What bedding should I use?

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Originally Posted by Don

Yup, kiln dried pine is cheap and effective. Check your local feed stores or Tractor Supply (if you have those in your area). It is cheaper than Aspen, which is also fine to use, but cost more. I do not use the pellets and can not comment on those.

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I can, I used one huge bag of pine pellets under pine shavings and saw no distinct advantage over using pine only.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

You need to mix pine shaving with the pellets for moms with babies under 2 weeks of age.

If the pellets are use alone with babies under two weeks of age the saw dust will clog up their nostril leading to losses.

For anything over 2 weeks of age you can use straight pine pellet without any shavings.

One bag of equine pine which is about $5.99 (depends on location) allows me to do 14 breeder rat tubs (jumbo cat litter pans size) 6 large concrete mixing tubs, 15 small birthing tubs and 6 mice tubs. I use one bag a week for all those.

I use about 1 bail of pine shaving a months the cost is $4.99 (again depends on location).

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Wow alright cool. A bag of each should last me a really long time with only 1 or 2 totes. I won't be having babies for a while so that cuts down even more of the cost. I really appreciate your detailed responses. They've helped me out a lot.

~SC

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Don

Yup, kiln dried pine is cheap and effective. Check your local feed stores or Tractor Supply (if you have those in your area). It is cheaper than Aspen, which is also fine to use, but cost more. I do not use the pellets and can not comment on those.

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Ok I'll check TSC. I have a bunch of those around me. My first option is kiln but if it's too much of a hassle I'll just go with regular large pine shavings. It doesn't seem to be an issue plus it's super cheap.

Thanks,

~SC

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

I can, I used one huge bag of pine pellets under pine shavings and saw no distinct advantage over using pine only.

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How often would you recommend to change the pine pellets to keep the smell down to the minimum while also getting the most out of the pellets? They will be in my room so this is an issue for me.

Thanks in advance,
SC

I change my tubs every 3 to 5 days and there is still a faint smell. i use kiln dried pine. I used to mix the care fresh bedding with the pine and that took care of the smell it was great but its about $20 a bag.

I use pine shavings with a layer of pine pellets on the bottom. I have used aspen and carefresh, but like the mix of pine shavings and pine pellets. My rats are in a spare bedroom which is also my 'entertainment room' (my gaming systems, tv and computer are in there). The smell is minimum. I have never had any problem keeping my rats (pets, feeders and breeders) on pine, and I have been keeping rats for almost 20 years now. I buy my shavings and pellets at a feed store, I would pay twice as much for less in a pet store.
As for how often I clean my tubs, it depends. My two pet boys in a large cage only need to be cleaned every other week or so. Grow out tubs, depending on how many rats, may need to be cleaned every couple of days. I don't use a lot of the pellets, only enough to cover the bottom in a single layer. I find it really does help a lot with the smell.

Shredded paper!!!! Like shredded through a shredder, then cut them into smaller pieces, then you could have FREE bedding with a little work effort!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by hypnotixdmp

Shredded paper!!!! Like shredded through a shredder, then cut them into smaller pieces, then you could have FREE bedding with a little work effort!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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That smells really bad. Lol I just use kiln-dried pine with all my animals. No side effects. It's really cheap.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hypnotixdmp

Shredded paper!!!! Like shredded through a shredder, then cut them into smaller pieces, then you could have FREE bedding with a little work effort!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I have tried this, it's not worth it. You would have to clean it daily to keep up with the smell and urine.

We've been raising feeder rats for about 4 years and I've tried just about everything. The product that I have the best luck with (as far as odor is concerned, because we have the rat rack in the house) is Guardian Swift Pick pine horse bedding. It's been washed (lower dust) and kiln dried. It is flaked down to the size of sani chips; the smaller flake provides more surface area to absorb urine and odor. A bale will last about 18 concrete tubs (6 tub rack for 3 weeks) and is about $5.99 at our local pet/vet supply (Tri-State Vet and Pet Supply in Evansville, IN).

The rat rack is on the right of the snake racks:
http://imageshack.us/a/img155/6576/img1000gi.jpg