Alright, after a couple different searches and several pages of search responses, I decided it would just be best to try and get all the information in one area, especially since the info is either not out there, or just takes too long to find.

Pine and cedar are generally frowned upon as rodent (or herp for that matter) substrates because of the phenols in the wood. I consider cedar to be a no-go no matter how it is treated, but I have heard of a lot of people that use various forms of pine effectively, and by effectively I mean safely.

So, the buzzword seems to be either "kiln dried" or "milled". Milling seems to have 3 grades, single, double and triple, with the higher millings meaning more refining which leads to a better but more expensive product. Is this correct, or is some info just misleading, and kiln dried is what to look for, and the milling buzzword just migrated over to pine from cypress incorrectly?

If someone experienced with all of this could clear up the issues with how the products are labeled, hopefully with a relative pricetag and whether or not they should be considered safe for rodents (and I am only talking rodents), I think the whole community would appreciate it. Also, good places to get acceptable forms of pine, if they exist, would be a good bonus.

The reason for all of this? Cost effectiveness vs odor control. I never really got any experience using pine shavings, since right after I bought the first bag I found out that it was probably not good for our rodents, so I switched them to aspen. I have since switched to pine pellets, which I have mixed feelings about. I hate the dust, the smell control better than aspen, but if pine is similar odor-wise to aspen at a quarter of the cost, then maybe it would be more cost efficient to use the pine. The result of this would just mean more frequent cleanings to maintain a similar odor control when compared to the pine pellets. Another option is to mix the pine pellets in with a suitable pine shaving for even more odor control without sacrificing too much potential savings.

Thanks,
Austin