Compost/Hamster question
 

Hello all

I'm new to the forum! I have a question - Every week when I clean out the kid's hamster, I wonder if there is any reason why I shouldn't put the wood shavings etc on the compost heap.

Your thoughts?

Regards

Shaun

"shaun" wrote in message
...

Hello all

I'm new to the forum! I have a question - Every week when I clean out
the kid's hamster, I wonder if there is any reason why I shouldn't put
the wood shavings etc on the compost heap.

Your thoughts?

Regards

Shaun


I think if there are a lot of wood shavings as a percentage of the heap,
they will not compost very well and there is plenty of documentation about
rotting wood shavings absorbing nitrogen, so the resulting compost is poor
quality from that POV.
--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

quote "Hello all


I'm new to the forum! I have a question - Every week when I clean out
the kid's hamster, I wonder if there is any reason why I shouldn't put
the wood shavings etc on the compost heap.


Your thoughts? "

I suspect that the amount would not be too excessive as it is only a
hamster cage, and the wee from the hamster is likely to add any
nitrogen to replace that used. As long as it is having plenty of other
stuff added it would seem to be OK, but, bear in mind, that the wood
shavings will take longer to compost.

Mike

In article ,
shaun wrote:

I'm new to the forum! I have a question - Every week when I clean out
the kid's hamster, I wonder if there is any reason why I shouldn't put
the wood shavings etc on the compost heap.

None at all, for a traditional heap. Wormeries won't touch it,
and it needs to be mixed well for bins. Don't worry about the
"nitrogen depletion" aspect, as there will be urea in it and the
depletion is only temporary anyway. See the FAQ (including Auld
Maclaren's Guide to Traditional Composting) - yes, I did compost
a complete duvet this winter :-)

As always, with woody material in the heap, it must be kept damp
and aerated, as the lignin is broken down by fungi.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

shaun wrote:
Hello all

I'm new to the forum! I have a question - Every week when I clean out
the kid's hamster, I wonder if there is any reason why I shouldn't put
the wood shavings etc on the compost heap.

Your thoughts?

Regards

Shaun



I asked this a few years ago - about Guinea pig bedding. We had a lot
of it. (If only our sexing of guinea pigs had been more accurate ...)

After reading the responses I set up a 'darlek' type compost bin mainly
for guinea pig bedding. I used to water it when it got dry and add
ammonium nitrate regularly. Took about two years for the bedding
(mainly wood shavings) to rot down to a nice light compost. I had to set
up a second bin as we had so much waste bedding.

We're now down to one guinea pig. The darlek compost is again about
ready to use. Because the stuff rots down in the darlek faster than in
the second, open bin, I plan to transfer all the second heap to the
darlek as soon as it becomes available.

Unless you've oodles of hampsters though, I'd just stir their bedding
into the general heap and throw in the odd handful of ammonium nitrate
if the heap begins to look as if it is mainly hampster bedding.

Jill T.

"Jill Tardivel" wrote in message
...
shaun wrote:
Hello all

I'm new to the forum! I have a question - Every week when I clean out
the kid's hamster, I wonder if there is any reason why I shouldn't put
the wood shavings etc on the compost heap.

Your thoughts?

Regards

Shaun



I asked this a few years ago - about Guinea pig bedding. We had a lot
of it. (If only our sexing of guinea pigs had been more accurate ...)

After reading the responses I set up a 'darlek' type compost bin mainly
for guinea pig bedding. I used to water it when it got dry and add
ammonium nitrate regularly. Took about two years for the bedding
(mainly wood shavings) to rot down to a nice light compost. I had to set
up a second bin as we had so much waste bedding.

We're now down to one guinea pig. The darlek compost is again about
ready to use. Because the stuff rots down in the darlek faster than in
the second, open bin, I plan to transfer all the second heap to the
darlek as soon as it becomes available.

Unless you've oodles of hampsters though, I'd just stir their bedding
into the general heap and throw in the odd handful of ammonium nitrate
if the heap begins to look as if it is mainly hampster bedding.

Jill T.
psst, there is no pee in hamster :-)

pammyT wrote:
"Jill Tardivel" wrote in message
...

shaun wrote:

Hello all

I'm new to the forum! I have a question - Every week when I clean out
the kid's hamster, I wonder if there is any reason why I shouldn't put
the wood shavings etc on the compost heap.

Your thoughts?

Regards

Shaun



I asked this a few years ago - about Guinea pig bedding. We had a lot
of it. (If only our sexing of guinea pigs had been more accurate ...)

After reading the responses I set up a 'darlek' type compost bin mainly
for guinea pig bedding. I used to water it when it got dry and add
ammonium nitrate regularly. Took about two years for the bedding
(mainly wood shavings) to rot down to a nice light compost. I had to set
up a second bin as we had so much waste bedding.

We're now down to one guinea pig. The darlek compost is again about
ready to use. Because the stuff rots down in the darlek faster than in
the second, open bin, I plan to transfer all the second heap to the
darlek as soon as it becomes available.

Unless you've oodles of hampsters though, I'd just stir their bedding
into the general heap and throw in the odd handful of ammonium nitrate
if the heap begins to look as if it is mainly hampster bedding.

Jill T.

psst, there is no pee in hamster :-)


Try squeezing them ....

Many thanks to everybody who was good enough to reply to the post - some really heful advice there folks - what a knowledgable bunch you seem!!

I'll give it a go and see how we get on

I feel that I will be using this forum a great deal!

Thanks again

Shaun

The message
from "pammyT" contains these words:

psst, there is no pee in hamster :-)

The hamster I had when i was at boarding school was full of it...

Perhaps they've improved them since 1951.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/