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I use newspaper. As long as there's not much colored ink. Black is non toxic and my rats looooooove to rip it up, tear it to pieces, shred it into tiny bedding, which is as soft as anything. And.... It's free and plentiful lol. I also line the bottom of the cages with it and just remove one piece at a time to spot clean pee and poops. It makes for fast, easy, clean cage cleaning and rattie cleaning, lol. I still have some bad little ratties that still insist on only using their litter trays until there's some poop in it, then they want a new, clean toilet.

I'v used newspaper in the past but have found that mine don't really tear it, they just take the big pieces I put in and use them as is (falling over moltiple times as they make their whay to the nest at the top of the cage lol). I never tried it as bottom liner: I used fleace at the very beginning but didn't like it at all as it was always imediately smelly. Now I use hamp, whitch I am very happy with. I'm thinking I could use newspaper to line the shelvs I sometimes (rarely, as I end up having to wipe them down one or twice a day) put in the cage...

My rats where perfectly litter traind when thay came to me, but have now started to also poop in a plastic box I hang at the top of the cage... they dont poop anywhere else, so I can still consider myself luky, but still:rolleyes:, they had me used to other standards😅
 
I'v used newspaper in the past but have found that mine don't really tear it, they just take the big pieces I put in and use them as is (falling over moltiple times as they make their whay to the nest at the top of the cage lol). I never tried it as bottom liner: I used fleace at the very beginning but didn't like it at all as it was always imediately smelly. Now I use hamp, whitch I am very happy with. I'm thinking I could use newspaper to line the shelvs I sometimes (rarely, as I end up having to wipe them down one or twice a day) put in the cage...

My rats where perfectly litter traind when thay came to me, but have now started to also poop in a plastic box I hang at the top of the cage... they dont poop anywhere else, so I can still consider myself luky, but still:rolleyes:, they had me used to other standards😅
As for lining shelves, it very much depends on 2 things, your shelves and your rats. If you have a CN then it's perfect, it's even the right size! But if you have any of the smaller, click onto the wire sides type shelves, then the rats usually pull it down to the bottom. Also, usually the rats at first want to redecorate and drag it around like a trophy, so I would initially put a small shoebox on the shelf, cut a couple holes, one being at the top of the ramp, and then line the box with the newspaper, removing pieces as needed to spot clean. And then, when they get used to it, I remove the boxes and just put the paper down, the key is to be sure to fold a few inches over the edge so it hangs down between the side of the shelf and the wire bars, that way the rats don't accidentally pull it down when they climb the ramps. My rats always peed in the back corner of the shelves, so I had to lay down a lot of newspaper, lol. Also, in my state they have banned disposable plastic shopping bags, so either reusable ones or paper bags are all there is, and I opt for the paper bags as they are also great as the bottom liner in CN's. The taller bags are perfect and it takes 4 to perfectly cover the bottom trays, and 2 per shelf. Then I put newspapers on top of them,,that way if the rats take the newspaper for bedding (and I do rip some up and stuff their hideouts for nesting material, but there's no such thing as "enough" for ratties, lol) there's never any bare plastic floors.
 
As for lining shelves, it very much depends on 2 things, your shelves and your rats. If you have a CN then it's perfect, it's even the right size! But if you have any of the smaller, click onto the wire sides type shelves, then the rats usually pull it down to the bottom. Also, usually the rats at first want to redecorate and drag it around like a trophy, so I would initially put a small shoebox on the shelf, cut a couple holes, one being at the top of the ramp, and then line the box with the newspaper, removing pieces as needed to spot clean. And then, when they get used to it, I remove the boxes and just put the paper down, the key is to be sure to fold a few inches over the edge so it hangs down between the side of the shelf and the wire bars, that way the rats don't accidentally pull it down when they climb the ramps. My rats always peed in the back corner of the shelves, so I had to lay down a lot of newspaper, lol. Also, in my state they have banned disposable plastic shopping bags, so either reusable ones or paper bags are all there is, and I opt for the paper bags as they are also great as the bottom liner in CN's. The taller bags are perfect and it takes 4 to perfectly cover the bottom trays, and 2 per shelf. Then I put newspapers on top of them,,that way if the rats take the newspaper for bedding (and I do rip some up and stuff their hideouts for nesting material, but there's no such thing as "enough" for ratties, lol) there's never any bare plastic floors.
Hmmm, I have a furat cage and the shelves are rounded on one side so it might be tricky to put down the news paper in any way... I'll have to experiment and see what the rats think of it 😂😂
And yes, mine also like to pee in the back so that in gets on the bars and mama has to clean it all up🙄😂
 
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