On this page I review various types of beddings that I have tried using with my rats. Everything here is my personal opinion unless I have added the opinions that others have shared with me regarding a specific type of bedding.
  
                      

Cell-Sorb Plus is a recycled paper bedding manufactured by Fangman Specialties, Inc., in Cincinnati, Ohio. There are four claims on the packaging that I want to address. First, the product is stated to "totally eliminates ammonia odor for up to 3 weeks." While I will admit that it is good at odor control, it definitely does not last three weeks. After two weeks in my females cage, I was smelling ammonia. In my opinion, two weeks is pretty good, I usually use wood stove pellets in my cages and that has to be cleaned every week to make sure no foul odors develop. Moving on to the second claim of "Highly Absorbent. Keeps cages dry. Absorbs urine; neutralizes urine odor and allows liquid to evaporate; 400% more absorbent than wood shavings." I can't give a percentage, but I do agree that Cell-Sorb Plus is more absorbent than the wood stove pellets I usually use. Also, unlike the wood pellets, Cell-Sorb Plus doesn't break down into sawdust when it gets wet, which I find to be a very nice feature. The third claim of being a "Safe Green Product. Cell-Sorb Plus bedding is made with recycled paper and a non-toxic patented neutralizing mineral." I agree that recycling paper is definitely a green thing to do. However, I wonder about their neutralizing mineral. Minerals are usually mined from the Earth and mining operations are not environmentally friendly. So, in my opinion, this isn't a 100% green product. For the fourth and last claim on the packaging we move on to "Easy Clean-up & Disposal. Due to its tremendous absorbency, Cell-Sorb Plus does not become saturated and cling to cages. Use as a garden mulch, or toilet flush. Will not clog pipes or sewers when flushed in moderate quantities." I didn't try flushing the bedding, but I did dump it into my compost pile. It is breaking down nicely there. Removal from the cage was extremely easy using a dustpan and small hand broom. There was some debris left behind to be cleaned up with a damp paper towel, but I was happy with the ease of cleaning. The one thing I really do not like about this bedding is the price. At $16.99 for a 28 quart bag at the local PetSmart, it is not reasonably priced for those of us with multiple rats. If you don't mind the price, I would recommend trying Cell-Sorb Plus to see if you like it.
 
                                   

Carefresh Pet Bedding from Absorption Corp. This bedding can be found at most pet stores in a variety of package sizes. According to the package information, "Carefresh is a patented pet bedding made from reclaimed wood pulp waste. This short fiber virgin pulp can’t be made into paper so it would normally be burned or sent to a landfill." Sounds pretty good right from the start... eco-friendly and ink-free. I have used CareFresh for years and it really is a nice bedding. It is absorbent, soft, and it fluffs up nicely. My rats have always enjoyed burrowing and playing in this bedding. However, I have noticed two, possibly three drawbacks. The first is that there is a slight odor one can’t help but notice upon opening a new bag. Personally, I don’t find it offensive, but other people have told me that they do not like this odor. The second drawback is that CareFresh can be dusty and it becomes more so as your rats romp and play. The possibly third drawback is that it can be a bit costly for those of us who have many rats. A bag of 46 dry quarts sells for $12.99 at my local pet supply store. When all things are considered, I would call this bedding above average, but not perfect.
 

                  

Hemp Bedding For Small Animals by LifeMate. I found this at my local Meijer. There's a bit of dust when first pouring from the bag, but I haven't noticed any dust being stirred up when the rats are romping and playing. Also, there is almost no smell to this bedding. As an added bonus hemp is not a wood product, it is actually from an annual plant, so it is highly renewable without threatening our forests. However it can be rather expensive at $6.49 for 800 cubic inches. I have also had a comment from a fellow rattery that when trying this bedding out, her rats starting sneezing quite a bit more than usual. I have not had this happen with my rats, but I wanted to share her experience with you.
 

               

Bird & Reptile Litter, according to the back of the bag, can be used with small animals. It is made from 100% kiln dried woods, but the bag doesn't list what type of woods. There is a very, very light wood scent to this bedding. I couldn't smell it until I actually put my face right into the opening of the bag. The pricing is very reasonable. At the a local pet store, it is $2.49 for 625 cubic inches. There is one drawback that I found. When pouring this litter, it is extremely dusty. After the initial dust, no dust is kicked up by rats romping and playing and it didn't seem to bother my rats at all, but I still don't like so much dust arising when pouring from the bag.
 
                  

Super Shavings from Absorption Corp. is a wood shavings bedding. It is not made from Pine or Cedar. This is a mix of softwoods including Hemlock. Spruce, and Fir. This bedding does have a light wood scent, but nothing close to what you would smell with a Pine bedding. When using this bedding with my rats, there were no adverse reactions, such as excessive sneezing or eye irritation. Dust is very minimal both when initially pouring into the cage and after the rats have had time to romp and tunnel through it. I'd say price is middle of the road with 4,533 cubic inches for $8.49. This bedding can be found at most pet stores and your local Meijer.
 
                 

LM Animal Farms White Softwood Bedding & Litter claims four main things: 1 - reduction of pet odors, 2 - low resin and aromatic oils, 3 - low dust, and 4 - superior absorption. I tried this bedding with my rats and I was not happy with it. The first claim, reduction of pet odors, just is not true. The cages developed odors quicker with this bedding than with any other bedding I have tried. The second claim of low resin and aromatic oils, I believe to be true. Upon opening a brand new bag, there was very little of the typical woody smell that wood based beddings usually have. The third claim of low dust also seems to be true. There was very little dust while removing the bedding from the bag and placing it in the cages. The fourth claim of superior absorption was not true. The moisture absorption was poor and the bedding had to be changed more often than normal. A note on price - I found this at my local pet store for $4.15 for 1500 cubic inches, which is a middle of the road cost in my opinion. One final thing that I do not like about this bedding is that it does not list what types of softwoods are used. This always makes me wonder if pine could be included in the mix. I would say this is a bedding to stay clear of.




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