# Bedding Options



## jd882 (Sep 16, 2012)

Ok so Carefresh natural is too dusty for me and really upsets my allergies at cage cleaning time. Fabric and fleece aren't working out the way I hoped they would...  My throat has been on fire for two days now, I feel all sorts of allergic reactions happening to my body - itchiness, trouble breathing, dizziness... Can I be having an allergic reaction to rat pee and/or poop coming into contact with fabric? (The symptoms are a little bit tollerable with a cup of tea and a benedryl but I'm still raspy...) I didn't feel anywhere near as bad as this when I was using the carefresh...

I need some more options for bedding. Something odor absorbant, something not dusty, and something 9 out of 10 rat lovers (or dentists) would recommend. I've heard some decent things about the Carefresh Ultra on here... Is that worth a try? Could some sort of litter work better? I know there's a post somewhere on this forum that someone said they were allergic to rat urine but I can't remember which post it was from!!! (I'm so sorry!! LOL) If you see this, can you let me know what you use to cope?

And by the way, regardless if I am allergic or not, my babies ain't goin nowhere. They're my only kids that listen and don't talk back! LOL


----------



## gal5150 (Aug 14, 2012)

It could absolutely be an allergy. I have heard that care fresh white and colors are less dusty, but they're expensive. How about recycled paper pellets? Yesterday's News for cats is supposed to be good and I used to use the compressed paper pellets sold and made by Petco for the guinea pigs. Ivan vouch that that one is totally dust free and absorbs urine really nicely.


----------



## jd882 (Sep 16, 2012)

Do you know what the name of the paper pellets are? I looked on petco's website and I see a few of them.


----------



## gal5150 (Aug 14, 2012)

Planet Petco Small Animal Paper Pellet Litter


http://reviews.petco.com/3554/10681...nimal-paper-pellet-litter-reviews/reviews.htm


----------



## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Yesterday's news I think is amazing.

if you can get Sani chips go for it. its a reptile aspen chip bedding so its less dusty then small animal bedding. Hemp is also recommended. if I am right Most wood stove pellets are made from hard wood but I'm not 100% sure on that. but I know a lot of people use them for other animals. Eco bedding and Kaytee clean and comfy I've used and like. Eco bedding is more for a toy bedding, or nest material, while Clean and Comfy is good. I like it, my guys liked laying on it since it was soft. I also put newspaper or paper towels under my bedding which tends to help with cleaning.

you could have allergies to rat urine. I am allergic to rat urine, I have asthma attacks most days when I clean their cage. there is a product called Greasonator (I need to find the company name) but you can only get it from a janitorial warehouse if I am correct (I could in theory sell you some, my dad is a house cleaner so we're able to get it) and its environmentally safe but helps elimates urine. Its made for grease on counters but it works the same on urine. I just spray the litter box, their pan, and the cage with it, let it set for a few minutes, then clean it as normal. we also use a thing called 1 - 18 which will kill bacteria (its cool cause it foams up where bacteria is) and is made by the same company. I'll have to ask my dad though what the company name is. I want to say its Envirox.


----------



## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I can recommend hemp for its absorbancy if you can get it. We have a few types in the UK and its pretty popular if messy, also very low dust. Can you get shredded or square cut card bedding there, its probably the most common thing used here as it has a good balance of absorbancy and texture, and doesn't makes as much mess as hemp. It's sold as horse bedding here in the UK.


----------



## jd882 (Sep 16, 2012)

Since I'll be out grocery shopping (FINALLY) today, I'm gonna pick up the Yesterdays News and start with that. I had some left over carefresh so I had to use that in the interm. It just stinks that I put all that effort into making those liners to just have to throw them out...  I couldn't have them in the house without feeling like I was going to die whenever I walked in the hallway and with the rain? Can't even put it outside. I feel bad for the boys because they so liked their cute little level pads to curl up on. Maybe next time I make it to a fabric store, I'll get a cheap fabric (that's safe for them) then that way, when it's time to get rid of it, I won't feel so bad about throwing them away because I'll always have a couple more...


----------



## gal5150 (Aug 14, 2012)

Hey Jessica! How about donating them to a rat rescue? Just a thought.


----------



## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Try Kaytee Clean and Cozy. Its soft and dust free.


----------



## Leafgreen (May 21, 2012)

LightningWolf said:


> you could have allergies to rat urine. I am allergic to rat urine, I have asthma attacks most days when I clean their cage. there is a product called Greasonator (I need to find the company name) but you can only get it from a janitorial warehouse if I am correct (I could in theory sell you some, my dad is a house cleaner so we're able to get it) and its environmentally safe but helps elimates urine. Its made for grease on counters but it works the same on urine. I just spray the litter box, their pan, and the cage with it, let it set for a few minutes, then clean it as normal. we also use a thing called 1 - 18 which will kill bacteria (its cool cause it foams up where bacteria is) and is made by the same company. I'll have to ask my dad though what the company name is. I want to say its Envirox.


I'll give this a try, I seriously need to do something.

I've smoked a pack a day for 20 years, no coughing. No allergies to anything, or in my family. My 3 little girls have a full sized critter nation and it's connected to my huge U shaped desk, they run around and play dribbling urine along their favorite runs, my hand, their food, hiding spots, etc. For bedding they have small squares I cut from a dozen old soft shirts, more than enough to burrow into and take all over the cage to cover their stashes with - and hand towels/towels covering the hard plastic floors in the cage. Once a week all their bedding gets washed in hot water twice and the cage/desk get cleaned with dish soap and elbow grease.

I had to take in some roomies, so I moved my bed into the master bedroom where the ratties are at. Now I can't sleep more than a few hours and wake up coughing and gasping, can never seem to catch my breath, bought an air purifier for the room, down to 2 smokes a day from 20, and feel exhausted all the time. I've started taking their cage outside and hosing it down, using a scrub brush on the outsides and all parts using hot water/dish soap and then a mixture of vinegar/water after, washing it down again. The rats appreciate it but i'm still coughing and hacking and can't breathe.

Not giving them up, they are family. I'll look for this Greasonator and 1-18.


----------



## DragonFire43 (Oct 20, 2012)

I've heard that 'Kaytee' is a good brand


----------



## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

I'm allergic to hemp, aspen, carefresh, boxo and/or hay. Every time I clean my gerbil cage, I sneeze. Luckily my cage pan for my rats is too shallow for bedding. I use fleece and towels. I don't know if you can get Boxo where you are but it was the least dusty and very soft. I like aspen too. I had a brand called critter care or something that I got from Walmart. The bag had a green logo on it. Don't purchase it. It ha a very strong smell to it that bothered me (it smells like BACON). I can imagine it being hard on the rats.


----------



## trematode (Sep 8, 2012)

Avoid this: http://cdn2.sulitstatic.com/images/2010/0723/033114346_crittercarebedding.jpg


----------

