What bedding should I use?

Hello everyone,

I've been searching all over the Internet for a bedding material that will require minimum cleaning, minimum smell prior to cleaning, and something that is relatively cheap. I'm looking for a material to put in this type of enclosure:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56321

I've read mixed reviews on every type of material out there, so I would just like to know what you guys personally use in your rat racks or rat bins.

Thanks in advance,
SC

Aspen :)

kiln dried pine :)

I would have to vote for aspen. I find it to be the best in my opinion.

Kiln dried pine or aspen .... your choice really

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

kiln dried pine :)

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I thought pine was poisonous for rats?

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Originally Posted by stupidcracker00

I thought pine was poisonous for rats?

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not if its kiln dried that dries ou the harmful oils :D

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Originally Posted by stupidcracker00

I thought pine was poisonous for rats?

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The oils in pine and cedar are bad for rats, but if the pine is kiln dried, it should be fine

Will the kiln dried pine still have the "piny" smell? I feel like that would really help with the smell. Where can I find it? I googled it an found nothing (or I can't tell that I found something lol). Is it cheaper than aspen? How much more is it than regular pine? Because I found big bags of regular pine for 6 bucks and bags of equine fresh for 5. Is equine fresh a no-no too?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm really new to this.

Thanks in advance,
SC

I use pine shavings from the farm supply store and have no issues with it. The pine shaving are a ton cheaper than aspen. I think the last time a bag of pine was $4 and the same size bag of aspen is about $23.

go to petsmart they have a big ol bag of aspen shavings for $15

Pine pellets and kiln dried pine in our breeder and growout tubs.
And just kiln dried pine in our maturnity tubs.
The best stuff we have found is ThoroughBed from Long Beach Shaving Co.

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Originally Posted by EAC Reptiles

I use pine shavings from the farm supply store and have no issues with it. The pine shaving are a ton cheaper than aspen. I think the last time a bag of pine was $4 and the same size bag of aspen is about $23.

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I read that pine doesn't cause noticeable side effects. The side effects are within the animal. I just don't want to have any problems whatsoever because I'm also going to be breeding for pets. I won't want my customers to end up with sick rats a year later. But if other ppl mention that they haven't had any side effects with rats they've had for over a year I may reconsider.

Pine pellets to absorb the smell and pine shaving for nesting material.

Pellets for breeder groups and babies over 2 weeks of age.

Mix of pine pellets and pine shaving for nursing moms with babies under 2 weeks of age.

I have been breeding rats since early 2007 and produce several thousands each year with no side effect.... cause of death in the rat population is always linked to snakes. lol

Some breeders retire at 18 months and they are healthy they just no longer produce enough hence why they are retired.

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Originally Posted by C&H Exotic Morphs

Pine pellets and kiln dried pine in our breeder and growout tubs.
And just kiln dried pine in our maturnity tubs.
The best stuff we have found is ThoroughBed from Long Beach Shaving Co.

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I just looked at the thoroughbed on their website. It looks really really nice. The only problem is, I can't find a place to order it other than by the pallet from their website. Where can I buy it by the bag? I googled it but nothing came up. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
SC

P.s. why do you use the pellets with the pine shavings? Extra absorbent?

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Pine pellets to absorb the smell and pine shaving for nesting material.

Pellets for breeder groups and babies over 2 weeks of age.

Mix of pine pellets and pine shaving for nursing moms with babies under 2 weeks of age.

I have been breeding rats since early 2007 and produce several thousands each year with no side effect.... cause of death in the rat population is always linked to snakes. lol

Some breeders retire at 18 months and they are healthy they just no longer produce enough hence why they are retired.

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Ok sweet. I'm just paranoid that it'll cause side effects for the rats that become pets. But I definitely trust your expertise. You've helped me out a few times on here :)

Thanks again,
SC

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Originally Posted by stupidcracker00

I just looked at the thoroughbed on their website. It looks really really nice. The only problem is, I can't find a place to order it other than by the pallet from their website. Where can I buy it by the bag? I googled it but nothing came up. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
SC

P.s. why do you use the pellets with the pine shavings? Extra absorbent?

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We get it from our local feed store. That will probably be your best bet to get a good brand at a decent price, but the brand they carry may vary depending on where you are located. Or you could try calling around to the actual bedding companies and see if they have a supplier in your area.

We use the Pine pellets to help with the odor absorption.

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Originally Posted by C&H Exotic Morphs

We get it from our local feed store. That will probably be your best bet to get a good brand at a decent price, but the brand they carry may vary depending on where you are located. Or you could try calling around to the actual bedding companies and see if they have a supplier in your area.

We use the Pine pellets to help with the odor absorption.

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How much do you usually pay per bag? And what size do you get? Im gonna start out with the pine pellets because I won't have any prego or nursing females for a while. I will be starting with weanlings. I found 40 lb bags of equine fresh for right under 5 bucks I believe. That should be pretty cost efficient. Would you recommend pine shavings to mix in with it anyways? Or are the pine pellets enough for now?

Thanks for your help,
SC

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Would you recommend pine shavings to mix in with it anyways? Or are the pine pellets enough for now?

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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).

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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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

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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

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Originally Posted by mikeandsheleen

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

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Alright awesome. I'll look into that. I'm not sure what kind of kiln dried pine my local tractor supply will have, if at all. It won't be until Christmas time when I actually make my first breeder colony. This gives me plenty of time to get everything sorted out. Regardless of what primary bedding I choose, I will definitely be purchasing the pine pellets. Those look like a really good investment.

I really appreciate y'alls help. You guys have been more than helpful.

Thank you,
SC