litter/bedding

[adoptaratcanada]

You'd think I'd know about this. However, since I've almost always used fleece to line the cage bottom and paper in the nest, I have a question.

I'm not so sure the fleece is going to work with these guys for a few reasons, including that they chew it and the cage has a large base area which isn't so easy to reach and wipe down.

If you use something like aspen or Yesterday's News, are they sleeping on it as well, or is their nest self-contained so there's paper, CareFresh, etc inside the nest? My igloo is bottomless so I'd foresee litter working it's way into the nest. For a spell, a few years ago, I use YN but that igloo had a bottom.

I'm eyeballing litters again and now sure which to try. My favourite was hemp, but I noticed the corn cob stuff at the pet supply place today. I was always leary of it because some rats will eat it.

Along those lines, I noticed a new wheat based litter, which I'd be SURE they'd eat! I used to have that S'Wheat Scoop in the cat box, and loved it, but the dog saw it as her own personal bakery, so had to stop.

[Die Fledermaus]

Fleece. Who but me would instantly think of Jason and the Argonauts??

>> If you use something like aspen or Yesterday's News, are they sleeping on it as well, or is their nest self-contained so there's paper, CareFresh, etc inside the nest? <<

I stopped buying Kaytee Soft Sorbent as it was a bit pricey, and being little round thingees it was impossble to build it up or dig; they acted like ballbearings. OK for the GP's though.

YN I forget why I stopped getting it. I don't think I saw it around in the store and just gravitated towards Aspen. Maybe I could use it as a substrate under aspen, as I did with corn cob in mice tanks.

Carefresh I found not cheap, a bit dusty, and somehow the lumpiness of it did not appeal to me.

So I use aspen. The rats do move it around leaving bald spots as they build up a nest area, although I try to give them tissues for that. Wicker houses they do chew up eventually. They have some wooden houses, also.

So, they seem to prefer adding stuff and sleeping on that - I assume as aspen can be a bit pointy and sharp.

The girls in a different cage only have aspen on the bottom; the other levels would see the aspen fall through, and anyway, I have a doormat (cut to size) they sleep on. They hide on the bottom, but do not usually sleep there.

So, no., They do not seem to like sleeping directly on aspen.

>> My favourite was hemp <<

Can they smoke it?

Didn't know they ate corn cob. Never used it with rats - way too pricey for a big cage.

SWheat Scoop. Yumm.

swheatscoop.com/

Need to ask on the rmca board about that.

Dogs will eat ANYTHING. Including their own poop.

[adoptaratcanada]

May 31, 2009 18:11:49 GMT -4 Die Fledermaus said:

Fleece. Who but me would instantly think of Jason and the Argonauts??

LOL ;D

May 31, 2009 18:11:49 GMT -4 Die Fledermaus said:

YN I forget why I stopped getting it. I don't think I saw it around in the store and just gravitated towards Aspen.

I gave it up because it smelled so strongly of newsprint. Now, I should add, I tried one bagful of YN , then switched to the local brand which alot cheaper. Maybe the YN itself wasn't so smelly, I don't remember.

May 31, 2009 18:11:49 GMT -4 Die Fledermaus said:

Can they smoke it?

If they can, and do, they've never done it in front of me

[Die Fledermaus]

I do not recall YN being smelly, nor was it dusty. I do recall not getting a lot of it i suppose as it was never "fluffy". I used it as a substrate for GPs and a rabbit.

The Ray Harryhausen special effects film of "Jason and the Argonauts" was great fun.

[adoptaratcanada]

'specially the fighting skeletons!!!