# Carefresh ultra bedding - help!



## Lunchy (Aug 28, 2017)

So last night I bought some Carefresh Ultra bedding to use in the litter trays as we want to start training them to use the trays. I woke up this morning and our Morty is wheezing! He's got a history of wheezing over the past few months, this is the 4th time he's had it bad in that time. He still goes around his day fine, eats, drinks and runs around, just has a horrible loud noise behind his breathing. 

I'm not sure when I can get to the vet, I have an appointment this evening but I can't leave work early probably, but I think it's too much of a coincidence that around 12 hours after I put this bedding into the litter trays that he's wheezing. His two cagemates haven't shown any signs of wheezing yet. Has anyone had any experience with this bedding?


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Some rats are very allergic to Carefresh. It's kind of weird but it happens. Try another bedding and see if the problem subsides, like either a hardwood bedding, cardboard shavings, alfalfa pellets etc.


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## Basiltheplant (Jan 2, 2017)

I used to always use carefree, in the past few months I stopped using it because the recent packaging contained a lot of dust and was causing wheezing in my girls. I was using Aspen but now I am using Fresh News


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## Lunchy (Aug 28, 2017)

I managed to get to a vet, and it was an exotic pet specialist on his first day at his new practice! It was actually really refreshing talking to someone who actually was really knowledgeable about rats. He suggested that maybe changing the bedding stressed him out, or it could be a bad reaction to it, but as Morty has been very prone to wheezing the last few months he's prescribed some Baytil, an anti-inflammatory and asked us to think about investing in a nebuliser to take with a drug called F10 which is a disinfectant, which is supposedly pretty successful in staving off bacterial and viral infections and is very cheap (apparently about £15 for a year's supply). In the meantime, I'm going to see what I can do about getting a different bedding and monitor him with the Baytril and anti-inflammatory. And to think all the reviews for Carefresh seemed good when I looked before


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

What had you been using before and was this only in the litter boxes (not the whole cage)?


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## Lunchy (Aug 28, 2017)

CorbinDallasMyMan said:


> What had you been using before and was this only in the litter boxes (not the whole cage)?


I've got back 2 nature pellets and they've always has that as their main bedding, lining the bottom floor and he's never had any problems with that. It was just last night I put the Carefresh ultra in the litter trays only and I wake up to him wheezing again


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

It's possible that it was just a coincident (especially given his history) but it sure wouldn't hurt to switch to a different litter just in case.

I'm a bit skeptical that the carefresh caused the problem but it never hurts to err on the side of caution!


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## trico (Oct 31, 2017)

I use fleece for this reason. I don't trust that these factories are run clean enough to have no debris and unwanted dust in the packages. You never really know where the stuff is coming from and for all we know it could be made next door or in the same factory as wood chips. Just my opinion c: ​


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## Lunchy (Aug 28, 2017)

I've actually not managed to remove th3 Carefresh yet but already his breathing seems to have eased. I'll keep him with the meds and leave the bedding in for now, I am planning on moving to fleece for the floors at some point but waiting on pay day. I'm monitoring any changes, just wanted to see if anyone had had problems with it!


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## athenianratdaddy (Dec 20, 2017)

Nope, no problems with Carefresh, at least not ones that I have noticed.


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## Brisbie05 (Oct 19, 2017)

Mine actually was allergic to care fresh so i switched to kay tee. Found mild reaction to kay tee. Finally switched to fleece and NO problem. They even tend to shred up the fleece into bedding...gave them extra work to keep busy.


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## thepumpkinrat (Oct 30, 2016)

Carefresh is said to be extremely "dusty", right?


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