I use pine shavings and have only had one rat that was allergic. I've found that the rats are more prone to problems with dusty bedding than the type of bedding. I also add shredded newspaper. It seems like they prefer it for bedding, and it gives them something to do.
As far as controlling the smell... well, the males smell worse than the females. The smell seems worse in warmer weather when they drink and urinate a lot more. There are a few things you can do like change or add bedding material more often or adding a little kitty litter to the bottom of the cage to absorb/neutralize the ammonia smell. Some people have had success adding a little vanilla extract to the drinking water.
I clean all of my rat cages once a week. However, I think it depends on the size of the enclosure and how many rats you keep in each enclosure.
Rats should be at least medium sized before breeding. You don't have to worry so much about the males. Either the females won't allow them to breed if they're too small, or they just won't be "ready". However, females need to be a certain size or else you will risk birthing problems and possibly death. You should only need one male as they can handle a number of females. I pair up my male with seven females rotated weekly. Also, you will need at least two enclosures as you will want to separate the females before they give birth. Rats are able to get pregnant shortly after giving birth which can be very hard on the females body.
Good luck!
Originally Posted by nathanledet
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