# bedding?!?



## rat_luver (May 18, 2013)

hello!
I'm new here and this is only like my second post but whatever...
I'm getting my first rat on Saturday (OMG!!!) so as you can prob tell I'm so exited  His name is cutie and I'm getting him from the Aspca (don't worry I'm getting another rat soon, but they don't have another male rat at the time)
I'm going tomorrow to get all the supplies and stuff (toys, food, bedding). I've been reading about the best bedding and here is what I found is the safe types of bedding
Carefresh
aspen
fleece
I think I'm gonna use fleece but I read somewhere that its harder to clean :/ 
I heard carefresh is good but dusty
so what do you guys think is the best bedding (easiest to clean, least smelling, etc.)
K,
thanks!;D


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## 3 ratties (Apr 6, 2013)

I have used care fresh, fleece, and yesterday's news. Yesterday's news is my favorite by far. The care fresh was so dusty and intensified the urine smell. Fleece was gross to clean, takes forever to airdry, and the rats move it around so much. Yesterday's news is great for odor, 99.7% dust free, and very easy to clean 


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

There are actually more types of bedding than that. Here is a list I wrote up recently which should be of some use to you:

*Soft paper based bedding - e.g. Carefresh, Megazorb (these can get pulpy and dusty easily)

Paper Litter - e.g. Yesterday's News, Papelit 100% Paper Litter, Bio-Catlet (these are usually used in litter trays but work great as substrate too; bear in mind these can get a bit mushy too but keep smells down well)

Cardboard based bedding - e.g. Green Mile, finaCARD (these are used with great success but I found it to smell funny after a week however most say cardboard bedding is the best kind including breeders).

"Hard" paper based bedding - Basically shredded paper, something like Fitch Recycled Bedding. Usually works quite well and is less dusty than cardboard but gets soggy easily, also some don't like how paper is treated with chemicals to begin with.

Aspen Hard wood - This is another popular choice by owners, and tends to work very well. Can be a bit sharp though for nests for pregnant rats, I read a thread on here where a baby got a splinter stuck in its brain.

Hemp/Flax based bedding - A completely natural alternative taken from plants, used with horses too. I am waiting for a bale of a brand called Aubiose to be delivered which is a 100% untreated hemp bedding. I will let you know how it goes.

Fleece cage liners - A lot of people rave about using fleece as it's cheap and doesn't have a smell - some say their rats are cleaner on it and it makes cages look less "wild" and more "homely".

Generally, the soft paper stuff such as Megazorb and Carefresh can tend to get dusty, but I've seen shredded cardboard get dusty too (I used finaCARD until this week for about 7 months). It's all due to personal preference and what suits your rats. My girlfriend used shredded paper and that works out great for them. Some people like to mix two different kinds so the rats get a nice variety for digging, such as a cardboard based and a hemp based substrate. Others prefer fleece as it's easy to wash and is cheap and prevents annoying stashing of food, meaning your food lasts longer as it actually stays in their bowls. You'll need to try probably at least 3/4 different kinds of bedding before choosing what suits your cleaning, smells and your rats best.*


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

I apologise for all the bold text, for some reason it copied and pasted as bold (when it wasn't originally) and wouldn't be removed.


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## rat_luver (May 18, 2013)

cool thanks!
I'm trying fleece first but if that doesn't work I will try yesterdays news


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## sara1991 (Apr 12, 2013)

After i went round in circles for a while i have decided to stick with paper based bedding, i use either bio-catolet or back-2-nature, i find it causes the least sneezes in my boy's. id avoid the softer paper like carefresh i found it dusty and smelly.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

One thing that I think is worth considering before using fleece. It looks beautiful (well at first anyway) and is very tidy, however our rats are natural diggers and foragers, and using it often means that the rats don’t have chance to show there proper behaviour and be real rats. If you are going to use this make sure they’ve got a good sized digging box in their cage at minimum. Personally I am far happier using a nice deep layer of card, hemp, bedmax, paper bedding etc. Its wonderful watching the rats dig and shovel it around.


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## ratclaws (Nov 11, 2012)

I agree Isamurat, I don't think I'll ever use fleece except for maybe trying out using it as a shelf coating. The Aubiose I got delivered a couple of days ago seems to suit my girls really well, they love it. When this runs out I think I'm going to try some Fitch (a small bag if I can find one) and then make my mind up, perhaps mix the Aubiose with some Green Mile or something. But this Aubiose seems very good stuff.


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## Lightning (May 24, 2013)

I use aspen so far with no problems.  I mix in soft paper towels and such for added softness. But the aspen I buy doesn't seem to pointy to me. Would try yesterdays news but it doesn't look to comfortable to walk on and looks like it may be confused for food? I don't know though, have never used it.


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## jez (May 24, 2013)

I like the yesterday's news because it's heavier and doesn't get thrown out as easily, but it is more expensive because it doesn't go as far and you have to use quite a bit to cover the floor. Aspen is annoyingly messy and sticks to everything, but works. Carefresh, I am meh on. It's fluffy which is nice for the rats, but it gets thrown out easily, gets soggy when wet, can carry mites, etc.


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## Rinzy (Aug 29, 2012)

I have used carefresh, fleece, and yesterday's news in the past - carefresh sucks - it's super dusty and doesn't control odors well at all. Yesterday's News is great but like others mentioned - it can be pricey. I found a brand called Good Mews that is also recycled paper pellets and its like $8 for a 20 lb bag - I only use it in the litter box so it lasts a while. Fleece - it looks nice at first but ends up getting pulled up and chewed, it also does not control odors well - I use reptile terrarium liner to line all the levels in my cage held on with binder clips. I freakin love this! It's a thicker material than fleece (resembles a thick felt) so the rats don't chew it as much and it stays in place better. It absorbs and traps urine so it's not dripping anywhere and controls odor very well. It is also very easy to clean - just rinse with cold water and drip dry. I have two sets for easy change out. I would highly recommend this. The only downside is that it only comes in 2 colors - green or brown. 






















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## RattieLove* (May 1, 2013)

Okay, so this is speaking off my own personal experience. I truly advise you to NEVER waste your money on Carefresh. Seriously, I'm not over exaggerating. It is over priced, and REALLY intensifies the smell of rat urine. It is horrible at controlling odor. Fleece was never an option for me as I found it to be more of a hassle than anything as I personally think it only works best in cages like the ferret/critter nation type cages where you can clip it down, and in my cage you cant as the pan is deep and plastic. The bedding I use and LOVE is Aspen. It works amazing at controlling odor, as the wood scent helps mask the urine scent. A little goes a Much longer way than Carefresh ever did for me, it's easy to clean, and my girls love it too. A lot of people think that it might be too "rough" for the rats but on the contrary they rearrange it to their liking themselves and my girls have never had a problem with it. The only downside I find to it is that it tracks onto anything fabric in the cage that it touches, but that isn't a problem if all the fabric in your cage like hammocks is hanging. I have a hat clipped to the side of the cage that my girls absolutely love to snuggle in and since it touches the aspen the outside is covered in the shavings because it sticks lol, but seriously it's an awesome bedding choice, and very affordable. If I didn't already use Yesterdays News in the litter box before switching to aspen I would've used that instead, but I didn't want to confuse them since they're already litter trained. So, in my opinion, if you can use Yesterday's News all over, do it for sure. If for some reason you can't, definitely go for aspen. Never waste your money on anything like Carefresh! Good luck 


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