# Feeders > Breeding Rats >  Bedding advice. What have you tried?

## Foschi Exotic Serpents

I've used kiln dried pine and Aspen pellets. Both of which are very dusty. The pellets are great at odor control but it's very heavy and crumbles apart fast. The pine is simply not absorbent, doesn't control odor, and the dust is killing me. 

I've been looking into the softer beddings. Reading reviews online. Such as Sunseed Fresh World Bedding, Yesterdays News softer formula, and Kaytee softsorb. 

I did try Carefresh but it didn't help odors and is way too expensive for multiple tubs. 

I'd like some advice on beddings that are affordable, absorbent, odor controlling, and not dusty. 

I change the tubs weekly but within a few days I can't stand the smell and I can dust everyday but still have piles of dust all over everything. 

Thanks!

----------


## Shenzi Sixaxis

It sounds like you are very sensitive to the air, really. Pine might be a bit dusty, but it and aspen chips do a good job of keeping things dry and smellless for the most part. 

Try Petco aspen chips (13 bucks for a BIG bag) and softwood (pine, fir, and spruce mixed together, 11 bucks for a similarly sized bag). Also sprinkle baking soda and some clay cat litter in there and see what that does.

----------


## CoolioTiffany

What's been working for me is regular pine bedding packed tightly in these bags at Petsmart. They're only like $3 or $4 which is a great deal, plus I even use the bedding sometimes for the snakes and it works out just fine.

It works better than the aspen, and needs to be changed out maybe every other week.

----------


## RichsBallPythons

I use Equine Pine Pellets. Pine is only thing that keeps the smell under control.

Aspen will make the area smell faster than pine will. You will have to keep up on it more often due to ammonia build up. 


I started using aspen and havent touched it in 3 years

----------


## Foschi Exotic Serpents

I'm currently using the compressed pine in the big bale bag from petsmart. I have used the pellets from a feed store and they did work great but it's incredibly heavy bedding and the most dusty of all. I can only empty a few tubs into 1 garbage bag when I use that stuff.

----------


## BuckeyeBalls

> I use Equine Pine Pellets. Pine is only thing that keeps the smell under control.


x2 but i do a mix. I normally put pellets below and top it off with some pine on top to kinda cut down on the dust

----------


## jasbus

I buy pine from the feed store, way cheaper than the idiots at PetXXX...
Do your community a favor, buy from the little guys....   :Good Job: 

I find the best odor control is the pine that's real small cut.  Not the big shavings.  That doesn't help your dust though...
I change my mice on Monday and Thursday, just because of the odor...

----------


## PghBall

I use kiln dried pine shavings as well and it does a nice job.

----------


## tonkatoyman

I have a source for oak shavings. I have tried them and found they are more absorbent and keep the smell down better. However I currently do not use it because my source does not eliminate the dust. I am planning on building a cyclone separator to eliminate the dust. Until then we will continue to use pine. Also go to the sticky I think is located in the DIY section and find the plans for a odor absorbing air cleaner using phosphorous activated charcoal. That helps remove the ammonia from the air which is 60 to 70% of the smell.

----------


## snakesRkewl

I've used aspen for years and recently switched to kiln dried pine in huge bags from the local mom n pop feed store.
10cubic feet for $8 and way better than the crap at petsmart/petco IMO

Buy local think global  :Wink:

----------


## tomfromtheshade

I buy my pine in big bales, kiln dried pine, for about $5.50 per bale. Your best bet is always feed supply stores. You have to try a few until you find one that carries the chips that you like (less dust, small soft chips) etc.

Good luck.

----------


## jben

I buy my bales of pine from TSC, love the stuff

----------


## jasbus

> I've used aspen for years and recently switched to kiln dried pine in huge bags from the local mom n pop feed store.
> 10cubic feet for $8 and way better than the crap at petsmart/petco IMO
> 
> Buy local think global


I wish more people would think/act like this...
It's tough owning a store with everyone buying at the chains... That $3 at WalMart is probably only $3.25 at a local store, your neighbor who is trying to make a living. :Salute:

----------

snakesRkewl (01-25-2011)

----------


## snakesRkewl

> I wish more people would think/act like this...
> It's tough owning a store with everyone buying at the chains... That $3 at WalMart is probably only $3.25 at a local store, your neighbor who is trying to make a living.


I'll admit to buying from petco/petsmart but like most probably out of convenience more than anything.
I buy Mazuri at the feed store and since they carry the pine too it only made sense when I switched from aspen to also get my pine there.
That and it's half the price of pet stores  :Razz:

----------


## Foschi Exotic Serpents

Yes but when a chain store is the only place I can find that bedding, I don't have much of a choice. I have a reptile store nearby but they don't sell rodent bedding. The feed store going the other direction sells the wood pellets but again, it's too heavy and dusty. I try to buy local as much as I can but I won't sacrifice mine and my sons allergies for it.

----------


## SnakeGirl3

> What's been working for me is regular pine bedding packed tightly in these bags at Petsmart. They're only like $3 or $4 which is a great deal, plus I even use the bed*ding sometimes for the snakes and it works out j*ust fine.
> 
> It works better than the aspen, and needs to be changed out maybe every other week.


Please, please, please don't put your BPs on pine bedding.  Oils and dust from pine can cause your BPs issues.  Not sure about the other species since BPs are all I keep, but avoid using pine with them.

Back on topic:
I use pine shavings from my local Co-Op that's been finely screened for dust, and it seems to work very well.  I don't have many, if any, dust issues.  And I clean twice per week, and hardly ever notice a smell from my rats.  Once in a while, if I've gotten a few too many rats in one tub and haven't yet gotten the chance to kill off and freeze some, you can kinda notice a smell; not sure if this is the case for you (the OP), but it's the only time I've noticed a smell personally.  I usually kill off and freeze when I begin to notice a smell on my cleaning schedule, as twice a week is efficient at controlling smell for me as long as I don't overload the tubs.  Plus you can have issues with overloaded tubs (rats may think they are overcrowded and could begin killing off any they see as smaller or "weaker") aside from the smell.

----------


## RichsBallPythons

> Please, please, please don't put your BPs on pine bedding.  Oils and dust from pine can cause your BPs issues.  Not sure about the other species since BPs are all I keep, but avoid using pine with them.
> 
> Back on topic:
> I use pine shavings from my local Co-Op that's been finely screened for dust, and it seems to work very well.  I don't have many, if any, dust issues.  And I clean twice per week, and hardly ever notice a smell from my rats.  Once in a while, if I've gotten a few too many rats in one tub and haven't yet gotten the chance to kill off and freeze some, you can kinda notice a smell; not sure if this is the case for you (the OP), but it's the only time I've noticed a smell personally.  I usually kill off and freeze when I begin to notice a smell on my cleaning schedule, as twice a week is efficient at controlling smell for me as long as I don't overload the tubs.  Plus you can have issues with overloaded tubs (rats may think they are overcrowded and could begin killing off any they see as smaller or "weaker") aside from the smell.


Umm just so you know some people have been using pine for 10-20+ years with snakes with no problems. Pine isnt proven to cause any problems within snakes. Also FYI aspen carries phenols as well as pine.

Some of your big breeders used pine till moving to cypress or paper

----------


## SnakeGirl3

> Umm just so you know some people have been using pine for 10-20+ years with snakes with no problems. Pine isnt proven to cause any problems within snakes. Also FYI aspen carries phenols as well as pine.
> 
> Some of your big breeders used pine till moving to cypress or paper


All of the major breeders' care sheets (and even the not-so-major ones) I've come across say stay away from it due to oils and dust causing RI, so I always have just as a precaution.  I use newspaper for all of my snakes anyway. I use the pine for the rats, but my rats are nowhere near the snakes, so no pine exposure at all to my BPs.  Just rather be safe than sorry later.  :Good Job:

----------


## RichsBallPythons

> All of the major breeders' care sheets (and even the not-so-major ones) I've come across say stay away from it due to oils and dust causing RI, so I always have just as a precaution.  I use newspaper for all of my snakes anyway. I use the pine for the rats, but my rats are nowhere near the snakes, so no pine exposure at all to my BPs.  Just rather be safe than sorry later.


There is no sorry later, wont harm the snakes. You keep your rodents on pine and feed them to the snakes. 

Ive kept my rodents in same room as snakes for last 4 years with no problems. 

care sheets is just a guideline of what is known to work for beginners. Their not set in stone and a must follow. Theres a few peeps on this site been using pine for years and im sure will comment once they see it.

----------

_bad-one_ (02-07-2011)

----------


## Foschi Exotic Serpents

I agree with Rich on that. If you look up studies that were done it seems kiln dried pine is fine but cedar is what causes health problems. Rabbits tested had liver issues after being kept on cedar.. 

The point is, I'm using the pine because it's the most cost efficient but I wish there was something less dusty that controlled odor better. 

The pellets are out of the question for me. Im cutting down my colonies anyway so maybe it won't be so bad once I can get rid of one of my rat racks.

----------

