Sand Baths — Rachel Got Hamsters

What is a Sand Bath?

A sand bath is an essential part of a dwarf hamster’s enclosure. Syrians also benefit from sand (some really love digging in it!) but for dwarves (including Roborovskis) it is a must. I encourage you to provide more than one sand bath!

Sand baths are pretty self explanatory- dwarf hamsters will roll in the sand and use the sand to both exfoliate and absorb oils in their coat. You may have seen some “oily” or disheveled looking hamsters on the internet, this is generally a result of the hamster not having access to a good sand bath.

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Dexter looks up from the sand bath he was using in the hamster playpen

What Kind of Sand Should You Use?

First, let’s start with what you shouldn’t use: "bathing dust” or “calcium sand”

Bathing Dust (often sold for chinchillas) is very fine and dusty! Hamsters have delicate respiratory systems and can easily get an upper respiratory infection from fine particles in the air. For this reason, dust is quite dangerous to your hamster.

Calcium sand is sold in the reptile section and is meant to clump up when the reptile goes to the bathroom. In reading many reviews, reptile and hamster forums, the general consensus seems to be that calcium sand is not safe for hamster or reptiles- reports of intestinal blockages from accidentally eating the calcium sand have been reported. Read more about it here.

But don’t fear- there are a few great options to use for your hamster!

ReptiSand

Niteangel Sand

Bucatstate Sand

Children’s Play Sand

The most economical option when it comes to sand is to purchase children’s play sand. Children’s play sand does take some prep-work, however - you’ll need to sift it to remove any large pieces (that might injure your hamster), then bake the sand at 400 degrees F in the oven to sanitize it.

You can purchase it from your local hardware store, Lowes or Home Depot.

What kind of dish should you use for your hamster’s sand?

There are many, great options to be used as a sand bath.

Some people use a clean shoe box, although I have found that any cardboard box will leak sand and you’ll end up with sand everywhere when you go to clean it.

Others use wooden boxes for sand baths, which are effective but have the unfortunate flaw of being absorbent to hamster pee. Hamsters will often use their sand bath (or a corner of their sand bath) as a potty, so wooden items may get ruined after a some time.

Because of these issues, I suggest sticking with a material that is easy to clean- like acrylic, Pyrex or glass.

Sand baths should be at least an inch or two deep so your hamster can enjoy digging around.

They should be as large as possible (particularly for Roborovski or other dwarf hamsters), or you can provide a few sand baths of various shapes and sizes.

Hamster-Specific Sand Bath

There are now lots of great, sand bath options for your hamster! I love the ones from Bucatstate & Niteangel, although new options are availalbe on Amazon everyday. Make sure the sand bath is spacious and watch to make sure your hamster can get out of the sand bath (sometimes dwarf hamsters struggle, which is why I prefer using larger, flatter dishes.

I haven’t had an excuse yet to try one of these, but one day I will!

Pyrex Dishes & Large Glass Baking Dishes

Pyrex is great because it comes in many shapes and sizes, is often somewhat deep AND is widely available at a thrift store near you! I have picked up many Pyrex dishes for only a few dollars at my local thrift store. I love that I can pop them into the dishwasher and they look very nice in my hamster’s cage.

While a large, glass, baking dish doesn’t provide the vertical digging room of a deeper sand bath, it does allow for a lot of sand bath space so you can put a wheel, a hide and maybe another hide all in one sand bath!

I used a baking dish from Crystalia in my 75 gallon tank for one of my dwarf hamsters, Shirley. I liked to put the sand in the dish (over just pouring directly into the enclosure) so that I can easily remove the dish and clean the sand and the baking dish once in a while.

Please always use caution when removing a sand bath as they can be very heavy! I suggest removing your hamster from their enclosure before you try to remove a sand bath in case it slips and falls on them.

Dexter gives himself a little scrub in the playpen sandbath - this one is in a round, Pyrex container I got second-hand at a Goodwill store

Acrylic Trays:

Acrylic trays are a great, easy to use option! I love acrylic trays because they are so lightweight and easy to handle. Plus, they look great!

Please do not purchase the kind that have handles on the sides- your hamster will try to go through these holes and could get stuck!

Thor the Robo shows off the sand bath in his Niteangel Vista size M enclosure, featuring a strawberry ceramic hide, a large rock, and held up by a Container Store acrylic riser

Where should you place your hamster’s sand bath?

If your sand bath is not on the floor of your enclosure, I suggest purchasing a riser or platform of some sort to keep it from crushing your hamster if they decide to burrow underneath it (guaranteed, they will!). The ones I currently use are from the Container Store, you can purchase them here.

Alternatively, you could place your sand bath on top of a very sturdy shelf, like the one from Niteangel.

Putting adhesive cork on top of your riser or shelf will allow you to ensure your sand bath stays in place and doesn’t slide around.

What Should You Put In the Sand Bath?

Hamsters like to feel safe when they are doing their thing in their sand bath. If you choose not to purchase a specialty hamster sand bath (like the ones from Niteangel which already have cover on them) I suggest adding a hide or two to your sand bath.

Since I have tiny dwarves, I put wide-mouth glass jars in my hamster’s sand baths - these are perfect for little dwarves and it’s nice because they feel safe, but you can still see them and all their adorable-ness!

My hamsters also like to pee in their glass jars, so this is easy for me to clean by popping in the dishwasher every few days and replacing it with a new one.

For a Syrian you could use a ceramic pot instead of a glass jar- they are wider and not a risk to get stuck in for a larger hamster. Please avoid any pots with holes in them for drainage- your hamster will most likely try to go through the hole and can get stuck! I find that the planters that come with orchids or other gifted plants work great, I often upcycle them to my hamster’s enclosure if I repot them or they die (I struggle with orchids!).

I have also found that placing a “cork flat” over the sand bath provides a nice, natural look in addition to some cover for your hamster. Steven, one of my robos, loves his cork-flat covering and I often find him under it.

Bendy bridges, ceramic hamster hides,

Whatever you place in the sand bath make sure it does not have small holes in the bottom (like some ceramics do) or tiny handles- your hamster will try to go through those holes and can get stuck and perish!

Little Dexter enjoys snacking and napping in the wide-mouth jar (an old jam jar) in his sand bath

Cleaning the Sand Bath

Keeping your hamster’s sand bath clean is important- dwarf hamsters in particular will spend significant amounts of time in their sand bath - sleeping, eating, grooming & going to the bathroom!

It’s recommended that you sift the sand with a mesh sifter about once a week to remove any seed casings, clumps of pee-on sand and other bits of things.

In addition to this, I like to actually wash my sand on a regular basis (about every month or so) to ensure it’s nice and clean for them!

It’s fairly simple to clean sand:

1- Sift sand to remove anything that isn’t sand

2- Place sand in colander lined with a light, muslin, kitchen towel

3- Run water through sand for a few minutes until the sand smells and looks clean

4- Place wet sand in a baking dish and bake at 300 degrees F for 45 minutes, checking occasionally to stir, resetting timer until sand is fully dry

5- Let sand cool overnight before returning it to your hamster’s home.

Also including a video showing how I wash sand below!