Yes, you can compost hamster or gerbil poo – as long as they’ve been fed a vegetarian diet.

(Hamsters & gerbils are naturally omnivores, supplementing their diet with small insects, but most pet hamsters eat a vegetarian diet – commercial gerbil/hamster food is almost always veggie and most people treat them with fruit, veg, seeds and nuts.)

The waste from vegetarian animals like rabbits and most pet hamsters does not pose a significant health risk (unlike cats and dogs) so assuming your hammies are healthy, it can be added to the compost heap.

Hamster & gerbil poop tends to get mixed in with their bedding – bedding that is straw, paper-based or woodshavings can be composted too and is, in fact, a great accompaniment to the poo: they complement each other in the decomposition process.

(Some new commercial bedding products include antibacterial agents – these may be more problematic for your compost heap since bacteria is vital to composting. You may want to dispose of these by other means.)

Droppings from unhealthy animals should not be composted, to avoid potential spread of their illness. For that reason, it is often advised not to compost rabbit droppings from wild animals in case they are ill.

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