Top soil as alternative bedding for mice
I read a few forums where people would use topsoil as an alternative to pine shavings. They said literally only had to remove the top layer of soil once a month. It's a lot cheaper than pine or recycled newspaper. However, they have to bake it in the oven prior to using it. I thought since mice in the wild live in dirt, couldn't you use topsoil out of the bag? I can't imagine baking or freezing topsoil.
Re: Top soil as alternative bedding for mice
Quote:
Originally Posted by
breederfeeder
I read a few forums where people would use topsoil as an alternative to pine shavings. They said literally only had to remove the top layer of soil once a month. It's a lot cheaper than pine or recycled newspaper. However, they have to bake it in the oven prior to using it. I thought since mice in the wild live in dirt, couldn't you use topsoil out of the bag? I can't imagine baking or freezing topsoil.
I guess if you want to clean a muddy stinky mess why not, again complicating thing, you need something absorbent not soil. If you want to do this as a business there is no need to reinvent the wheel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
LadyCalypso
I never heard of that, personally I use aspen for my mice, pine can give them respiratory issues.
Pine is fine, pine found in store is kiln dried, I produce thousands of rodent each year with no respiratory issue (going on 11 years now), I am curious how many do you produce and what was the percentage of respiratory issues in your colony?
Re: Top soil as alternative bedding for mice
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deborah
Pine is fine, pine found in store is kiln dried, I produce thousands of rodent each year with no respiratory issue (going on 11 years now), I am curious how many do you produce and what was the percentage of respiratory issues in your colony?
This past year was actually my first year breeding mice, and I think I got around a hundred or two, and I had I think 2 have problems. But being new to it I was going off from when I had hamsters and how pine was bad for them, so if I sounded ignorant in my last post I'm still learning and thank you for the insite :)
Re: Top soil as alternative bedding for mice
Quote:
Originally Posted by
breederfeeder
People who have 1 pet mouse or maybe 2 in a cage, I thought you wanted to be a feeder breeder :confusd:
When you will have 1.3 to 1.4 + babies (anywhere from 18/24 to 36/48) it will be a different story
Again you are complicating things when it's not all that complicated and proven methods have been around for a long time. You get your info from pet owner forums and show breeders forums and that will not get you far those people do not have business in mind, cost efficiency or practicability.
Re: Top soil as alternative bedding for mice
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deborah
People who have 1 pet mouse or maybe 2 in a cage, I thought you wanted to be a feeder breeder :confusd:
When you will have 1.3 to 1.4 + babies (anywhere from 18/24 to 36/48) it will be a different story
Again you are complicating things when it's not all that complicated and proven methods have been around for a long time. You get your info from pet owner forums and show breeders forums and that will not get you far those people do not have business in mind, cost efficiency or practicability.
I'll probably try it later on one colony to see how it compare. I been using cat litter for long time never had issue with my hamsters and mice.