Bedding & Litter

[Australian Rat Forum]

teatowels make great hammocks and you can sometimes get them for 50c or $1 so are cheap.



I dont like using safety pins though as I had a friend who used saftey pins and the weight of his rats on the hammock caused the pins to pop open and one of his rats got stabbed in the eye by it and had to have it removed (the eye that is).



Kim told me what she uses and I now use that if I have to hang something for my rats.

Kim gets metal shower/curtain rings and uses them as they are like the rings use use to put your keys on only bigger, thicker and stronger. So she just makes a small whole in the material and threads a ring through it and then threads the ring onto the bars or whatever she is going to hang the hammock on.



I hope she doesnt mind me giving away her secret.

[abby]

I've got quick links that I use for bird toys, I'd say these work well.

[christie]

I can see now how safety pins could be an issue, but so far they have been fine for me. I use the big nappy pins, they hold up really well even with all 4 of my girls on it at once.
Tho other ways to hang them are good to.
I don't tend to use tea towels for hammocks tho cause i have had bad luck with rattys getting toes caught in the strings after they have been chewed a bit. Thats why i only use fleece cause its less likely to fray. Plus its warm and cheep. Again each to there own, if you don't have chewers I'm sure tea towels are great tho.

[rockette]

I use rabbit pellets for litter. I used to use shavings but it made the ratties sneeze, and they had to be cleaned out every 2-3 days. With pellets I clean them out once a week, and the smell of lucerne is really nice. For bedding, I used shredded paper and paper towels. For hammocks, I use tea towels. The ratties tend to chew their hammocks to shreds in days, which is why I no longer buy expensive rat hammocks.

[sjros2]

Hiya.. I was using Breeder's Choice too, but I always found it in their water and when cage cleaning time came around there was always little bits on their fur. I've found Max's Pet and Cat litter to be the best so far... It's really absorbant and easy doesn't get fluffy after a while!! Also, it's RSPCA approved, which I suppose is a good thing?? Anyways, I've found it in Safeway and it was cheaper than the rest!!

[jaderattie]

i use Back2Nature and my lovely father drops off all of his works shredded paper once a week. I use to use apparently dust free wood shavings (Years ago) before i found it wasn't good for my ratties lungs.

[brendan]

i use wood shavings or cat litter

[lillian]

I use breeders choice cat litter....the paper pellets.

I have made shelves for my cage with untreated ply wood from bunnings and then I covered it in contact. It is pee proof and the ratties love the new shelves to play on. I have a huge bird cage on a stand that I modified for my furries.

As for the smell....Nilodor is safe to use near rats and it gets rid of the smell totally!!! I got this tip from a registered breeder who is also a rat specialist vet. Cos the bottom of the cage has the wire shelf I have lino on one side of it (the bigger side I should add) and that leaves the other bit for their 'toilet corner'. I put a drop ( ONLY USE ONE!! they really mean it when they say one drop is enough!!!!) on a little of the litter that is just under the lino section.

I have been thrilled with the difference. I clean their cage about three times a week and I wash their bedding everyday.

Lil.xx

[lillian]

Forgot to add....I also have hammocks and tube lofts for my girls to sleep in ;-)

Lil.xx

[tariss]

I live in a rural sort of place, so it'll be difficult to find anything (And I've checked...) that my parents'll let me use for litter and bedding. I can only use paper shreds for the litter (there isn't anything suitable anywhere nearby that I can use) and probably tissues and paper towl etc for bedding... I'm just wondering, while I'm on the subject, if this is alright...?

[wulfyskingdom]

I've been told newspaper is safe to use for bedding as the print is not toxic to animals.

If you've got spare cardboard boxes i'm sure your ratty's will love if you give them those to play with and put some tissues or paper towel in them. Even if you have old clothes you would otherwise throw away they can make good toys/bedding - especially things like long pants - ur rattys can burrow into them or run through them like a tunnel lol.

Even if ur supermarket has kitty litter you can use that or make a litter box for them (i think breeders choice pellets are the best one to use...??)

[Leeann]

Tariss, Does Bega have a woolworths or coles supermarket?

If yes, then check either of these out for a cat litter called Breeders Choice, it is made from recycled paper and one that alot of us use.

Also ask at a pet supplies place too, like the ones that people use to buy all there horse things from, some of them carry the Breeders Choice cat litter, and if they don't, they may be able to order it in for you.

I was using the Breeders Choice shredded wood for a while but have found that it is very bitsy now, and seems to be more dusty than it used to be, so switched over to the cat litter.

Newspaper is fine for bedding and is also fun for the rats as they love to shred it up themselves, lol. Tear it into thick width strips and let them do the rest.
Try asking at the local newsagents if you can have any old newspapers that they would throw away.

[tariss]

Thankyou, I'll check the supermarkets for that brand as soon as I can. I'll check the pet stores if it isn't there. Hopefully there will be something!

[tassiebetty]

I also use breeders choice or dr harrys paper based litter, but lately weve just been using shredded plain white computer paper they love to climb through it and pull bits into their igloo for bedding1 I also make hammock out of old handtowels or facecloths, its so easy and cheap, originally i used polar fleece but they chewed it up to easily, the handtowels last longer. ;D

[pixiemishka]

I use Breeder's Choice in the girls' litter tray and fleece + towels for their bedding.