woody-pet

where did you find it? was there a website you went through?

it seems as though NO ONE carries it down here. aside from using it with your rats/mice do you also use it for your snakes?

here's a thread Jamie did.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=48384

what about maybe yesterdays news? anyone ever try it, is it comparable? our rats are sneezing alot and i think its related to the bedding choice we made :mad: thats what they were on when i got them.. what about the stuff that looks like clumped recycled paper, my assumption would be thats not much better

balls.... exercise ones that is. can you use them for the pet rats? i want them to be able to get and strech without them running around crazy in the house...so?

You could try an exercise ball. I'm pretty sure anything another rodent can't get out of (or a ferret thing for larger rats), then a rat can't manage either. Not totally sure as I've never put a rat into one of those balls but heck it can't hurt to try I suppose. My sons used to drive their old pet rat Kracker around in the back of a large plastic toy dump truck. The rat seemed to enjoy the experience LOL. We were really lucky that we had a huge enclosed porch so with supervision the pet rats could be out there and racing around. Then the kids were all on "vacuum up the rat turds" duty afterwards. :)

Once the rats have some size on them you can buy a small ferret harness and leash and control them that way. Nothing like taking your pet rat for a walk LOL.

As far as that Woody Pet stuff I can't find it in Toledo either. :(

:) awesome! i was thinking about maybe closing off a portion of our dining room for them to run around in. our balcony is pretty escape proof for rats i think. screen all the way to the floor which im sure they could chew through with time but otherwise i *think* its safe.. might just stick to the dining room idea though.

As long as you supervise them. Rats can chew things very quickly and any cords from lamps are deadly to them.

Actually Feline Pine is comporable to Woody Pet and is available in all the chain pet stores. It is quite a bit more expensive but for a small amount of rats, that shouldn't be a problem. Woody Pet goes for between $4 and $6 for a 30lb bag and Feline Pine is about $20 for 20lbs.

i was wondering what could be comparable.. hmm, def somethign to think about. our rats are sneezing alot (new so im sure they had somethign fm the pet store) we put them on carefresh ultra tonight

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Actually Feline Pine is comporable to Woody Pet and is available in all the chain pet stores. It is quite a bit more expensive but for a small amount of rats, that shouldn't be a problem. Woody Pet goes for between $4 and $6 for a 30lb bag and Feline Pine is about $20 for 20lbs.

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Equine Fresh is another brand - available at Tractor Supply Stores (and others) 40# is about $6.50

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??

Does anyone know if Eagle Valley ABM is comparable to Woody Pet/Equine Fresh? The local feed store doesn't carry the other two. They did however carry Mazuri and Wellness :carrot:

Just from what I read , its a pelletized wood bedding using white wood [pine]. It generally looks the same. We buy a 50 lb bag of equine fresh for around 7 dollars. If it costs the same, try it out! Tell us what you think of it. And if its cheaper, heck, why not?

Yesterdays news works quite well for rodents, get the large cat litter bags, unscented. It's MUCH cheaper than the small animal versions, though it's the same inside.

I;ve tried Woody Pet and prefer it for my mice and ASF rats, but the only source is a good hour drive. I tried the "Equi Litter" mentioned above, but Woody Pet is much better. Equi Litter is too soft and breaks down much too easily. My mouse tubs would be half full of sawdust by cleaning day, and I only used a very thin single layer on the bottom. It didn;t seem to work as well on smell either.