woody-pet

Carefresh has alot of problems associated with being dusty. I personally use aspen only and the rats(25+) don't have problems sneezing. Pine causes alot of respiratory distress as well as problems with the kidneys and liver. I try to stay away from it. Carefresh dust likes to stick to the eyes and then collect in the bottom part of the eye. This can create an ulcer on the surface of the eye(i've had 3-4 rats experience this when kept on carefresh) and can make the rat blind.

Cellsorb is good as is Yesterdays News.

Yea, there is a TSC alot closer for me to pick up Equine Fresh than the local Woody Pet dealer, about a 40 minute drive.

good to know, looks like it will be trial and error to find out what we like best.. hmm didnt think it would be like that for the carefresh.. it was actually recommended on a few sites. ill have to call griffs (our feed supply) and see if they carry that brand

thanks for the input everyone

I do not like this stuff! It absorbs urine great; but all of the poop is left sitting around, and you can smell it. With the shavings, they tunnel and dig through it, dispersing the fecal metter; but here it just sits on top. When used with cats and horses, the user can shovel out the poop, making it last longer and it works good in this use. But I am not using it for my rats anymore. It costs the same amount as a bale of pine, and the pine lasts me about a month; just my experience with it all.

I use equine fresh as an under layer with about an inch or two of aspen on top, and I stand readily behind it. It's still cushy soft, and there is no ammonia smell at all. Love it.

We tried the Equine Fresh and the smell was no problem. I did the same thing a little layer under the shavings. But after using it for a while I didn't like it. Once the pellets started to break down to dust it would collect around the noses and eyes of the babies. I decided to stop using it at that point. It can't be good for them and sometimes I would see it so caked on I was suprised they could breath.

I think i might try that approach; shavings on top. That could help make it easier to scoop out the poop and yet leave the WP under

We use WP exclusively in our rodent colony & it works quite well in terms of being absorbent. Excessive rodent odor isn't as much of an issue anyway since we have constant air exchange due to the swamp coolers & exhaust fans, but I do love the fact that we have a much lower flood rate with WP than other substrates. Using pine, recycled paper, etc, in the past, we'd always have rats (and mice!) that jammed bedding into the water nipples, causing them to stick open & create flooding problems.

I think WP is great if you have a dedicated space for rodents with a lot of positive airflow, but may not be the first substrate of choice if you're breeding rats in a second bedroom (or similar situation).

Just my $.02.

K~

thanks!

so woody pet is a compressed wood (pine) pellet. With the tar and pitch removed. It breaks down into sawdust as it absorbs moisture.

Thats the same thing as equine fresh right? [not sure about tar and pitch] it comes in pellets, and breaks down into sawdust as it absorbs moisture.... OR, am i missing some huge difference?
And do only specialized dealers carry woody pet??