What is Best for Bedding?

Pine is bad for rats' respiratory systems.

I used aspen, and shredded paper. Sometimes, I put baking soda in the bottom, to kill the odor.

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Originally Posted by wilomn

In the winter I prefer flannel sheets and soft warm blankies. mmmmmhmmmmm

In the summer nice cool cotton is nice. Somewhere in the, I think, 500 plus thread count area.

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I always wanted to make a response like that just never had the nerve. Good one Wes.

Pine and cedar contain toxic phenols, which notice it in your colony or not(animals are good at hiding illness) will cause lung and liver damage, and shorten lifespans. Better off paying more for better bedding material and getting more performance out of healthy animals than ones that are fighting respitory illnesses and liver failure.

I use yesterdays news, not on your list. Absorbs well, easy to clean, holds odours well, low dust, recycled material, and inexpensive :gj:

What do we think about cypress mulch?

I use kiln dried pine. The stuff I get is a medium sized, thin shaved, fluffy chip that is pretty much dust free. I have never had one issue with the pine shavings. My rats are cycled out at 16 months old so I have no idea how much pine is supposed to shorten their lifespan by. It doesn't shorten it to less than 16 months LOL.

Well on top of that, you can make reptiles ill by feeding them rodents that have been kept on pine or cedar bedding.

No matter how you look at it, aspen (shavings, excelsior, or pellets) or carefresh is the best thing to keep rodents on. Followed by shredded paper or paper pellets.

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Originally Posted by Rhasputin

Well on top of that, you can make reptiles ill by feeding them rodents that have been kept on pine or cedar bedding.

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And what proof do you have of this? Seriously? LOL

Look at Raplh Davis and MANY other people who breed their rats. They have been feeding rats bred on pine for 10-20 years:confused::confused::confused:

Key word here is kiln dried

Maybe you should do a little research first. You obviously dont know much about the topic at hand.

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Originally Posted by f4n70m

And what proof do you have of this? Seriously? LOL

Look at Raplh Davis and MANY other people who breed their rats. They have been feeding rats bred on pine for 10-20 years:confused::confused::confused:

Key word here is kiln dried

Maybe you should do a little research first. You obviously dont know much about the topic at hand.

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I can't see it causing illness to reptiles through feeding unless you BATHED the rat/mouse in pine dust first.

Even kiln dried pine can cause respiratory problems in feeders, but it's usually not a big deal.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

I can't see it causing illness to reptiles through feeding unless you BATHED the rat/mouse in pine dust first.

Even kiln dried pine can cause respiratory problems in feeders, but it's usually not a big deal.

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Yea. I mean breeders have been breeding feeders on pine for many years. Im sure if it was a hazard to their snakes they wouldnt do it. Kiln dried pine is fine to breeder feeders on. If it wasnt we would have thousands and thousands of dead snakes due to it.

On my Savannah monitor, when i fed her mice kept on cedar, she got a rash on her face from them, but as soon as the mice were switched back to aspen and shredded paper, the problem stopped.

I guess I can't tell you not to use whatever bedding you want. But the facts are that some beddings -are- better than others.