Bedding for Small Critters Don t use wood shavings for small critters. Wood shavings have been linked to respiratory, skin, and liver problems in these animals. It is important to use a pelleted litter especially made for, and safe for, your small friend. These safe products are either paper pellets or non-paper absorbent products. Guinea pigs can catch respiratory infections from rabbits, cats, dogs, and other species.
Hamsters are native to the Middle East.
These little guys have an undeserved reputation for being bossy but are actually quite affectionate. They take to a wheel as if they invented it, and rival Houdini as escape artists, which means that, unlike guinea pigs they need a top on their cage. They love lots of deep-piled fine shavings to burrow in but they make little waste, so a weekly cage cleaning is enough to keep them happy. If given the appropriate pelleted rodent food, hamsters can stay quite healthy and have few medical concerns. Gerbils are native to Mongolia, where they burrow to escape the desert heat.