Science Experiment

Question
Hello. I am doing an experiment at my school and I need some advice. I am planning on a purchasing a hamster wither this week or next week. I am also planning on making a homemade hamster cage out of a big bin. The experiment will be called Going Green! One Hamster at a Time. I am thinking of splitting the the cage with cardboard but making holes so the hamster has access to both sides. I will use shredded newspaper bedding ( a green product) throughout the cage. Although, on one half of the cage I'll have plastic homes, tubes, and toys. On the other, I will have "green", "earth-safe" items like paper towel rolls non-toxic boxes. My Hypothesis is: Hamsters will use recyclable items just as much as store-bought items. Now for the big question for you: what is the best way to do this experiment?

Answer
That's a great idea for an experiment. My only suggestion is to avoid newspaper bedding. The urine will cause ink to leak out, and it's unsafe. Carefresh is recycled paper bedding for hamsters, you can get it at pet stores and walmart. I'd suggest using that instead. Make sure both sides are equal, meaning if you buy a plastic home, the home made one must be the same size to be accurate. Also if food and water is on one side, there's a preference to go to that side out of convenience. Maybe you could try alternating the food and water on one side each day, and see if the hamster follows it up with a new sleeping area, or stays put.

Also plan ahead. Depending on how long the experiment is, the hamster will likely shred up any cardboard tubes because it's instinct. You should have 2 of everything made so you can replace an unusable piece with a fresh one. My hypothesis is that the hamster will shred the cardboard and use it as bedding on the plastic side. Now, the best way to negate that problem is to use a less desirable shredding material. Buy a coconut and make this house instead:

http://www.geocities.com/taffy3001/coconut.html

It will be seen as a house instead of shredding material. Wood is natural, so choose wood hamster toys for the natural side. See what your local stores carry and go from there. Most should have a wood home or wooden ladders.

By making a cage out of a bin, make sure you have proper ventilation and secure mesh lid so the hamster can't get out. A heavy cardboard divider sounds fine. I would make my judgment on the experiment based on the side of the cage the hamster chooses to sleep on in relation to where the food is placed. The hamster might show no preference and just follow the food out of convenience, or they might stick with one side, showing a preference to natural or plastic regardless of where food is placed.