Pine Shavings-The Real Deal.

[nixer]

the best pine i have ever used is made by Dejno's Inc. of kenosha, Wi
its kiln dried and has minimal dust.
i tried the tsc stuff and it was probally 2nd best.
the pestsmart stuff (kaytee brand) isnt really good.
aspen dust is very very bad for lungs period.

[gothkenny]

I use Pine as well. No problems.

[littleindiangirl]

I also feel compelled to comment on all of these "no problem" posts.

The absense of evidence is not the evidence of absense.

[cassandra]

I also feel compelled to comment on all of these "no problem" posts.

The absense of evidence is not the evidence of absense.

Okay. Anyone here ever have rats on pine shavings and had a lung/liver/health problem?


<-- in the "rodents on pine shavings, haven't had a problem" camp.

[Jyson]

If I don't put the newborns on shavings, I lose them. Was talking to someone who said that's because on pine pellets, they can't generate enough warmth and get too cold. Seems to make sense - they do fine after they are two weeks old on just pine pellets.

Agreed. I was having the same problems when I started using pine pellets.

[bobberly1]

How about paper towels? It seems like people make this so much of a bigger deal than it has to be.

[ThyTempest]

How about paper towels? It seems like people make this so much of a bigger deal than it has to be.

This is for rodents, not herps...not really sure how you could use paper towel as a substrate for feeders.

[littleindiangirl]

Okay. Anyone here ever have rats on pine shavings and had a lung/liver/health problem?


<-- in the "rodents on pine shavings, haven't had a problem" camp.

And how many people take their dead animals out for necropsy to determine cause of death and the health of the animal at the time it passed? Oh, and how many people can claim their animals don't have myco? Very very very few can claim that outside of labs.

Myco infects all rats besides select few lab rats, and does give them lung problems. Myco is in many ways a degenerative infection, as the rats age, the myco will scar up the lung tissue more and more, leaving the rat more susceptible to secondary infections like pneumonia and RI's, which is a big killer in rats. Most rats don't show they are sick until it is too late when their sides are caving in as their stomachs fill with air because their lungs are full of fluid and mucous. They can't even cough properly at this point.

So yes, that's my point. It's just not a viable cost for feeder breeders to take their sick or dead rats in to a vet to determine illness or c.o.d., so it really is the absence of evidence through a lack of actually going out and getting that evidence. Maybe I'm a bit jaded on this, but I'm okay with that.

[rabernet]

Well, if there's absence of evidence of a problem with pine, aspen or any other bedding, who's to say ALL bedding won't cause lung problems or inflame myco?

How do you know that YOUR bedding isn't a problem?

Just playing devil's advocate here.

Oh, and I do take my rats to the vet, as evidenced by past threads.

[littleindiangirl]

Well, if there's absence of evidence of a problem with pine, aspen or any other bedding, who's to say ALL bedding won't cause lung problems or inflame myco?

How do you know that YOUR bedding isn't a problem?

Just playing devil's advocate here.

Oh, and I do take my rats to the vet, as evidenced by past threads.

I didn't say my rats are free from illness or that my bedding was perfect. So....? (kinda see where I'm coming from now???)