Pine Pellets vs Aspen

[MarkieJ]

I purchased some pine pellets as it was highly recommended by some on here, but I'm gonna have to switch back to aspen. First of all my rats don't like sleeping on it. They have pushed it aside and are choosing to sleep on the bare bottom of their cages.



Worst of all my apartment now has a "pet shop" smell to it just after 24 hours of use. One of the big advantages for pine pellets was supposed to be its relative lack of smell. The brand I have is sold as kitty litter at Petsmart. Is this the same stuff that can be found at tractor supply/feed stores? Here's a pic of the Exquisicat Pine Litter:



Any comments pros and cons on pine pellets would be appreciated.

[PyramidPythons]

I tried those pellets a little while back and had the exact same problem. Not only was it costly to purchase the pellets, it was also stinky and the rats/mice HATED it. I have stuck to aspen from then on. It might be a little dusty, but it is much better at odor control, the rats can manipulate it and make it comfortable for them and it's not that much more expensive than pine.

Whatever you do, DON'T put your rodents on pine or cedar. Both of those have Phenols that cause respiratory problems in small animals that could possibly lead to death in severe cases. So there you have it....my two cents worth.

[RichsBallPythons]

You must not of gotten the right kind. Companies add their own additives for smell purposes to make it their OWN.

The stuff most use is Horse bedding which has pine smell. And the rats will learn to lay on it as it breaks down to a saw dust type.

And no one said the smell of the bedding was minimal, it kills the rodents smell very well, not to mention is mold,bacteria, and insect repellent.


Also its Cheaper than aspen or pine shavings as my 40lbs bags cost 4.59 per bag and lasts me 3 cleanings per bag for 500+ rodents.

I tried those pellets a little while back and had the exact same problem. Not only was it costly to purchase the pellets, it was also stinky and the rats/mice HATED it. I have stuck to aspen from then on. It might be a little dusty, but it is much better at odor control, the rats can manipulate it and make it comfortable for them and it's not that much more expensive than pine.

Whatever you do, DON'T put your rodents on pine or cedar. Both of those have Phenols that cause respiratory problems in small animals that could possibly lead to death in severe cases. So there you have it....my two cents worth.

On a side not way to contradict your self. You say DONT use pine but yet you used it. Using pine for your rodents HAS NOT ONE ill effect to the snakes. I and many many who breed thier own rodents use pine pellets or shavings for YEARS with no problems.

[puckett26]

I personally agree with Rich, I had aspen for my mice to start out with and after 24 hours the mice smell was definately present, by 2 or 3 days it was very unpleasent. I switched to the pine pellets, that I bought at petsmart thats used for cat litter (not the horse feed thats recommended) about a week ago. I love it. It been a week now and I dont smell mice unless I stick my head in their tub and really sniff. The only complaint I have about the stuff is one of my water bottles leaks a bit which causes the pellets to change to dust quickly. But to get rid of the smell Ill take that any day. I also want to say I am not a big time mouse breeder nor do I have hundreds of mice, but it has made a big difference for me. I hope this helps.

[Wh00h0069]

These are just my opinion:
Pros: It takes much longer to smell bad that Aspen. A small amount goes a long way. The bags are smaller.

Cons: The dust will smother babies, so I have to add some pine or aspen. The dust!

[Wh00h0069]

On a side not way to contradict your self. You say DONT use pine but yet you used it. Using pine for your rodents HAS NOT ONE ill effect to the snakes. I and many many who breed thier own rodents use pine pellets or shavings for YEARS with no problems.

Agreed.

[Tim Mead]

Extruded sawdust that is "likely" manufactured in a few locations and bagged with many different bags or labels if ya will..Some may differ per customers request, but they'll pay for that added difference..We use and like it although we can't stretch it as far as Rich does..As far as the PINE issue, PINE is a mainstay..It is what is generated in mass amounts and used in several areas,
We grow it slash it and process it..Its easy,fast growing and the commerical mainstay..Are there Better products ? Safe to assume there is,, BUT cost and availability prohibit such..Boxo bedding is a recycled cardboard and appears to be some nifty stuff but No way can I afford to bed the rodents on it..Our hognose snakes seem to enjoy it though..

[suzuki4life]

use equine fresh or search out abm products (horse products, larger pellets and cheaper)

IF you are breeding rats, you need to allow mothers to build a nest. It is their natural instinct to provide protection for their offspring.

Kiln dried pine is perfectly acceptable to use for rats. I breed thousands weekly and use ONLY kiln dried pine.

The pelleted litter is fine for grow out bins...and I use that exactly for only those reasons.

If odor is your concern, the answer is very easy. Baking soda.

powder the bottom of your cage or tub with baking soda so it looks like it flurried the bottom with snow. Then add pine or aspen over the baking soda. THEY WILL NOT EAT IT. However I would not use it with only pelleted litter because they will ingest it when they clean themselves. This method also helps cleaning Immensely!!!!

In my community tub (used for left over rats weekly), I use baking soda, them abm pellets, then an inch of pine shaving by Suncoast products....

I clean these tubs every one to 2 months since rats might occupy it a day or 2 at most per week. These are metal horse troughs (4x2'x2')

[PyramidPythons]

On a side not way to contradict your self. You say DONT use pine but yet you used it. Using pine for your rodents HAS NOT ONE ill effect to the snakes. I and many many who breed thier own rodents use pine pellets or shavings for YEARS with no problems.

Has not one ill effect to the snake, BUT, what about the rats? Oh wait....you don't care about those, they're just food. Yes, I did use it...and that was long before I found out how harmful pine and cedar can be for small animals. Maybe you don't give a crap about the existence of your breeders, since all they're going to be is food. I'm not like that, nor could I be. Pine and cedar ARE harmful to small rodents. It might not appear so, and some rodents might actually deal well with it, but the truth of the matter is that it does cause respiratory and skin problems. If you don't believe me, I'll look up several of the sites I found when I researched this.

Is pine cheaper? Yes. Does it mask the smell better? Yes. Why? Because of the Phenols in it.....and those are what are so bad. Just because something "works" better doesn't mean it IS better for your pet. That's why pet stores are still selling pine as a viable substrate for your pet.....because it's cheap to make and it makes them lots of money.

I stand by what I said. I tried the pellets and they were horrible. My rats were uncomfortable and the stench was FAR worse than anything I'd had to deal with before. I went on a research to find something better and THAT was when I found out that pine/cedar are bad news. But most people don't care about the rodents they are using as breeders for food, so whatever. I'm just not like that.

[puckett26]

Is it possible you could list these sites? I would honestly like to see this.