# Vetbed Instead of Substrate?



## Effy (Oct 11, 2014)

*I have an elderly guy in my care, and he doesn't have much use in his back legs/feet. I was going to get some substrate such as aubiose or finacard etc for him, but then I thought maybe it would be better for him to have a flat surface in the majority of his cage?

Should I just put vetbed throughout the cage and just have an area for bedding etc?

That would definitely get rid of the risk of him hurting his legs while walking through anything, but would it be ok happiness-wise?

Obviously he'd have activities/toys in the cage, too, so it would just be an empty, open space.*


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

I use a layer of puppy pads under a layer of fleece. I have one of those deep pan type cages so to secure the fleece so that it lays flat and doesn't get kicked up I have a sheet of coroplast corrugated plastic board (available on ebay) I cut the coroplast to fit the base of my pan and then wrap the puppy pads and fleece around the board, secured with bulldog clips. You could also provide a digging pan filled with fleece scraps, paper, substrate or something similar.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Since he's already struggling with his lower half I think no bedding is best. He'll be perfectly happy and content without bedding in his life, it's a means to enrich their life but not necessary.


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## Effy (Oct 11, 2014)

*Thanks, makes me feel better knowing that it won't affect his happiness!

Yeah I'd have to do something similar to that, Kitterpuss...I'll figure something out in the meantime. I think between now and then, I'm going to just put a couple of whole newspapers in the base (UK papers have non toxic ink, so no issues there) as that'd be flat, comfy, fun if he wanted to shred and also would stay relatively still with the weight of them being whole papers.

Would it pretty much be a necessity to have a small litter area doing it this way? I wouldn't be able to add anything in as a litter area for at least a week. (funds are very negative lol)

Sorry for having so many questions, but I'd rather ask them than do something wrong!
Thanks for helping. x*


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

Depends if he is litter trained. If he is old and infirm he may just end up going anywhere, but you may find he favours a corner, in which case adding a litter box might be nice. I have litter boxes with catolet paper based cat litter which is available from Pets at home. But you can also just spot clean any poops as you see fit. A litter box isn't necessary for the rats, more just that it's makes cage cleaning a little easier, so it's up to you if you decide to add one.  

Don't worry about asking questions - we're happy to help!


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## Effy (Oct 11, 2014)

*He doesn't seem to ever prefer a specific spot, or use a spot if I move anything to just the one place, but then, he's been living in a cage completely covered in tangly paper bedding material, so even if he did use one place, I'm pretty sure it would be moved around. .__.;

As long as it's not needed, that's ok! I'll probably put one in, just to see, when I can afford to get a little tray, as I have cats anyways, so I don't mind buying specific litter even if it doesn't end up being used at all by him.

Yay, another question! xD
Is it just paper based cat litters that are suitable for rats? I wouldn't think clay based would be very nice, if safe.*


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## Kitterpuss (May 9, 2014)

Yeah I would stick with paper based. You can also use corncob litter if you are looking for something finer - I bought some from zooplus and the rats seemed to like it ok. Clay based would be too dusty - rats have sensitive lungs so anything that kicks up dust should be avoided. You can use a plastic takeaway tub or old Tupperware for a litter tray - might be more useful as you could cut away one side for ease of entry. Add a large round river pebble to weigh it down. Rats like to wee on smooth round rocks for some reason, so it's a good way to cut down on mess round the rest if the cage, and a nice way to encourage them to use the tray.


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## Effy (Oct 11, 2014)

*That's brilliant, thank-you. ^__^
The next time I need some litter, that's what I'll get and hopefully, it'll get some use!

Thankies!

Off to clean him out and try newspaper now. =]*


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