I've had my rats for several months now (getting close to their first birthday) I have 4 girls in a double CN and they get along great.
My main concern is their bedding. At the start of my having rats as companions I was using fleece and washing/changing once a week. I switched to a paper bedding and used Yesterday's news (a recycled paper pellet) in their litter pans. I was paranoid about the dust and would spend hours trying to sift out the extra dust and then they just fling the bedding out, scatter guards don't seem to work!! In addition, when I use paper bedding it got stuck to anything fleece or cloth that I put into the cage (hammocks and fleece tunnels)
So now i'm back to using fleece. I change and wash the fleece 2-3 times a week and it seems to keep the odor down if I stay on top of the cleanings. I worry that the fleece is not absorbent enough. I know some people use U-Haul blankets but I don't know where to but them! I was thinking about using some old towels from Goodwill under the fleece to absorb the pee? would this actually help with odor at all? I'm just really worried about ammonia buildup.
I could go back to paper bedding but I hate the process of trying to get rid of dust (I used oxbow which I think is a very nice bedding) and I hate that they fling it out every 10 minutes!!
All in all, i'm a perfectionist who just wants the best for her rats. What do you all use for bedding? Help!
My main concern is their bedding. At the start of my having rats as companions I was using fleece and washing/changing once a week. I switched to a paper bedding and used Yesterday's news (a recycled paper pellet) in their litter pans. I was paranoid about the dust and would spend hours trying to sift out the extra dust and then they just fling the bedding out, scatter guards don't seem to work!! In addition, when I use paper bedding it got stuck to anything fleece or cloth that I put into the cage (hammocks and fleece tunnels)
So now i'm back to using fleece. I change and wash the fleece 2-3 times a week and it seems to keep the odor down if I stay on top of the cleanings. I worry that the fleece is not absorbent enough. I know some people use U-Haul blankets but I don't know where to but them! I was thinking about using some old towels from Goodwill under the fleece to absorb the pee? would this actually help with odor at all? I'm just really worried about ammonia buildup.
I could go back to paper bedding but I hate the process of trying to get rid of dust (I used oxbow which I think is a very nice bedding) and I hate that they fling it out every 10 minutes!!
All in all, i'm a perfectionist who just wants the best for her rats. What do you all use for bedding? Help!