# what bedding...



## xchrissygx (Jan 31, 2011)

do you use for your ratties ?

im due to get some soon and i just wonderd whaat everyone uses ?

im goin to get a plastic bed thingy i used to have for the ratties but im gonna have some shredded paper stuff you can buy thats safe to use for them to sleep in 

but what do you use for the rest of the cage/tank 

as although they sell it in pets at home i know woodshavings arent really reccomended much cus of the dust and that 

thanks 

;D


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

I use aspen (a hardwood), it is not dusty at all. All the paper based beddings I've used were way way dustier. At the moment I am using hardwove hardwood wood stove pellets, but I use aspen as well.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

i use yesterday's news unscented cat litter in my litter boxes (fleece in the rest)  a big $13 bag lasts me like... a year lol.


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## xchrissygx (Jan 31, 2011)

where do i buy aspen from ?

in pets at home they are using wood pellets or something cant rememebr lol


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## Snippet (Dec 30, 2010)

You can buy bales of bedding that are aimed at horses. They're much better value for money then bedding aimed at small animals. I use EcoBed. A 20kg bale will last me 4-6 months. You can also get Aubiose which is great for smells, but it does get kicked everywhere. There is also Megazorb which is a lot like carefresh. Finacard sell a bundle that includes a bale of shredded card, 100% paper litter and paper nesting material. 

Aspen is quite difficult to get hold on in the UK, and it's expensive.


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

Aspens expensive?! Wow, that sucks. But it sucks we can't get that hemp? Horse bedding. Here, for some reason, since horses have sensitive respiratory systems it makes no sense, but most horse beddings are pine based. Is the OP from the UK?


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## Snippet (Dec 30, 2010)

I've only seen aspen sold in tiny little packs for reptiles over here. I'm sure there is somewhere that we can get aspen from that isn't stupid money, but I haven't found it yet.

Most horse beddings are still pine based over here. Up until I owned rats I didn't know there where other options for horses other the shavings and straw.

I'm guessing the OP is from the UK as they mentioned Pets At Home. I don't know if that chain is over in Europe/ Ireland though.


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## NicsMama (Jan 28, 2011)

i wouldnt use wood bedding its not really very comfortable for your rattie. i would use paper bedding like yesterday's news or i use carefresh colors bedding cuz its soft, not dusty and absorbs odor really well. also not really too expensive!


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## wendyrblack (Jan 7, 2011)

I'm still experimenting with bedding/litter tray: I've tried corn cob before I found out it was bad for them (my breeder had recommended it :-[), wooden pellets and fleece liners. The pellets are good for odour but make a lot of noise when they run around, liners look neat and tidy but get stinky really quickly...I bought a bag of yesterday's news (although I won't again because Purina is owned by Nestlè which I boycott!) and a bag of pellets made of pressed hay...which I now read might be dangerous for them! I guess it takes a while to find the perfect solution.... :


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## NicsMama (Jan 28, 2011)

try carefresh!!!! i love it


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

I used to use carefresh, but I switched over to Yesterdays News, and LOVE it.
Bio-Catolet is the same as YN.

I stopped using carefresh because it was so dusty. It gave everything in the cage a coat of dust after a week.


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## littlematchstick (Apr 12, 2009)

I use and offbrand version of carefresh (from walmart) in the litter boxes and fleece/cloth in their sleeping areas. I have 2 cages (1 for boys 1 for girls)..and a big bag from walmart is like 5 bucks and lasts me about 2 months or so. And the fleece stuff I just throw in the washer and reuse (until it's too full of holes from them chewing :  ..lol). That seems to be the best (and cheapest) system I've found.


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## Meep (Jun 21, 2010)

I use shredded paper bits. It has be the most cheapest bedding ever and the rats love to hid things and play in it. I have used a knock of brand of carefresh called boxo but they have been the most dustiest beddings ever so I switched to using shredded paper.


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## NicsMama (Jan 28, 2011)

Kiko said:


> I used to use carefresh, but I switched over to Yesterdays News, and LOVE it.
> Bio-Catolet is the same as YN.
> 
> I stopped using carefresh because it was so dusty. It gave everything in the cage a coat of dust after a week.


huh mine has been dusty at all but i might get the walmart brand to see if i can save a few bucks


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## psycho_ash (Sep 27, 2009)

You can use fleece liners as bedding? I actually have a bunch of liners that I used to use when I kept a chinchilla in the same cage. Is that safe?

The liners are three layers, two fleece, the middle layer is a hand towel before I realized that was a bad idea. The liners I make now are all fleece.


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## Becca (Feb 4, 2011)

Here's a dumb question... Where are you guys buying your fleece? Do you go to craft stores, thrift stores, or is there a place online that you tend to frequent? I want to pick some up and I was thinking about hitting Ross or Dollar General for a fleece blanket I can modify. 

Suggestions from the more experienced?


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

I get all my fleece from Joann craft and fabric in the store, or Hancock fabrics online.
I know people who get theirs from Walmart which sometimes has a fabric section, and some people go to mom and pop stores what have fabric.
And some people just buy lots of cheap fleece blankets and cut them up for hammocks and liners.


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## smesyna (Nov 22, 2010)

Not a stupid question at all!

Like Kiko I go to Joann when they are having sales, and Hancock online (none anywhere remotely near me unfortunately). Some people also go to thrift stores, but around me, for 1, they never have fabric, and two, it is quite literally cheaper to get new fabric on sale than to shop at my thrift stores...gotta love living in an expensive area lol. Oh and I also go to Walmart sometimes, but, it is usually cheaper for me to get fabric on sale at Joann than to go to Walmart..I mostly go there for the extra variety (as if I need more fabric...I'm an addict LOL!) If you can find cheap fabric used though the rats won't care


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## mccauleywent (Nov 21, 2010)

a great bedding combo is eco bedding + newspaper pellets such as fresh news or petcos brand  

joanns is having a huge sale this weekend too, btw, so im guessing fleece would be on sale!


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## susb8383 (Feb 24, 2007)

I've been using Fresh World Bedding. Petsmart has it and it's cheaper, and covers more area, than Carefresh.

I'm just now starting to experiment with wood pellets because we have about 2 tons left over from winter. They're wayyyy cheaper than pet store bedding. A 40 pound bag is about $8+.


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## Jamer77 (May 9, 2011)

I use to use the Carefresh when I had my boys. I liked it, but I had the same issue with the dust. I did not have them litterbox trained either, which I think might have been not so great for them looking back. I think I will have to try this time to train any rats I get to go in the litter pan and use the yesterdays news. I like this fleece idea, I wish I had known about that back then. It sounds a lot cheaper and cleaner to do it this way.


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## shadowgee (Jun 1, 2011)

I like to use recycled paper bedding. I would definitivly NOT use pine or cedar bedding, or wood shavings. They have too much dust which is bad since rats have weak respiratory systems. You can even use fleece, and wash the fleece onc a week when you clean your ratties cage. 

Hope I helped!


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## Qku. (Apr 29, 2011)

I simply use torn up toilet paper, paper towels and a piece of fabric here and there. It's really cheap and pretty dust-free but the downside is that you have to clean out their cage very frequently since it's not that 'clean'. But they love to play in it though.

I also used to use hemp, which was fine, except that it's not very durable in the sense of cleanliness either, and it gets thrown out very easily. Not fun.
Apart from toilet paper, the best bedding I ever had was raw cotton. It lasts a long time, absorbant, not smelly, they're able to play in it, it can't get thrown out of the cage and very easy to clean since it kind of clots toghether. You can almost pick up the whole thing and nothing is left. But for some reason I can't find it in stores anymore and it was quite expensive anyway. If I could find it again I'd think about switching back, though..


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## ASkelton (Jun 6, 2011)

Ok question!

Im currently using the Knock-off CareFresh bedding (the walmart brand), but with cleaning cages a lot, it's not enough and costing a lot....

Where can I buy BULK bedding (preferably a type like Carefresh)? I'm nowhere near a big pet store chain, but I can travel to get it if it's worth it. I'd rather buy online, but worried about shipping costs. 

Thanks


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

as far as paper type beddings are concerned, sun seed fresh world was my absolute favorite. i got it in something like 12 lb bags, which lasted me a very long time. carefresh, soft-sorbent, etc. i found to be too dusty.


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## ASkelton (Jun 6, 2011)

Thank You!


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## noMoreFaith (Apr 28, 2010)

I've used wood-shavings at times, but they're dusty and messy and my rats sneezed a lot. So I switched to Carefresh. Last month, I experimented with Vitakraft ''forest'' shavings and didn't like it at all. It had an ugly smell that was supposed to to remind of forests, and was really dusty as well. Carefresh is a little expensive, so for the new cage I'm getting I'm looking for something new. Wanted to ask: what do you think of rabbit hay, and cat pellets as bedding?


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