I have been looking at instructions for DIY hamster toys and equipment. It's recommended not to use newspapers for hamster projects because one doesn't want the hamster to injest the ink. (Hamsters are big chewers of everything within reach). But all the other papier maché instructions I've seen are based on newspaper strips, dampened with a thin flour paste.
The hamster project instructions recommend using toilet paper strips instead of paper, and some instructions have you painting the strips with just water, not paste. But some call for the usual thin paste even on the toilet paper.
The most common papier maché project for a hamster is to cover a balloon and then cut an opening.
Is there something special about toilet paper (or kleenex) that makes the layers stick to each other better than strips of paper do? Are there any disadvantages, when using toilet paper, to using plain water?