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What are good and bad bedding for feeder rats? I currently have my feeder rats on cedar, which my father (an avid herper for YEARS) told me was a BAD idea. Is this true? I luckily just started using it, and haven't fed any of those rats to any snakes yet. What type of bedding can I use for my feeders? Anything but newspaper, I need something that soaks up the smell...I dont want to be cleaning rat cages every day. If its true about cedar being bad, are all these rats useless? Would the oils (or whatever makes it toxic) wash off, or come off if removed from the cedar? Thanks in advance!!

Melody

Yea - I would ditch the cedar rats just to be on the safe side, why take a chance. I was just using aspen for a while but as the weather got hotter the smell got pretty bad within a couple of days so I switched to a mixture of aspen and carefresh it seems to knock out the smell pretty good even in the hot weather I only need to change the tubs once a week and some of them could probably even go another week.
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Tosha

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I just picked up a manufactured pine product from Biggers and Colliham that looks alot like rabbit food out of the bag, however it just continualy expands to absorb the "smells" and progressivly turns into saw dust. B&G told me it will last as long as 6 weeks between changes and you only have to use a little as a time due to its expansion it is great!!!!

Shredded Aspen and Stable Blend. Stable Blend is a pelleted combo of woods that is used for horse stalls (sold in feed stores), but we've found that it works great to keep the smell of rats and mice down. We put about 2 cups of the Stable blend in the bottom of a large Freedom Breeder Rat container and some Shredded aspen on top and it works like a champ. It breaks down into what looks like coarse sawdust when it gets wet, but it's not real dusty.

Debra and Diana
Camlon Reptiles

I use Aspen now for my feeders too, But I have found something that SEEMS to work great with the smell.

I have a bad habit, I fall in love with a rat every now and then, and can't find the heart to feed it off. So I now have 12 pet rats. One week cash was a little tight, and even thought I know they can go longer I like to change my rat cages every few days, about twice a week. So I took some old soil, and gave it a try. Keep in mind these are just my pet rats, and not feeders.

The smell has been gone for a few weeks, even in the hot Florida summer. The rats seem to love it, and it does not cost much(It's free for me as I go through a lot of soil). I don't think it would harm the snakes to feed them rats raised on dirt, I have not tried it yet, but I don't think it could.

I have tried alot of things to keep the rats on, and when I find out if the soil could hurt the snakes or not, I might start to use nothing but used soil.

Hope this helps, and if anyone knows if it's ok to feed rats raised on soil let me know as I said I can't see how it could hurt.

I almost forgot,

DON"T use soil with perlite in it. Perlite is bad for the lungs, it adds up over time and can cause some very bad problems, I always wear a mask when working with it.

Anyway have a good day!

Cedar WILL give your rats respiratory infections, the oils are bad for them. Pine is almost as bad...

Use aspen, or some sort of paper-based bedding.

I've been using pine for about 6 years and never had a problem with a rat/mouse or snake.

A friend of mine (a large scale rodent breeder) has also used it exclusively for 15 plus years, and he said he never had a problem either.

TomChambers

pine.a whole lot cheaper than aspen or any other processed bedding....

aspen is good...yes....

but at 8 to 15 dollars a bale compared to under $4 for pine......

pine.....I've used it for over 25 years........

yes.I know people that keep snakes on pine too........

yes.some of them are worth $$ alot$$$/............

yes.there are different types of pine.some smell more strongly then others........

I use them all......

cedar is bad.........put a pair of russian hamsters on cedar.after awhile the toxins will cause all there hair to fall out.........( back on pine they will do well and grow hair again.) ..** do not try this at home....it is bad for them.....

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Thanks everyone!! I am going to try pine. I dont keep many rats, only three tanks, so I don't need much. But its always nice to save a couple bucks. I will switch over to pine this evening. I am more concerned now with my two pet rats that have been on cedar for over a month now! poor things...Hey, anyone in south FL want 10 small rats and/or three medium rats? LOL...I dont want to feed them after they've been on cedar! Thanks again everyone!

Melody