I've been reading posts about using fleece as bedding, which I use with my Guinea pigs along with U-Haul pads, which works very well, although obviously Guinea pigs aren't the chewers rats are. I was considering trying this with my rats as one of them is a big-time food hoarder and I either end up throwing out a lot of food when I clean his cage, or I have to take the time to pick individual pieces out of the CareFresh bedding. I have washable pee pads for my dogs to use when it's too cold outside in the winter (naked dogs/cold climate) and wondered whether sewing a washable pad onto a coroplast sheet might work since the top layer is a wicking fabric. I'm not sure what's inside, but if it was dangerous to rats, I could use only the top layer of the washable pee pad and then put U-Haul pads underneath for the absorbent layer. These washable pads aren't cheap (about $55 Cdn for two 30" x 36" pads), so if the rats chewed and destroyed them, it wouldn't be financially feasible to keep replacing, but just wondering if anyone has tried this or has any thoughts on whether it's a good idea or not.
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Fleece versus washable pee pads as bedding
- Thread starter LMH
- Start date
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I would advise against the pee pads. I don't think the extra money is worth it for the minor benefit they may provide. Are your rats litter trained? I personally don't find the majority of my cage requires materials with a lot of absorbency because there are few select places my boys will pee. I use microfiber cloths from the dollar store to cover those places (as well as litter boxes of course), and find them super easy to remove when they seem soiled; just rinse them well and disinfect with water/vinegar and they're good to go. I know many people use fleece, I personally cover shelves, etc with soft floor matts since most have an anti-slip bottom. Depending on what cage you have you can often find pretty standard dimension which wouldnt even require any cutting. Adding the cloths to places that could get soiled more quickly aids in cleanup a lot.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
I've used the same setup with fleece and u-haul pads with all of my rats. Works totally fine! I have a Critter Nation and just cut the fabric with 2-3 inches extra all the way around and tuck it in. They never do anything with the top liner but do like to pull the bottom one up. I let them do it though, because if I binder clip it or sew fancy liners that's when they start chewing. I tuck it back in a little every couple days when I change out their litter box, but overall just let them do their thing.
Thanks, you're probably right. They're not litter trained, but I've been reading a bit on how to do that.I would advise against the pee pads. I don't think the extra money is worth it for the minor benefit they may provide. Are your rats litter trained? I personally don't find the majority of my cage requires materials with a lot of absorbency because there are few select places my boys will pee. I use microfiber cloths from the dollar store to cover those places (as well as litter boxes of course), and find them super easy to remove when they seem soiled; just rinse them well and disinfect with water/vinegar and they're good to go. I know many people use fleece, I personally cover shelves, etc with soft floor matts since most have an anti-slip bottom. Depending on what cage you have you can often find pretty standard dimension which wouldnt even require any cutting. Adding the cloths to places that could get soiled more quickly aids in cleanup a lot.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, and my goal is to have a Critter Nation someday as I find their current cage very awkward to reach into and spot clean, so it turns into a big event and because of that, doesn't get done as often. If/when that happens, I think I'll try the fleece/microfibre in some way.I've used the same setup with fleece and u-haul pads with all of my rats. Works totally fine! I have a Critter Nation and just cut the fabric with 2-3 inches extra all the way around and tuck it in. They never do anything with the top liner but do like to pull the bottom one up. I let them do it though, because if I binder clip it or sew fancy liners that's when they start chewing. I tuck it back in a little every couple days when I change out their litter box, but overall just let them do their thing.
