Reptile & Amphibian Forums

...and this is definately a recommended purchase if you can find one used or on ebay.
Mine is a fellowes 4200sc (Strip cut.) not cross cut, and it shreds up junk mail, magazines, newspapers, phone books, grocery bags, cardboard boxes, old socks, etc; and makes the best rat bedding ever.
Bonus: if someone wants to steal your identity, they have to wade through trash bags of animal feces to try to find anything useful.
The rats seem to love it. I'm still trying it out, but so far it looks promising.
Anybody else use a shredder to make bedding?

Lucky you I would love a shredder.I hand strip newspaper up for bedding, its free that way.The only problem I ran into is my female lost one of her babies in the shredded paper and it didnt get fed properly until I found it and put it back in the nest.
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Thanks a million you just saved me a ton of money over the next several years, I always empty my shredder bin in my dumpster, Never thought to use it for bedding, awesome idea.
Foot Hill Reptiles

I check the boxes for staples, most magazines have 'em too.
Other than that, I don't see a downside.....

ahhhhhhh yeah ive been using it for ages and the newspaper shredded is softer too i use cloth strips but thats a waste, been using paper for eons, they make neat nests out of them, but try the newspaper it's neat too. I also have a friend who has horses and i get bags of hay,alfalfa, etc from her and the mice and some rats love to eat that stuff. another great idea
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1.4 various boas(Flicka,Felony,Nova,Alias,Alibi,confessa,custody,Ms.Demeanor)
0.1 BRB Abalone; ABBI
1.0 Rott X (OSO)
2.0 cats (Simba, Morris)
fish & feeders

>>...and this is definately a recommended purchase if you can find one used or on ebay.
>>Mine is a fellowes 4200sc (Strip cut.) not cross cut, and it shreds up junk mail, magazines, newspapers, phone books, grocery bags, cardboard boxes, old socks, etc; and makes the best rat bedding ever.
>>Bonus: if someone wants to steal your identity, they have to wade through trash bags of animal feces to try to find anything useful.
>>The rats seem to love it. I'm still trying it out, but so far it looks promising.
>>Anybody else use a shredder to make bedding?

I think it works for some things. I have issues with it sticking to newborns and being generally not absorbant and stinky. But as nesting material on top of a good bedding I use it.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

Yeah, it doesn't absorb as well as woodstove pellets, but with a very thin layer of pellets on the bottom, and several inches of shredded cardboard on top it keeps the dust down, and the rats appear much happier burrowing in it, moving it around, and making nests out of it.
I use shredded paper for my snakes now, and just clean out the entire cage when they stink it up. I really think it's better that way anyway.