Pine Shavings-The Real Deal.

[Peter Williams]

get rid of the pine and use some aspen or pellets.

They have been shown to increase liver enzymes and cause liver and kidney disease in small animals.

No, I dont even think pine is ok. Studies have shown that small animals that live on pine have elevated liver enzymes and often die from liver disease.

Bedding, aspen is best. No cedar, or pine, it is poisonous to small animals

Pine is not the best choice for rat bedding. I know people swear by it, but pine is very comparable to cedar in many respects.

I'm completely against the use of pine shavings.

Yes, but I don't recommend pine shavings for use with rodents. It contains many the same oils and phenols like cedar (just not as much), and can lead to respiratory distress.

Pine is not good to keep rats on from what I've read. I choose not to use it, but many do. This is what I've read so far about using pine shavings.

Pine has been studied because of the effects phenols (phenols are caustic, used in cleaning products like pinesol and lysol) have on small animals, it has been shown in studies that the phenols will increase liver enzymes that can cause liver failure. Not to mention the phenols and aroma of pine irritates the respiratory system of small animals which is bad for rats who already have very sensitive respiratory systems. This irritation can leave the door open for illnesses like myco flare ups, which in turn wear on their immune system, making it harder for them to fight off more infections.

Ok Connie, is it really that necessary to become involved in absolutely every single pine thread that ever comes up? Ya, we get it, you don't like it, but I'm really sick of seing it on every bedding related thread. Why don't you just make your signature "THE PINE POLICE"?