Is bedding sand safe?

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I've been using hamster bedding sand for my dwarf hamster's
toilet for over 5 months now and I'm just started to wonder
if this type of bedding sand is safe for them.
When its wet the sand coagulates and forms a larger chunk
which makes it quite easy for me to clean up. But I wonder
if its ok for my hams as they sometimes drag these bigger
'pieces' out of the 'toilet' if I didnt get to them first.
The ones I'm using has a mild apple scent.

ANSWER: Hi Mandy

What type of sand is this?  Is this the actual 'hamster litter', or Chinchilla dust?  Both should be safe for hamsters.  I've never heard of a hamster removing it before - usually mine either store their food in it or roll around in it thinking it to be a bath!

Obviously you don't want them ingesting sand even if it is meant to be 'hamster safe'.  When they remove it, what do they do with it?  Do your hamsters have woodchip in their house as well?  If so you might want to try some of this in the toilet instead of the sand and just place some chinchilla dust in a low dish for them the bath in.  Often they cope just as well with this, but it does need cleaning out more frequently as it isn't scented.

Good luck with this.

Regards
Sheila



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello again,

These toilet sand are marketed as hamster safe and they
function like cat litter sand. It basically balls up when
its wet. But my hams have a tendency to taken them out of
the 'toilet' container. I dont know if they kick it out or
carry it in their small mouth.
For bedding in the cage, I use Carefresh. Its only in their
toilet container I used the bedding sand.
They have chincilla bathing sand in a separate container
which i put in every 2 days for a quick roll.

Answer
Hi

If you haven't actually seen your hamsters removing this litter, I suspect they could just be rolling around in it.  Although you know which is their bath and which is their litter, they may not fully understand which is which.  If you are worried at all then it would be worth removing it but if it is sold specifically for small animals then it should be OK.

Regards
Sheila