*Health Note* Remember to clean your hamster's cage every week. You need to throw out all the old bedding that was in your hamster's cage, wash and completely dry the cage, and replace with new, dry, fresh bedding at least once a week.
Bedding
One of the main things in a hammie cage is the bedding. Bedding is a necessity for hamsters. In the wild, hamsters burrow through the ground to sleep, and burrowing is exactly what they want to do in their cage. Make sure you put enough bedding in the cage so that when your hamster burrows, the bedding covers him/her completely. However, don't put so much that the wheel doesn't spin because of the bedding blocking it. You must get safe, non-toxic bedding. The bedding that you should never use is Cedar shavings/chips. Cedar wood is full of oils that can, and will, irritate your hamster's eyes and may make your hamster sick. Also, avoid shavings that are powdery and fine textured (such as Pine), because it can also irritate your hamster. You don't want your bedding to hard, either. Corn Cobb bedding can be very hard and rough on your hamster. Instead, look for the bedding that I use and recommend. It is called Carefresh Pet Bedding (left picture) and is sold in different sized bags. Carefresh Pet Bedding is soft, all-natural, non-toxic, biodegradable, and safe. For those of you with other pets, Carefresh bedding also works for litter boxes, bird cages, and horse paddocks. Kaytee Aspen Shavings (right picture) are also great.
*Health Note* Remember to clean your hamster's cage every week. You need to throw out all the old bedding that was in your hamster's cage, wash and completely dry the cage, and replace with new, dry, fresh bedding at least once a week.