# Is Using Newspaper as Bedding for Hamsters Poisonous? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 24, 2002, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-newspaper-as-bedding-for-hamsters-poisonous/99830 "2002-03-24T06:56:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DoperChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@DoperChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoperChic)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2002, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-newspaper-as-bedding-for-hamsters-poisonous/99830/1 "2002-03-24T06:56:55Z")
I’ve heard from several people that the ink in newspapers never fully dries. This makes sense because whenever I read a newspaper, my hands are covered in black afterward. Supposedly this ink, if ingested by hamsters in large quantities, is poisonous. The ink is injested when my hamster chews on the newspaper. She chews the already small pieces of newspaper into tiny shreds to make a nest of sorts. Is it true that the ink is poisonous or is this another unfounded rumour? I ran out to the pet store today to buy bedding that is made out of recycled wood. It has a consistency similar to restroom paper towels (the brown ones). It’s really cheap and is much softer than newspaper, so regardless of the answer to my question, I’ll most likely just stick with that. Another rumour of a similar nature is that cedar chips cause cancer in hamsters. But then again, my friend heard this from the same vet that told her newspaper is the safest bedding for a hamster… ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2002, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-newspaper-as-bedding-for-hamsters-poisonous/99830/2 "2002-03-24T07:11:32Z")
[Here](http://www.pennine-prod.co.uk/hamcare.htm) [are](http://www.petplace.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=2049) [three](http://www.allsands.com/Pets/hamsterscarepe_xg_gn.htm) sites which all recommend against using printed newspaper for hamster bedding. While the ink may not be strictly poisonous, it certainly isn’t healthy. And, according to [this site](http://exoticpets.about.com/library/weekly/aa112000a.htm), cedar bedding may cause skin irritation, allergies, or lung problems, but there is no mention of it causing cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Jonno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@Jonno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonno)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2002, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-newspaper-as-bedding-for-hamsters-poisonous/99830/3 "2002-03-24T07:53:29Z")
**Finch** summed it up much better than I could have. On a personal basis, I’ve found that the pine shaving type bedding is the best. Cheap, easy to clean, and covers odors pretty well. And since my last hamster was almost 4 before heading to the great big wheel in the sky, I’m sticking with it. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2002, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-newspaper-as-bedding-for-hamsters-poisonous/99830/4 "2002-03-24T08:00:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CelticCowboy \* > **On a personal basis, I’ve found that the pine shaving type bedding is the best.** Actually, the last site I linked to mentions that pine shavings, while not as bad as cedar, can still be bad news. They recommend aspen or other hardwoods. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2002, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-newspaper-as-bedding-for-hamsters-poisonous/99830/5 "2002-03-24T08:02:30Z")
[This page](http://exoticpets.about.com/library/weekly/aa011501a.htm) from the aforementioned site goes into more detail regarding the problems with cedar and pine beddings. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2002, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-newspaper-as-bedding-for-hamsters-poisonous/99830/6 "2002-03-24T08:08:42Z")
And [this site](http://exoticpets.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.afrma.org/rminfo2a.htm) deals specifically with pine (while also mentioning in passing that one should avoid cedar shavings because of “increased incidence of respiratory problems, including pneumonia, and **suspected links to various forms of cancer**.” So, there may be something to the cedar -\> cancer thing after all. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-newspaper-as-bedding-for-hamsters-poisonous/99830/7 "2002-03-24T14:31:13Z")
Note, however, that many newspapers have switched to soy-based inks, which are claimed to be non-toxic (to humans, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![Jonno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@Jonno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonno)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2002, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-using-newspaper-as-bedding-for-hamsters-poisonous/99830/8 "2002-03-24T23:15:31Z")
I’m askin’ **Finch** next time I have a question. 😃 I can only speak from my own experience about the pine bedding. I’ve had some very long lived hammies, with little to no health problems. Take it as you will.