# Switched to fleece bedding, kind of hate it



## katansi (Jan 29, 2016)

I switched away from the recycled paper bedding because I read here (and other places) that the dust is an issue for the rats. I cut it up into small rectangles/squares and put a reasonable layer on the bottom. They have a litter box that's the hard paper pellets. It's only been half a week since the switch and their cage is so much stinkier than before and they seem to care a lot less about using the litter box. They were pretty neat about it with maybe a couple pee spots but now they're pooping pretty well outside it and shoving the fleece scraps all over the litter box. They weren't doing that with the paper.

For real, how much of a health issue is the paper bedding for them? Cuz if it's not really then I'm switching back.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

You need one large piece of fleece to cover the bottom, not pieces. Sometimes people add pieces of fleece to deter the rats from shredding to pieces the fleece liner. That being said I HATE fleece, whether it is fleece by itself or fleece with something absorbent under it.

The rats sleep under the fleece, and I'm pretty sure that's not good for them to breath in the ammonia for 8 hours a day directly above their noses. Fleece is very hard to wash well as ammonia forms crystals that cling to its fibers.

I'm about to change all levels in my critter nation cages to pans like Bass pans and and Home Depot mixing tubs, I'm sick of all the liners I sanitize twice a week. I think litter is much healthier and obviously more hygienic. I stopped using fleece or fleece with Uhaul pads over 1 year ago. Now I'm using liners that I cut from a huge indoor/outdoor mat; much better than fleece but I'm still switching everything to litter in the upcoming days. 

Unless it was something dusty and/or had pine/cedar in it, chances are that it is healthier than fleece. I'm sure some people will disagree, but that's my experience with different liners and bedding. What paper bedding were you using? And what's your cage?


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

I use fleece, and without hesitation will tell you that it does nothing for smell. However, I prefer to just wash everything at once, hammocks, whelping pads and all and get it over with. I tried paper bedding and it would stick to the hammocks and gunk up my washer. Now I have an old man who gets no traction on bedding, so I have to use fleece. Mine don't sleep under their base layer of fleece because I stick an extra fleece blanket on top for them to burrow in and shred.

If you don't like the fleece, nobody is going to look down on you for using paper bedding, but like Grib said, you aren't really supposed to shred it. The fleece is supposed to be set up like a carpet. I wash mine in hot water with Era, so it sucks all but the faintest of odors out. The trouble is finding a low dust bedding that doesn't contain baking soda, which is something I haven't found. And for me in particular, finding something that doesn't scatter everywhere. My vacuum can clean the poop, but not the bedding. You could also use Aspen, which will definitely cut down on the smell.


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## Andromeda (Apr 28, 2016)

I've heard aspen is a really great bedding for people who don't like/can't use fleece. I can't use fleece in my cage because the pan is too deep, and currently I'm using a recycled paper bedding (similar to Carefresh) because they lady I got my rats from gave me two bags of it.  After that, I think I'll switch to aspen though.... I'm personally not a big fan of fleece because of the smell, and the fact that it's very expensive to buy premade fleece liners when they'll probably end up getting chewed to bits anyway.


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## katansi (Jan 29, 2016)

It was the SoPhresh paper bedding at petco. Nothing fancy, I just kept reading everywhere that fleece is better. I didn't think it was all that dusty. There was some dust at the bottom of the cage on cleaning day but honestly their food bucket has more dust in it from their pellets than the litter did. Good to know I'm not imagining anything on the smell. The cage is just a big multi level rat cage with a big 3" deep tray at the bottom. Also nothing fancy. 

I mean really it took 3 days before it smelled like it'd already been a week.


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## katansi (Jan 29, 2016)

I pre wash their tube and hanging cube (both fleece) in a little bucket before sticking them in the washing machine, it gets all the bits and pieces out first. Why is baking soda a problem? I saw a lot of stuff that suggested scraps and mine are chewers of fabric. 

Is Aspen wood? I heard wood shavings aren't good for rodents? Or was that just cedar. It's been so many years since I used wood chips for bedding for any pet. I used a similar thing to the paper stuff for my ferrets and it was never this bad.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

katansi said:


> I pre wash their tube and hanging cube (both fleece) in a little bucket before sticking them in the washing machine, it gets all the bits and pieces out first. Why is baking soda a problem?Is Aspen wood? I heard wood shavings aren't good for rodents? Or was that just cedar. It's been so many years since I used wood chips for bedding for any pet. I used a similar thing to the paper stuff for my ferrets and it was never this bad.


Pine and cedar are bad for rats, but Aspen is fine. If rats swallow any baking soda, it will react with their stomach acid to form gas that will stay trap in their stomach, hurting them and potentially killing them. BAking soda has also be correlated with an increase chance of heart failure. Rats usually don't swallow their bedding but many will chew it and ultimately swallow some baking soda.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Aspen is a hardwood, hardwoods are ok for rats. Cedar and pine are softwoods, softwoods are not ok for rats.


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## katansi (Jan 29, 2016)

Thanks. I will check out Aspen bedding and look for baking soda free ones. Do you have any experience with corn cob based things? I heard there's an epic cat litter made from it.


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Baking Soda is also dusty, lol. Adds to the exact thing were trying to run away from.


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

I hated fleece too... It works great for guinea pigs (they don't chew it and their urine doesn't smell as badly) but with rats, it just didn't work for me. 

I use shredded aspen, but I put a layer of wood horse stall pellets below it.. You could also use pelleted paper bedding. The layer of pellets helps absorb urine better than aspen alone. I use a thin layer of those, then about a 1" -1.5" layer of aspen. I have ever used kiln-dried large flake pine as well, and didn't have issues, but I like the texture of the aspen better. With any wood bedding, you need to check for strong odor or dampness when you open it. If it has been exposed to water, it will mold / mildew. Also, it is usually recommended that you buy your bedding from a place that doesn't sell animals so there is less risk of it containing mites or lice. Some people freeze their bedding before use to prevent this as well. I buy mine online from a place that doesn't have live animals, and I've never had an issue with mites / lice. The horse stall pellets I get from tractor supply.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

I tried the Drsfostersmith shredded Aspen last night in their Home Depot mixing tub. So far so good. The poop were very dried a few hours later so it absorbs the moisture very well. No smells so far. I can tell that they miss their Eco Bedfing though as they used to hoard it in a corner to bake a best. I'll put a little of it anyway and see what they do with it.


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## Modernstar (Jan 30, 2016)

Personally, I love fleece. I'll never go back to bedding. I use a big pillow-case style liner and tuck it under the base. They do chew it but the more chew toys I give them and the more hammocks they have to burrow in the less they tend to chew and try to get under. 

I wash it with a gentle/sensitive skin laundry detergent and white vinegar and it smells fresh every time.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Modernstar said:


> Personally, I love fleece. I'll never go back to bedding. I use a big pillow-case style liner and tuck it under the base. They do chew it but the more chew toys I give them and the more hammocks they have to burrow in the less they tend to chew and try to get under. I wash it with a gentle/sensitive skin laundry detergent and white vinegar and it smells fresh every time.


I used to add vinegar in the first rinse when I used fleece. It smelled fresh when I got the fleece out of the washing machine, but a few days/1 week later the fleece smelled like pee again. I think the vinegar just masked the smell for a while but some ammonia was definitively still in there. If the smell was worse after a week, it means that there were still bacteria in the fleece converting the urine into ammonia. With the cut mats and pieces of fleece to make them a bed, I always use the sanatizing cycle now, much better but not perfect. Maybe it is my HE washing machine that doesn't agitate the fleece enough...I have no problem with my other laundries though. Urine is notoriously hard to get rid off


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## katansi (Jan 29, 2016)

Well yes I realized the dustiness. I just wondered about other reasons it might be bad.


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## katansi (Jan 29, 2016)

I'm not worried about it smelling fresh after I wash it. The problem was they basically made it barely 3 days before it smelled like their cage had to be cleaned again and I do it once a week. Cleaning a cage twice a week for only two rats is pretty unreasonable to me.


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## katansi (Jan 29, 2016)

Do you happen to have a link for the bedding? I live in Colorado so it's very VERY dry but hey, delivery's pretty great.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

This is the Aspen bedding I'm testing right now. If you read the description, it has been screened multiple times to eliminate any dust. http://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12661


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## Andromeda (Apr 28, 2016)

katansi said:


> Thanks. I will check out Aspen bedding and look for baking soda free ones. Do you have any experience with corn cob based things? I heard there's an epic cat litter made from it.


I've heard that corncob bedding goes moldy really quickly once it becomes wet, so most people recommend against it.


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