[milkycoconut]

Hi,

What is the best bedding?

I just got softwood bedding but I've just read that this can be bad. Any advice please? I need to go shopping asap!!

TIA

 

[Hedgian]

if it's pine then it needs to go asap. just put down old towels until you get a better bedding

 

[Sabatea]

Aspen is supposed to be okay bedding for rats. I personally use fleece but not all cages work well with that. Yesterdays news and carefresh can also be used as bedding, just try to find the least dusty bedding and don't get anything scented.

 

[milkycoconut]

Thank you, I was thinking of doing the fleece, how often do you need to wash it before they are potty trained?

 

[LilCritter]

I wash mine once a week, but my rats were pretty much potty trained from the get-go. I also have 4 litter boxes (one per level), and they like to let me know when the box is "too dirty" for them by shoving all the litter out... This can happen any day between the day I cleaned to the next cleaning day... even if it's the next day.

 

[Sabatea]

I wash once a week as well. Mine are trained and I only have two litter pans. However, mine do tend to pee randomly on the shelf and they don't always feel like going in the litter box. So, I have a super absorbent diaper material underneath the fleece that does wonders for soaking up everything. Mine do play with the litter in the litter pans a little bit and do push it out if I don't clean out the litter pan soon enough. XD

 

[LordZoma]

I like to use fleece and paper towels.

 

[Zabora]

I switched to a smaller cage after Dean and Bean passed. I only jad a few rats left and they seemed depressed in it. So I switched from fleece to carefresh. It can get dusty so if you have a small meshed bag you can put it in and smack it a few times to get the dust off it it helps. I ise the blue mesh one found at my local dollar tree. I also use this bag to go in the freezer for 2 days before I change their bedding once a week.

 

[MeinTora]

Aspen has also proven to make sneezey ratties, imo. I like fleece (needs a good walking ever 3ish days though)and yesterday's news, if you can't swing the price Petco has a brand for about $6-7 less.

 

[milkycoconut]

Thank you everyone, I picked up some carefresh today, hopefully this will work until I get over to Joann fabrics for some fleece

Julie