Preparing Sand
Buy sand
Sanitizing the sand
Sanitizing the sand
We use and recommend purchasing plain old children's play sand for your hamster. The price is typically about $5 for a 50lb bag--this will likely last you the entirety of your hamster's life!
Here are some examples:
Also available at most garden centers!
Sanitizing the sand
Sanitizing the sand
Sanitizing the sand
The sand is often very moist inside of its bag. Because of this, it is a breeding ground for bacteria, microbes, and mold. Sand needs to be baked in order to sanitize it, kill any pests living inside, and dry it out for safe use.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees; the high heat makes quick work of getting through the whole bag!
- Open the ba
The sand is often very moist inside of its bag. Because of this, it is a breeding ground for bacteria, microbes, and mold. Sand needs to be baked in order to sanitize it, kill any pests living inside, and dry it out for safe use.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees; the high heat makes quick work of getting through the whole bag!
- Open the bag and start scooping it into the pans you're going to use. As in the photo above, we suggest these pans or similar heavy duty disposable roasting pans. The deep basin allows you to cook lots of sand at once!
- Once your oven is loaded up, let the sand cook for 60-90 minutes. Then, take the sand out and allow it to cool thoroughly.
- Once the sand is completely cool, pour it into a plastic storage tote and store wherever is convenient!
Using the sand
Sanitizing the sand
Using the sand
It's easy! Fill a container with some sand, and pop it in the cage--your hamster will do the rest.
To start, we recommend using disposable food containers, ceramic pie dishes, or glass baking dishes as litter boxes. This is a great opportunity for a thrift shop hunt!
If your hamster loves to dig, we suggest looking into building a sand fea
It's easy! Fill a container with some sand, and pop it in the cage--your hamster will do the rest.
To start, we recommend using disposable food containers, ceramic pie dishes, or glass baking dishes as litter boxes. This is a great opportunity for a thrift shop hunt!
If your hamster loves to dig, we suggest looking into building a sand feature into your cage--see the gallery below! This can be one side of your cage that is purely sand, or simply a larger, taller dish.
If you go the latter route, we suggest a large dog bowl or, our fave, the Fortiflex Mini Pan.
We use this!
A Small, Sandy Problem
It's common for litter boxes to form what we affectionately term "pee iceburgs." These can be hard and annoying to clean from the dish you are using. To combat this, you might consider Litter Care.
Litter Care is a pet-safe, non-stick litter spray. Simply spray your litter box, fill, and forget until the next cleaning.