bedding, nesting and burroing materiels

Question
Dear Karen,
I am getting a syrian hamster soon and ive read alot of things
about bedding and stuff but they all said something different
and now im confused. I was hoping you would know the kind of
bedding, nessting, and i heard hamsters like to burrow so i am
not sure if i need something special for that, materiels and if you
could suggest any specific brands.  and kind of off topic i was
wondering if one gender of syrian hamsters was slightly bigger
than the other? It would be great if you could get back to me
ASAP im getting my hamster soon but you can take your time i
know its kind of a lot of questions.  Sorry
Sighned,
Brendan


Answer
Hi Brendan,


          The best kind of bedding for hamsters is Aspen bedding.  If you can not find Aspen, then critter care is also a good one to get ( never use ceder or pine bedding for hamsters. It is toxic to them and it can kill them).

          For nesting, cotton balls work great, they are inexpensive and hamsters love them. You only need to put about 10-12 cotton balls in the cage. You don't need anything special for your hamster to burrow. They use their bedding for that.

          Also don't forget to get a wooden chew stick (very important, it helps keep the hamsters teeth from getting to long) and a wheel for exercising is also very important for your hamster.

         In Syrian hamsters, generally the male is slightly bigger than the female.

         If you have anymore questions,please write again.

Thank you for writing!