 grammes. So you'd need 100 bags of the 100g paper flake bedding to give as much as a large bag of Fitch. Which would cost £126!

The descriptions are confusing. It's clearly sold in small, nesting sized bags but marketed as litter/bedding for hamsters, mice, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Jollyes also sell the recycled paper bedding .85 kg (so an even smaller bag also at £1.26) made from recycled newspaper which they say is chemical free and won't harm skin or fur, and intended as a "base" bedding. And they say it smells like freshly baked bread

It also says you don't have to worry about accidentally poisoning your pet with that product. Which is also confusing if it's made with recycled newspaper.

Best pets sell the paper flake bedding (not recycled newspaper) in larger, 5.8 litre compressed bags (which they say is the equivalent of 0.9kg). Those are £4,85 a bag. So 10 of those would be £48.50 for 9kg (maybe the equivalent of a large bag of fitch or slightly less but costs more).

But - they (Best pets) also sell a large 10kg bale of "paper strips" bedding for £25.89. Which is cheaper than Fitch. This sounds like the equivalent of the fitch paper strips bedding, which people have found isn't good for hamsters as it gets tangled. The normal 70 litre bag of fitch is the pieces rather than the long strips.

I looked at a few other stockists as well who mainly sell the smaller bags. It's all a bit confusing, but I think it isn't really an option personally.

The recycled newspaper can be ruled out IMO due to potential risks and the fact it's only sold in very small bags,

The paper flake bedding would be too expensive as only sold in small bags.

The paper strips bedding is sold in larger bales of just under 1kg but paper strips aren't great for main bedding I think.

Although that could be worth trying as it does work out cheaper than fitch if you buy 10 of those.

I just remember when people have accidentally bought the paper strip fitch instead of the pieces, it didn't work well.

It's annoying really as it would be nice to support a supplier like that - but I can only assume it's not cost effective for them to produce bulk quantities of the paper flake bedding. Either that or they don't realise people buy bulk bedding for hamsters (the bulk strip bedding says its for dogs).

 

[Socks' Mum]

I bought a huge bag of the paper strip bedding and didn't get on with it. The guinea pigs saturated it and it smelled in a very short space if time. Socks had to wade through it and it wasn't easily burrow able. I didn't even get to the end of the bag.

 

[Maz]

Also re-reading their site again. The 10 bags of paper flake bedding aren't 1.2kg each. The whole 10 bags is equivalent to 1.2kg! So that £21 doesn't buy much at all (plus you get the newspaper bedding with it even if you don't want it).

 

[Yorkie]

I was having a look again and it's a little confusing in places, but I think it's the paper flake bedding that is intended for hamsters. Those larger packs say for guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas and hedgehogs.

And my maths needs looking at too as 1.2kg is obviously larger than .85kg I read it as 85kg, not .85kg. So neither is a very large pack for the price. Hard thinking in kg as well when everything else is in litrees.

But as a comparison, Fitch used to be in 10kg (large) and 20kg (huge) bags, before it changed to litres. The biggest one now is 70 litres which was supposed to be the equivalent to the old 10kg bag (but is slightly less than before in my view).

So if the paper flake is 1.2kg a bag and there are 12 bags of it, then it's about 14.4kg - so technically those 12 bags should be more than a 70 litre bag of fitch. But when I've bought fitch in smaller bags, I found the equivalent number of small bags didn't seem to give as much bedding as one large bag! Which I always found confusing (but their small bags were compressed).

And yes the other type is recycled newspaper, which personally I wouldn't want to use. I don't see how it can be allergy free if it is recycled printed newsaper (unless newspapers have started using non toxic, allergy free inks). I do remember someone saying a few years back that newspapers no longer used toxic inks but ......... AI says although newspaper ink is less toxic than before, it is still risky if ingested. Which would be my worry (mind you AI isn't that reliable!).

The recycled newspaper bedding they say is for nesting and burrowing and is in the smaller packs, so I think just the paper flake bedding would be the only one suitable really. Their shop only seems to sell packs of both,

So I've had a look at their list of stockists. One of whom is Jollyes, who sell the paper flake bedding from NIDP. Where it says it's white, soft and dust-free, hypoallergenic and won't cause harm if the pet eats it. They sell it 100g bags for £1.26. One kg is 1000 grammes, So 10 bags of 100g paper flake would only give 1kg of bedding. 10kg (the equivalent of a large bag of fitch) would be 10,000 grammes. So you'd need 100 bags of the 100g paper flake bedding to give as much as a large bag of Fitch. Which would cost £126!

The descriptions are confusing. It's clearly sold in small, nesting sized bags but marketed as litter/bedding for hamsters, mice, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Jollyes also sell the recycled paper bedding .85 kg (so an even smaller bag also at £1.26) made from recycled newspaper which they say is chemical free and won't harm skin or fur, and intended as a "base" bedding. And they say it smells like freshly baked bread

It also says you don't have to worry about accidentally poisoning your pet with that product. Which is also confusing if it's made with recycled newspaper.

Best pets sell the paper flake bedding (not recycled newspaper) in larger, 5.8 litre compressed bags (which they say is the equivalent of 0.9kg). Those are £4,85 a bag. So 10 of those would be £48.50 for 9kg (maybe the equivalent of a large bag of fitch or slightly less but costs more).

But - they (Best pets) also sell a large 10kg bale of "paper strips" bedding for £25.89. Which is cheaper than Fitch. This sounds like the equivalent of the fitch paper strips bedding, which people have found isn't good for hamsters as it gets tangled. The normal 70 litre bag of fitch is the pieces rather than the long strips.

I looked at a few other stockists as well who mainly sell the smaller bags. It's all a bit confusing, but I think it isn't really an option personally.

The recycled newspaper can be ruled out IMO due to potential risks and the fact it's only sold in very small bags,

The paper flake bedding would be too expensive as only sold in small bags.

The paper strips bedding is sold in larger bales of just under 1kg but paper strips aren't great for main bedding I think.

Although that could be worth trying as it does work out cheaper than fitch if you buy 10 of those.

I just remember when people have accidentally bought the paper strip fitch instead of the pieces, it didn't work well.

It's annoying really as it would be nice to support a supplier like that - but I can only assume it's not cost effective for them to produce bulk quantities of the paper flake bedding. Either that or they don't realise people buy bulk bedding for hamsters (the bulk strip bedding says its for dogs).

Thanks for figuring it out in quantity ,it was an idea I hoped would pan out for everyone . It really is a shame ,but once I looked into it more last night I thought it wasn't safe if it was newspaper .I had only previously seen the paper flake bedding and thought they did it in bulk. So sorry for the faff,it would've been nice to support them.

 

[Yorkie]

Also re-reading their site again. The 10 bags of paper flake bedding aren't 1.2kg each. The whole 10 bags is equivalent to 1.2kg! So that £21 doesn't buy much at all (plus you get the newspaper bedding with it even if you don't want it).

It seems that the only useful one out of my suggestions is the tea bag bedding. Apparently if mixed with chipsi classic,it's a really cheap choice. Megazorb is another that was mentioned to me,but I didn't fancy trying to store the massive pack lol

 

[Maz]

No apology needed, it's always good to check out alternative paper beddings that might be cheaper. As you say it's a shame as it would have been nice to support them.

When you say Chipsi classic, do you mean the wood bedding, not the Chipsi version of Carefresh? Some people do use Chipsi classic, but we had some research into that on here last year, and they don't guarantee (or commit to telling you) what percentage is spruce and what percentage is fir (AKA pine).

While it is definitely better than any other kiln dried pine beddings, quite a lot of people use it, and don't seem to have issues, I prefer paper as the safer option personally. We also tried to find out if there was a 100% spruce option, but it seems not. I'll see if I can find the thread. It was quite interesting.

The teabag bedding sounds good though - do you get that from rat rations?

 

[Maz]

It's here. Vida shavings sound better than Chipsi

https://www.thehamsterforum.com/threads/spruce-beddings.1443/#post-78577

They cost £13.85 for a large 24kg bale. It is 90% spruce. The other 10% is apparently kiln dried (see link above) although doesn't specify exactly what the other 10% is. It would certainly work out cheaper, but personally I tend to recommend paper bedding. However mixed with paper, it could save costs.