# Bedding Discussion - Please Participate



## trico (Oct 31, 2017)

Hello all, I wanted opinions and experience on different bedding & substrate options for my rats. I have a Double Critter Nation and found loose bedding was a pain to use with the trays so I currently use fleece/u-haul furniture pad liners. I'm happy with it, but am open to other options.
If you could take a minute and answer these questions below it would be appreciated:

*What cage do you have?
What bedding/substrate do you use? 
How often do you need to clean your cage?
What is the cost for your bedding/substrate?

*Pictures would be appreciated as well! Thanks in advance.


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## Ratologist (Nov 24, 2016)

Hi there! I'll play along. I love hearing about what other people are doing, too!

What cage do you have?
I have an off brand cage. I believe it's called a Coast Rat Mansion, and I don't think it is sold anywhere any more. 

What bedding/substrate do you use?
We use aspen or Carefresh in the bottom. I really like how deep the bottom of this cage is because our rats enjoy digging, and this keeps the bedding inside the cage. We give them flannel blanket squares throughout the rest of the cage to cover the bars and to put in their pods. And we give them newspaper (with only soy ink) to play with and shred. They carry the paper all over the place - on the hammock, in the pods, down in the bottom corner of the cage.

How often do you need to clean your cage?
I clean the whole cage and change the aspen once a week as part of my weekly routine, but I *have* stretched it out as far as 10 days without any negative effects. I change the flannel out every 3rd day or so, depending on how it looks and smells. I stopped using fleece because it holds smell and no amount of crazy washing routines seemed to change that. 

What is the cost for your bedding/substrate?
Amazon often has a 50L bag of Carefresh for around $13 if you don't care which color. They seem to rotate which color is the cheap one. I get about the same amount of aspen for $10, I think, though it's been a while since I bought some. These sized bags will last 4-5 weeks, depending on how deep I fill the bottom of the cage. 

And here is our messy, messy, MESSY cage (if you click the photo, you can see it bigger):


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## Phoene (Dec 21, 2017)

I have a prevue cage (https://www.chewy.com/prevue-pet-products-rat-chinchilla/dp/133468?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Prevue%20Pet%20Products&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtJbTBRDkARIsAIA0a5O2Ahv5EJ3Egqv-E1FZZIybOpCUwjVus3qn_ikKx0qlK1cDPbpsoLUaAvQEEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds). And I use cloth bedding. One of my rats is already sick so I clean the cage more often than I have to so I will have no smell at all. I clean it every two days. I get fleece blankets from a second hand store and I also use Carefresh bedding for the litter box. I am going to change over to Clean and Cozy bedding because it looks better.


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## Phoene (Dec 21, 2017)

Sorry, I forgot to make that a link in my reply. https://www.chewy.com/prevue-pet-products-rat-chinchilla/dp/133468?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Prevue%20Pet%20Products&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtJbTBRDkARIsAIA0a5O2Ahv5EJ3Egqv-E1FZZIybOpCUwjVus3qn_ikKx0qlK1cDPbpsoLUaAvQEEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds


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## mewmew_chan (Aug 20, 2017)

I use the MCage, and I use loose bedding. It's kind of a pain in the rear, but Cream rips everything to shreds... So loose it is. But soon Im switching to natural cat litter instead. His cage is RIGHT next to my bed.. And having sometimes soiled paper bedding in your bed? not fun.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

I have a diy Martin's "style" cage. It's basically the size to two R-680s side by side. The base of the cage is just under 8 square feet and the walls of the base are 3.5" tall. The cage houses 2-4 rats (currently 2). Cleaning schedule varies depending on how many rats.

I use fleece/Uhaul padding mats on the shelves of the cage. I swap out and wash the shelf liners every 3-4 days.








On the floor of my boys' cage I use shredded aspen. It's like the stuff they sell for reptiles.








I get it from my local farm/feed shop. It's actually a horse bedding. It comes in a giant 40lb. bale for $5. It's very dusty. I sift it using a mesh laundry bag. A large amount of the product gets sifted out but I'm still left with a very large amount of very low-dust bedding (around 100 L). 














This is how much dust I sift out with the mesh laundry bag...








I haven't compared it to the overpriced reptile aspen but I recently ordered the Drs. Foster & Smith aspen and it's the same stuff (x8 for the same cost). I was kinda surprised that the Drs. Foster stuff was just as dusty.

I've been really impressed with how well aspen controls odors. Depending on how many rats in the cage, I change it every 1.5-2 weeks. A $5 bale last me months. I also really like watching my boys dig through it looking for the little treats I mix into it. The fine textured pieces do get kicked out of the cage a little bit and it ends up sticking to socks really well and migrating around the house.

I'm still working out my preferred litter for the boxes. Sani-chips controlled odors, desiccated poops really well, and I could sift poops out and use it longer rather than dumping everything every couple days but, man, sani-chips are a complete mess. I'm trying hardwood stove pellets right now. I don't know if I like them better than paper pellets yet. They're a fraction of the cost, though.


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## glitchiq (Jan 23, 2018)

*What cage do you have?
*Single level CritterNation.

*What bedding/substrate do you use?
*I have used both blank sheets of packing paper and fleece (sometimes with U-Haul liners underneath), but I prefer fleece. The packing paper was pretty easy to roll up and pull out as long as I did it in a timely manner (if you give it too much time scraps of torn paper can get pee-cemented to the pan). My boys were a little heavy when I got them, and the paper wasn't enough of a cushion. They each developed a small sore on one of their hind feet, and so I switched them over fleece at the same time I started leaning them down. I think the paper would still work just fine for rats who aren't a little *cough cough* tubby and putting too much pressure on their feet. However, I still prefer fleece because it's so much snugglier and all-around a safer bet. In the future, I would limit paper to the shelf in their CN (used to be where the food bowl was) to make food cleanup easier. They get quinoa and other little seedy things as part of their mix and the little shells end up everywhere. 

*How often do you need to clean your cage?
*Once a week (ideally). But, I also have only one older boy in there right now, so he doesn't make a horrific mess.

*What is the cost for your bedding/substrate?
*I usually buy cheap fleece blankets from CVS whenever his get too torn up. Usually they'll have a 2 or 3 for $5 deal and they last me awhile so it's pretty cost effective. The paper is more expensive, maybe $12-15 for a big pack? But I only ever had to buy one. 
*
*









It's changed a little bit now since this is an old picture. Mario's getting older so I lowered the shelf, there's a second litter box on the shelf, and one of the rats in the picture (Angus) has unfortunately passed away.


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## Roxymachado (Dec 8, 2017)

CorbinDallasMyMan said:


> I have a diy Martin's "style" cage. It's basically the size to two R-680s side by side. The base of the cage is just under 8 square feet and the walls of the base are 3.5" tall. The cage houses 2-4 rats (currently 2).
> 
> 
> 
> How did you make this? How much did it cost to build? I'm into DIY cages( I like to make them my own). Right now I have them in a SUPER large bin cage, the only problem is its a hassle getting into the bottom. I'm going to figure out how to put in a large door, but if you have a good DIY cage option, I'd love to hear from you.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

I got the inspiration to make my own cage from an old thread on this forum (see here). It wasn't a cheap build at all (around $250) but I wanted something to go on my dresser instead of something that took up floor space.


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## pmc222 (Nov 20, 2017)

*What cage do you have?
*Single Level Critter Nation with 3 Boys
*
What bedding/substrate do you use?
*A mixture of Kaytee Clean and Cozy and Crinkle Kraft Paper in a bass pan on the bottom level. I took out the shelf, and attached baskets/hammocks all over the place. Those have fleece with a uhaul pad underneath.
*
How often do you need to clean your cage?
*I clean it every 7-10 days, but change the basket/hammock liners every few days (sometimes more often). 
*
What is the cost for your bedding/substrate? 
*I got a 10 pound box of Crinkle Kraft paper through Amazon for around $23 after shipping. You can get it cheaper at staples, but I am lazy and want it delivered to my door.
I bought an 85 Liter bag of Clean and Cozy for about $18.


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## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

What cage do you have?
I have a single critter nation with four female rats.

What bedding/substrate do you use? 
I mainly use Yesterday's News.

How often do you need to clean your cage?
Usually every week and a half, but like other I spot clean ever few days.

What is the cost for your bedding/substrate?
The Yesterday's news comes in 30lb bags. These last for approximately 2 cage cleanings, and cost $20 each.


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## Ratmadoo (Nov 19, 2016)

Each time I write a long reply with all 3 of my cages it signs me out and loses my comment so I will break up my post if that's OK, I have a few cages.

Cage 1; Terenziani 2 story with an added wood extension that I built








Bedding/Substrate; Soy newspaper, card on wire levels, supasoft in bottom, tumblefresh in litter. The card and newspaper have just been swapped out with giant wipe clean pet mats which are working very well.

How often to clean; Bed daily as he pees in there, litter pans every few days, hammocks etc never ever has peed on them :0 so they get washed every few months mainly to remove his lil hairs from them, lol - and whole cage clean and wipe every 2 weeks. 

Cost of bedding etc; Tumblefresh £7 locally £4.50 online, supasoft £5 locally £3.50 online, newspaper and card free, and the wipe clean pet mats were £1 each and I got 3 and are a one time purchase.


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## Ratmadoo (Nov 19, 2016)

Cont...

Cage 2; Self Built from wood and hardware wire, holds 7 rats on calculator had 2 in there (excuse mess in pic was decorating)








Bedding/Substrate; Newspaper over wooden levels, supasoft in bottom, tumblefresh in litter.

How often to clean; Bed daily, litter pans every few days, hammocks etc every 2 weeks or when they need it I smell them to see, as these ones do pee there sometimes. Whole cage scrubbed every few days - Yes  wood and hardware cloth does take one pee smells and does need extra cleaning unfortunately, I managed with this cage for nearly a year but it was beginning to smell right after cleaning, I could have removed all the wire, scrubbed the wood, re-wired it, but decided to get a new easier to clean cage recently. 

Cost of bedding etc; Tumblefresh £7 locally £4.50 online, supasoft £5 locally £3.50 online, newspaper free.


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## Ratmadoo (Nov 19, 2016)

Cont..
cage 3; Ferplast furet tower
View attachment 293473


Bedding/Substrate; supasoft in bottom, shredded paper in top and tumblefresh in litter.

How often to clean; Bed daily, litter pans every few days, levels spot clean for pee, hammocks etc every 2 weeks or when they need it I smell them to see, as these ones do pee there sometimes. Whole cage - I've only had this cage for 1 week and can see that it is much better than my self built wooden cage, I will need to be cleaning it every 2 weeks or 10 days, not every few days like the old one. 

Cost of bedding etc; Tumblefresh £7 locally £4.50 online, supasoft £5 locally £3.50 online,shredded paper free.

The cost of bedding on each cage is for all cages 1 bag of tumblefresh lasts about a month and I use it for rats, and hamster. The supasoft lasts about a month for a bag too.


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## athenianratdaddy (Dec 20, 2017)

I have a Martin's R 695 and a smaller R 640. They both come with a 3" pan and I use CareFresh for bedding, mixed with a little timothy hay for looks mostly. The R 640 sees much less use and I clean it once a month. The R 695 gets a thorough cleaning every 18-20 days, with frequent visitations at certain spots where the rats tend to pee more (poo is not really an issue). The combined cost for CareFresh and (much less) timothy hay is about $30/month.


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