Hamster Questions?

I have 2 questions about my new hamster today.
1. Is it okay to put cotton balls for him to tear up in his cage? He loves to make a soft nest so I want to know if cotton would be okay or if he would choke.
2. If I bought the Hamster Litterbox, would my hamster really use it? Is it worth the price?
Also, please see my other question about hamster items. Thanks!
Answers:
You would be better to give him torn up pieces of loo roll or tissue to use as bedding as these are more digestible should he try and eat it (which is unlikely but can happen).
Hamsters easily learn to use a litter box. They are a good investment as they keep the cage clean from the hamster's pee. All mine have them. Just make sure you clean it out once or twice a week or he might start weeing in other parts of the cage. If he doesn't use it straight away take some of his soiled sawdust and put it in the litter box, then put the litter box in the corner he normally pees in. He will be using it in no time. Mine still poo in their bed though! Normal dust extracted cat litter is fine to use, they don't eat it and the bits are plenty small enough. Litter boxes only cost a few pounds from most good pet shops, the corner ones are the best, not the ones that look like a tunnel.
Good luck.

---

Cotton balls aren't the best things to use. They're OK, but the pet store has better bedding materials.
Litter boxes are worth it. Chances are the hamster will pick a potty corner anyway, put the box there, and cleaning is easy.
I'm going to check out your other questions.

---

1. No your hamster will not choke. Don't get me wrong it WILL chew it, but that does not mean its eating it, just shedding it into smaller material. Try also toilet paper or kleenex (works well for both gerbil and hamster nesting.)
2. No, it is not worth the price. It is difficult to littertrain hamsters - rats are the easiest in the rodent family to littertrain. You can try, but don't waste your money on a storebought thing. You can use a foodbowl or a weigted container that you already have lying around the kitchen, and fill it with dustfree unscented cat litter. I am aware that some kitty litters have cedar to prevent fleas. DO NOT use this stuff, as it could cause a serious allergic reaction. If you dont have anything around the house as a litterbox, i guess its ok to go out and buy one, though, they are not that expensive.

---

Ok.
1. Don't use cotton or bedding fluff or that type of material. I believe that a toilet paper bedding is soft enough for those critters. The cotton balls or bed fluff can make your hamster choke. Unscented toilet paper is the best way to go. I used it for my dwarf hamsters and they went nuts ripping it apart and kicking it around. It was so cute!
2. I don't think it would be worth it. It also would take up room in your hamster's cage probably. I wouldn't get it. My dwarf hamsters just basically poop wherever they want in the cage and I am fine with it. I clean my cage once a week now and change food daily.

---

No!! Do not put any kind of cotton in his cage...they will get caught around his legs, instead tear up little peices of unscented toilet paper and he will love that. Yes, they will use the litter box, but I wouldn't say that it is worth the money, because you will still have to clean his cage just as often as you normally would.
Hope I helped!

---

don't waste your money on the hamster litter box, they will go where they please, and they change it from time to time. They like empty toilet paper rolls.

---

im going to try my best to help answer your q's
1) neither cotton balls or comercial pet nesting materials are a good choice. both can get caught in their cheek pouches or air pipe. not good at all. using paper towels or toilet paper and giving it to the hamster to shred up works. i personally use the white carefresh and my hammy now wont even touch her once-beloved toilet paper because her carefresh bedding is sooooo soft and comfortable.
2) most hammies automatically take to a litterbox but a very few dont. place it in the hammies regular peeing corner and he should take to it easily. but, if you do decide to get a hammie litterbox, use only special hamster litter. kitty litter doesnt work right and may cause problems with your hammy's health because of the dust, size and scent of the kitty litter.

Hope i was helpfull! Good luck!

---

1. At petstores, they have this little bag called "SleepStuff".
it works good, you can shred it, and my hammy LOVES it. its not harmful if they swallow it.
2. Yes it is worth it. My hammy picked a corner and thats the ONLY spot where he would pee/poop. so, i bought a litter box. but remember, put some soiled bedding filled with pee in it! and a couple pieces of poo. (no seriously, he will think "well, that looks like my pee and poop, so i'll go in there!") lol
good luck!

---

i would by hamster fluff and fore the letterbox yes onle if it is a dworf if not i wouldn't cause my dwofe hamsers used it but my tedy bear hamster did not.

---

Hamsters - at least mine did - love to tear up tissues so tissue paper is better I think than cotton balls. And if I were you I wouldn't bother with the litter box - a hamster will choose a spot and pee there - litter box or no litter box. So once you identify the area put extra shavings there to absorb the urine.