Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone ever used shredded paper as a substrate for mice? I'm trying to get a small breeding colony started. I've gone through three different substrates so far. Right now I'm using corn cob mixed with the wal-mart brand of wood pulp substrate. I'd like to find something very cheap or FREE. I was thinking about getting a paper shredder for use around the house when it struck me that I could use the byproduct for a substrate. Will it be absorbant enough?
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0.10.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.0 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise

I think that would probably be the worst choice as far as odor and frequency of cleaning goes.

There's no odor in shredded paper to reduce or combat the urine smell from the mice. I think it would need to be cleaned far more often than anything else.
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It is said that 1 out of every 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Think of your 3 closest friends, if they're normal, then it's you.

I use the shredded paper for nesting material only.
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No good deed goes unpunished!

Ok,so what do you mouse/rat breeders use for substrate then? I don't want to spend a ton of money buying substrates for them. I like the cedar smell, but I've read that it shouldn't be used. So what's the best option for a cheap, affective substrate for a 1.4 of mice?
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0.10.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.0 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise

np
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0.10.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.0 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise

The best odor control substrate for mice is some kindof pelleted substrate.

Aspen Supreme aspen pellets, Yesterdays News newspaper pellets (buy the big cat litter unscented version), alfalfa pellets (rabbit pellets), Woody Pet pelleted pine. I';ve used all of these and they all work well.

Cheapest way is probably pine shavings but I;ve found thag wood shavings don;t control mouseodor as well as a pelleted bedding.

Check a feed or farm store for beddings, often they have big bags sold for horse bedding that is cheaper. Or I've heard that wood stove pelleted wood works very well and is VERY cheap, like $4 for 50 lbs.

I use the pelleted horse bedding.

pellets

Really works well and does control odors much better then shavings. I can even let some cages go two weeks between cleanings. (no males, small babies and moms only, not very crowded)
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I use pine shavings with newspaper as a bedding, i would think those pellets would be uncomfortable to walk on getting inbetween toes etc feeling rough, if i had to switch, i would think cat litter might be even better with a better built in deoderizer and all. But for now i have saw dust i buy from the feed store and might change to a national store chain as the one i use now has too much fine dust in it and causes RI where as another kind doesn't show that much. ZOn the cedar note though, the oils is bad for reptiles, however if one freezes the rodent using cedar, is it still harmful>?
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1.4 various boas(Flicka,Felony,Nova,Alias,Alibi)
0.1 BRB Abalone; ABBI
1.0 Rott X (OSO)
2.0 cats (Simba, Morris)
fish & feeders
~:~~~~~~~ ~:~~~~~~~~

As far as cat litter with deodorizer, it's not designed for animals to live on. I don't know for sure but I feel there's a chance of some of its chemicals to be toxic from long-term exposure.

As for using cedar then freezing the rodents, with so many "safe" products available, I wouldn't take the risk.

Have a good one!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

I used alfalfa pellets for rats. It has the added advantage of making great compost.

To minimize odor:
ventilate
don't overcrowd
watch for leaky water bottles or nipples
don't let uneaten feed pile up

If you try using shredded paper, strips might work better than the stuff that is all chopped up. The shredder at work that chops seems to be real dusty.

DeMak

n/p

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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Best I've found that's cheap and WORKS is a mix of hemp bedding and the hardwood pellets for pellet stoves.
Hemp bedding is kinda expensive, but the hardwood pellets make it go a long way.