Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Right now I'm using aspen for my mice, but I'm looking for alternatives. I live in central FL, and I'm keeping the mice outside, so I need something that will withstand humidity. I'm worried that rabbit pellets will mold too fast. Also looking for something that is better for smell. Again, since I'm keeping them outside where it's hot, they pee a lot and it stinks.

PS - even with the heat, my mice are doing very well. I counted up the numbers for one tub - 64 babies from 4 moms (one had 18) That's their second litter.
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-audri
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I haven't had any problems with mold on rabbit pellets, but I live in Los Angeles. I grew up in Jacksonville, so I know what you mean about humidity. You might try a small bag from the pet store. If that doesn't works out, not much of a loss. Pellets do tend to crumble into pieces from being walked on, but that doesn't mean they still aren't doing their job.

Or you could try alfalfa hay. It's not as absorbant, but it might hold together longer.

DeMak

Try adding some vanilla extact to their water, it seems to help reduce the smell.

Bruce

I have found that adding vanilla in the water has really helped with the order in my mouse room. 1 teaspoon per gallon is what I've been using.

MissHisssss

>>I have found that adding vanilla in the water has really helped with the order in my mouse room. 1 teaspoon per gallon is what I've been using.
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>>MissHisssss

I have been using newspaper for bedding but I am ready to make a switch. Yesterday, I cleaned out a one week old newspaper bedding. There was a cake of urine and fecal matter. Funny thing is that it didn't smell too bad when it was still in the cage, but once I got it out, it was very smelly.

I am ready to switch to somehting good. Like rabbit pellets.

There is a disease that I call "skinny disease" where the mice get skinny and hunch backed and stop producing. Well, this disease is making a return to my colonies. I am not saying that newspaper was the cause, but I figured that it would behoove me to try as hard as possible to make the cage conditions as clean and conducive to good health as possible.

I will sterilize all my cages with bleach and start over with new colonies and this time, I will use rabbit pellets or other type of good bedding (petco recommends care-fresh) to see if I can ward off the epidemic of skinny disease.

sincerely.
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Longtang. I like snakes and rats.

carefresh is nice, but really expensive.
I have a friend who is using wood pellets (for wood pellet stoves) for her rabbits. I've been using yesterdays news, which is pelleted newspaper, but it gets dusty after awhile. Its very absorbant tho. I've also used aspen, which is cheaper then carefresh and doesn't have the phenols of pine, but on the other hand it sticks to newborns. You could use a combination of carefresh and any of the above, carefresh would make good nesting material, and everything else is at least more absorbant then plain newspaper.
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