We’ve had hamsters in our home for years. I just love them!
If the cage is smelling like that, it’s not clean (which is dangerous to the animal). Take the whole cage apart and wash it with hot, soapy water.
Rinse and dry thoroughly. Then, put in the litter on the bottom of the cage. We use the huge bags of bedding from PetsMart – the aspen wood chips.
Make sure you never use cedar or any wood with an oil. It will kill the hamster. Aspen is safe.
One big bag of the aspen shavings costs us $12 but it lasts for about 8 months and we do a complete cage clean once a week. And, I should note that our hamster lives in a 140 gallon aquarium – not a small cage. So, that $12 bag would probably last you a couple years.
You can also put a small container of sand in their home.
They seem to like that. You may even want to divide the home into sections and place various things in there to see what your hamster prefers.
With regular maintenance and care, your hamster cage will not smell. And, your pet will live a longer, healthier life!
Chrissey