Pine Debate!!!

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Kara was just suggesting what she uses.

I know this.

I went to a local feed store and they gave me a few sample bags, I surely was impressed by its absorbing qualities

[mlededee]

wow, well i don't know specifically what kind of pine i was using because this was several years ago but i kept a hamster on pine for a while and she got sneezy and runny nosed pretty badly. i took her to the vet who gave me meds to treat for a respiratory infection and advised me to put her on aspen rather than the pine i was using and it worked like a charm. i've always used aspen for my rats because of that experience and based on recommendations of others but apparently there is some better pine bedding out there than whatever it was i was using at the time.

[jglass38]

I know this.

I went to a local feed store and they gave me a few sample bags, I surely was impressed by its absorbing qualities

So what made you not want to keep using it?

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

So what made you not want to keep using it?

Just didn't buy any of it. Also, don't know how much I'll have to pay for a bag. I'd rather stick with aspen or pine shavings

[sweety314]

Jake,


I bought and was using pine, (which I love for the smell) but for the mice there was no difference in odor control (time) btwn pine and aspen, and for the rats, they ended up with sniffles, sneezing and porphorin discharge. Once I switched to the less dusty aspen, they were a lot healthier...no more respiratory problems.

If I could find something that wasn't as dusty / dirty for pine in our area, I might try it again, but since I use aspen for the snakes, I can't see buying aspen for snakes and pine for the rats. I use the apsen for both. A LARGE 15# (9? 15?ft3) brown bag is only $35 but last me a couple months of rats and snakes housekeeping.

When I first started breeding the rats, & was trying to establish a mouse colony, I'd use our shredding junk mail paper that I'd saved mixed in w/the pine or aspen to extend my big bag's life, but right now, I'm using just the aspen bedding by itself. I have a couple girls getting VERY pregnant, so will probably put some of the paper in for nesting materials too to help a bit.

I'd love to find a better deal for the bedding, though. Especially now since I've gotten more snakes.

[Shelby]

I use screened, kiln dried pine.. and have had no problems with it. There's no dust, and it smells really nice and is quite absorbent.

I've thought of using woody pet (or any of the other compressed wood shaving beddings) but my feed store doesn't carry any of the brands I don't think.. the stuff absorbs like crazy though.

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

I'd make sure it was dust free of course before using. I already have a plan to shake the dust out if need be

[coldbloodaddict]

I've used Pine for my rats for years...I started out using Aspen, but as I expanded my Business that got to expensive...I didn't notice anything different when I made the change...

[recycling goddess]

personally i use aspen. i used pine way back when, but found my rodents did much better (breathing wise) on aspen.

[Rakshasi]

I never recommend pine to ANYone. In my experience with small animals (9 years and counting), they do much, much better on aspen, corncob bedding or some paper-based beddings. Alot of my fellow rat enthusiasts like to use Carefresh mixed with aspen shavings. I simply use a lining of newspaper and a lining of aspen. This does my cages good for one week, and occassionally I can push it another 2 or 3 days before it actually begins to smell enough.

I do not know how kiln-dried pine would be, but I'd rather just stick to the stuff I know doesn't bother my rats too much. Sure, sometimes rats get sick, but in my first year experience, my rats were always sniffling and sneezing on pine. I took one to the vet, and the vet suggested switching to aspen or just plain newspaper. Well, plain newspaper doesn't do well with cutting down odor, so I ended up with aspen. I haven't gone back to anything else since. That was 8 years ago!

I have used Carefresh alone, but found it not too pleasing, as it got stinky rather quickly. I mixed it with aspen and that made it last longer, but Carefresh can be pricey, so once I ran out I didn't buy anymore.

There's also something called Yesterday's News that is popular in the small animal world, but none of the stores around me carry that, so I don't know how well it works.

I say, to each their own. But, if anyone ever asks me directly, I vote, "no," on pine. Rats have way too sensitive respiratory systems. I try to avoid anything that may be harmful, or at least uncomfortable, to mine. I trust what I've read and have been told by vets and by rat enthusiasts, and nothing will ever change my mind about pine. I haven't dropped my "no" vote for this many years, nothing will sway my decision for it.