Hamsters need about one inch of bedding in their cages. Bedding comes in a variety of materials.

First, there are wood beddings. Most people use pine or cedar, which are softwoods. Pine is good, but cedar is unsuitable because it has an enormous amount of dust, which irritates hamsters’ respiratory systems. Some argue that pine is bad for hamsters too, but scientists use pine bedding so that obviously is not true. Some reasons why many hamster owners use softwoods is because softwood bedding is cheap and smells good, especially cedar. There are also hardwood beddings sold in some pet stores that have even less dust than pine bedding. However, this bedding is more expensive, so most people do not buy it. An example of a hardwood bedding is aspen bedding.

Aside from wood bedding, there is bedding made from recycled paper. These beddings are good because they have no dust and some of them have been made specifically to reduce odor in the cage. Do not get a fluffy bedding, though, because that kind of bedding can get stuck in a hamster’s cheek pouches (see Food for info on cheek pouches).

In summary, for a happy hamster, you should provide 1 inch of pine bedding, hardwood bedding, recycled paper bedding, or a mix of these beddings. Do not use cedar bedding or fluffy bedding.