The bedding material is the ground your hamster walks on and the ground your hamster will dig under to make a burrow section and a chamber to sleep. The bedding is also an absorbent for urine and spot cleaning will reduce smell. You need to provide your hamster with the correct type of bedding that will hold up the structure of a burrow e.g. Carefresh or Kaytee, its made from paper that seems more like clumps of tissue. You may also choose to mix this in with a different texture such as Aspen shavings or Teabag bedding. Please look at Our Safe Bedding Options.

Thanks to our friends at Hamster Society Singapore – The Art of Hamster Burrows
Research shows that giving your hamster the ability to burrow results in a far happier and less stressed hamster. Research on Bedding depth has shown “Hamsters kept with 10 cm deep bedding showed significantly more wire-gnawing and a higher running wheel activity than the hamsters in the other groups. In 80 cm deep bedding wire-gnawing was never observed.” sciencedirect.com article
It is recommended to have a section of at least 6 inches of bedding but 10 inches (25cm) is much more suitable as the hamster can make a deeper burrow like they would have done in the wild, it is also a way to make them feel safe and warm in their environment.
Blue Cross say a cage should be no smaller than 100cm x 50cm x 50cm for ALL species of hamsters.
PDSA recommend a minimum cage size of 100cm x 50cm x 50cm for ALL species of hamsters.
The RSPCA say: “In the wild hamsters are extremely good diggers and construct deep, dark, underground burrows so, if possible, give your hamster a thick layer of litter/bedding in which to dig and burrow”
The Royal Veterinary College say: “Hamsters should be housed in a large glass or plastic tank with good ventilation”
Germany have some of the highest standards and in addition to what TVT say, The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture also advise a minimum enclosure size for a hamster of 0,5 m2 – 5000 cm2 as can be seen on This PDF page 139. This equates to 100cm x 50cm.