so straw and hay are out then and so is pine. ive tried aspen before and everyone tends to store the bags outside so it gets completely soaked and when i tried it in the tubs it shot the humidity up to like 95%. i tried drying it but with it getting cooler, that doesnt work. cypress is also kept outside so i imagine it would to the same but ill try to see if one of the farm stores has any sitting inside. shredding the newspaper is a good idea so ill try that if i cant find anything else. thnx for the ideas.