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| Bedding
& Substrates | |
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| There
are a number of good substrates on the market at the moment which are suitable
for rats. This is just a brief guide to help you to make a decision on which one
you feel is right. Some of these I have used for my rats and some I haven't. | |
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|  | | Chopped
Cardboard e.g Finacard, Ecopet, Green Mile Finacard
is shredded cardboard so is finer and softer than Ecopet. Finacard can be ordered
directly from them or Rat Rations Because of the
way that these bales are packed they will last a lot longer than you think are
a very good value even with the postage. | |
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| Auboise
or Hemp It can be quite messy if you cage has shollow
trays but holds any smells very well. I occasionally use this when I can get hold
of other beddings. You can buy this from any horse
feed shop. | | | | |
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|  | | Carefresh Made
from 100% virgin wood pulp fibre rather than pine or cedar (both have hydrocarbon
(oils) that may be linked to pet health problems), and with no added dyes, Carefresh
is eco friendly, hypoallergenic and dust free. Carefresh
can be quite dusty and people have reported mite issues after using it. I used
it when I have my avairy cage but once I change to my current cage I changed bedding
due to the cost. | |
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| | | | Megazorb MEGAZORB
is a horse bedding made from virgin wood pulp. It is produced by high temperature
drying (reaching temperatures of up to 500°C) which not only removes the moisture
from the wood pulp but kills off moulds, spores and bacteria. After dust extracting
the product twice it is put into 85 litre weatherproof bags. I
have used megazorb in the past but I got a few dusty bags and decided not to use
it anymore. It is very absorbant and I really liked it. As with the Auboise it
does make quite a messy and can be a nightmare to keep under control. | | | | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | Wood
Shavings Shavings which have Pine or Cedar
should be avoided as these contain phenols which aren't good for rats. Sawdust
is not suitable as a bedding for rats. Some people
will tell you that shavings aren't suitable but there isn't any evidence to back
this statement at the moment. I have had rats from breeder who keep their rats
on shaving and the rats have been fine. I personally don't use them due to the
dust contant as I find it irritates my chest. You
can buy BEDMAX which is large flakes of wood shavings. Lots of breeders use this
without any issues. I now use this as my main substrate. | | | | | | | | | |
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| | BioCatolet 100%
Ecological and natural cat litter, made from 100% Paper helping to reduce waste. I
use this when I am unable to get hold of Back-2-Nature for my litter trays. It
is just as absorbant and the same price as Back-2-Nature but I find it sometimes
smells funny so prefer Back-2-Nature. | | |
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| | | Yesterdays
News Yesterdays News is virtually dust-free,
with no small particles to track around the house. I
now use this as the potty litter which nearly all my rats use so makes for easy
cleaning
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| | Back-2-Nature Is
100% environmentally friendly, being made from recycled paper, virtually dust-free,
highly absorbent and has a superior odour-absorbency with no additives or chemicals. | | | | |
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| |  | | Safebed Safe
Bed pet bedding is made from plant fibres and is a safe, bio-degradeable, natural
product to use for your pet's comfort I use safebed
for nursing mums and babies. I use Shredded Newspaper and kitchen towels for the
adults. It isn't very expensive and can be bought from most pet shops.
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