I just want my hamster(teddy bear hamster/long haired syrian hamster) to be REALLY healthy.
And is it true that the fluff you buy in pet stores is bad for hamsters? And which is safer? Carefresh or Aspen Bedding?

Heyyy!! =) The fluff IS bad cause they usually like stuffing there mouth in it so when they do it they accidnelty swallow it and it gets stuck in there respeitory system and they WILLdie... =/ I dont even understand why they still sell it! Just get tissue papers and kinda rip it and give it to ur hammy and itll shredd it by itself. And the safest and healthiest is Carefresh cause its absorbent and its reallly soft! =) Its more comfotable for sleeping and stuff =D Aspen is kinda like wood shavings so its ok but may hurt the hammy i mean imagine u sleeping on something that hurts and sometimes poke u in the eye? =O not a nice thing ehh? my hamster Bubble twitches one of his eye casue he got poked =( Go for carefresh! But aspen is ok too though. But carefresh is more comfy but its expensive =/ i got a 14 litre bag for about 10$ cause tax =/ so i ran out of money. But its worth it! Here's my youtube channel watch the first video its things i recommend you should buy for your hamster. It'll help you incase you are looking for things to buy =) Please comment rate sub and request too! http://www.youtube.com/user/kittyluving?…

Carefresh expands when wet, so if ingested, can cause deadly blockage. I'd never use the stuff, but many people do and have no problem with it. It isn't worth it to me, though-I'd rather be safe than sorry! So, I say Aspen is much safer. Shavings should always be kiln-dried-I'm not sure if all aspen is kiln-dried, but I only buy it if it says on the bag that it is! Pine shavings are also safe if KILN-DRIED-if it doesn't say it on the bag, they are NOT safe and can cause skin problems and respiratory problems. I'm sure you know cedar is always evil! But I also read on a vet's website that they've had problems with animals eating a lot of shavings and it getting stuck in there! But most don't eat a lot of shavings, or at least mine rarely did. Carefresh scares me much more.

pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

Fleece is another option you didn't mention. If ingested (which rarely they bother chewing on it at all but some like to devour it for some reason), it isn't stringy so isn't dangerous. You buy at least 4 peices that fit the bottem of the cage. Then sew 2 together like a pillow case, turn it inside out, put a towel or 2 inside, then sew the last seam and make sure it's hidden where the hammie can't get it, cause string can get choked on or caught in the intestines (so it must be hidden). Then do the same with another one so when you're washing one, you can use the other. It's eco-friendly and cheaper, but needs to be changed like every other day to keep the cage fresh, plus poop should be spot cleaned everyday. I don't know if a lot of hamster owners use fleece-I always used shavings with mine-but it's used a LOT in the chinchilla world!!!! We use fleece forr everything-hammocks, hide houses, bedding, cover wire shelves and ramps, etc. I'm not as addicted as some people, though, lol! I see pics of cages that are like all fleece. It's pretty, though. It adds a lot of color to a cage thats often just brown and grey! And animals love it cause it's soft and comfortable. Some people say wood shavings are rough on their little feet. I only use aspen in my chin's litter box. My hamsters were fine on shavings though, as were my guinea pigs, rabbits, and gerbil! pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

ADD: Oh, to actually sleep on, to put in their nest, they sell stuff at petshops that looks like horse hairs mixed in with it. I used it with mine and they were fine. My chin uses that in the winter and just lays on 3 layers of fleece in the summer when its a little warmer in his room. My hamsters used the horse-hair-looking stuff always. I've hheard of people useing cotton balls, but I don't know how safe that is! Toilet paper, tissues, or paper towels as well, but it needs to be changed a lot more.

Here, this gives advice from hamster owners-talks about fluff... http://www.hamsters.co.uk/fluffy.htm -toilet paper and tissues seems a big favorite-they sell soft tiissues a hammie would love to tear up and make a nesst out of-I'd stay away from lotion tissues, though-it could make the hair greasy! This article changed my mind about using the horse-hair looking stuff for my chin now, too! So thanks for your question-it helped educate me as well:) I don't know if tissues will work for a chin, though-I'll look on my forum, lol!