So I very recently decided to switch all of my rats over to aspen bedding and I wanted to just take a moment to share why.
Part of the reason I decided to do the switch was just with talking with other breeders. I am in some amazing breeder groups where I can pick the brains of some very experienced & knowledgeable breeders, A lot of very good points were brought up in the group recently on bedding choices.
Wood bedding is very absorbent, it keeps the smell down alot and that is really helpful to keeping rats healthy. As you know rats have very sensitive lungs and very strong pee lol! Ammonia buildup can cause health issues very easily.
Ofcourse I keep things clean but the smell builds up on fleece very quickly. And even if I can't smell it yet, the rats are right there living in it.
I have not had any health issues or URIs, using fleece. This is to me more of a precaution.
Secondly fleece has to be used correctly to work at all. The reason we all love fleece (besides it looking nice and being comfy) is that fleece wicks away moisture (pee). Which means it pulls the urine away from our babies. But it needs an absorbent layer underneath. You can read more about how fleece needs to work HERE, it is a guinea pig forum but they are like fleece using experts!
Anyways I have used fleece forever with my rats but I have found that the fleece can be a pain. It didn't want to wick half the time. I always went through the proper steps to use it but I think it would still get leftover fabric softener residue from when I would wash my clothes. I also was not a huge fan of washing the fleece.
I also have ALOT of rats. And while some of them are fairly well litter trained, others are not. Even with the fact that my rats get most of the day out of their cages as free range time, they were really just peeing all over their cage.
I think fleece may be better suited for those with just like a pair of rats.
On the cleaning...
I will still be cleaning my rats cages the same amount of time. I don't think that is going to change at all. I clean my cages 1-2 times a week depending on the cage.
It is alittle bit messier, as it can get thrown out of the cage. But I am ok with that.
On the dust factor...
Let me first say aspen is very safe. I find wood less dusty than other types of bedding even. I do feel that quality matters. I've bought really cheap aspen in the past and found it just not very good and quite dusty. But now I get it from tractor supply and the pieces are all alittle bit bigger and it is not very dusty at all.
On the price....
I buy a huge bag of aspen at tractor supply, it is like $12 maybe? Around there. I have no idea how much washing all that fleece was costing me in utilities each week. It may save me some money it may not. But it is surely not expensive.
On the comfort level...
One reason I did love fleece is comfort. What would I rather live on- pokey wood chips or soft comfy fleece? But the truth is, like none of my rats really hang out on the floors of their cage. They spend most of their time sleeping in hammocks or other hanging things. They go to the floor to eat. They still will have lots of comfy hammocks!
I also find it is quite cute watching them dig around in the aspen. They all seem to like it.
So in the end I am mostly switching for health reasons. I do feel aspen is more likely a better choice to keep my rats healthy.
I do not think using fleece is bad, if used correctly. I still encourage people to try it out with their own rats.
A note on pine and cedar....
Pine and cedar are softwoods while aspen is a hardwood. Hardwood is safe!
Softwoods give off phenols which are very toxic to small animals. You should never use cedar or normal pine ever.
But... you can find kiln dried pine bedding available. They say that the way it is dried burns off the phenols and makes it safe. There is ALOT of debate in the pet community on if it is indeed safe or not. To be honest many of the studies done are quite old and nothing gives a definite answer IMO.
Is it safe or not? IMO there just is not enough information to make a well informed decision. So I choose not to use it. But many many other people and breeders even use kiln dried pine and swear by it.
In the end the choice is yours to make. I do not think there is a right or wrong answer. Do the research and decide for yourself.
I like aspen.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Saturday, February 27, 2016
How to make a bin cage
I already went over how to make a nursery cage before once here. But I made a new one and wanted to make a nice guide.
Bin cages are basically a cage created out of a plastic storage bin.
I do not think bins should be used as permanent cages for rats. Being plastic there is always the chance of being chewed through and rats really enjoy more room and vertical climbing. They do make really nice cages for hamsters and mice though.
I use bin cages as travel cages, quarantine cages, temp medical cages but mostly I use them as nursery cages.
Bins make really great nursery cages for momma rats because they are really super easy to clean, very safe and secure for tiny pinkies that may fall/slip through normal cage bars. Being all one floor they protect babies from falls.
It is important to get the right type of storage bin. I made this mistake last time. Ideally it should be perfectly smooth inside, no edges or rims. My last one had an edge on the inside up by the handle....and my girl used it to her advantage and chewed a whole & escaped....
(Click pics to enlarge them)
Cost & Supplies:
About $20-$30. Which is a pretty good price. You will end up with a ton of hardware mesh left over. So you could probably make several bins with it to have backups.
The plastic storage bin cost me under $10 at walmart.
The hardware mesh was about $12 at tractor supply but you can find it at like any hardware store probably.
Zip ties are like under $2 (you can also use bolts & washers. I don't know much about tools so I just stuck with zipties. They may get chewed so keep an eye on them and replace as needed. Use extra to secure incase one does get chewed.
You will also need a drill, wire cutters and something to cut the bin with.
For my last bin I used a utility knife, but this time the plastic was too thick and I could not do it. We actually used the wire cutters to cut it out which was alot of work. Ideally you should use a dremel cutter.
The bin I am using is 51qt Sterilite brand.
Step One:
You want to draw a window shape on the bin. You want it to take up most of the side for good air flow. But you also want it a few inches from the bottom so pinkies have some room away from it and also so bedding doesn't get easily tossed out. I could have probably made it alittle higher honestly.
Step Three:
Cut out a piece of the hardware cloth larger then the window, and inch or two larger on each side.
It is a pain in the butt to cut the hardware cloth. My hands kill me afterwards lol. Just use the wire cutters. Once you are done you want to either trim or fold the edges over so it is not pokey.
Step Four:
Drill holes into the bin for the zipties. I like to hold the hardware cloth on top of the window and mark little dots for where I want the holes to go. I try not to put too many but enough so that it is tightly secure. Definitely all the corners.
Step Five:
Attach the hardware cloth to the bin using zipties.
IMPORTANT!!!
YOU MUST ATTACH THE MESH ON THE INSIDE OF THE BIN!
If you attach it to the outside the rats will chew on the exposed cut edge of the bin and escape.
You can also do the lid (not pictured). Doing the lid as well helps ammonia escape through the top.
 |
| Bin Cage |
Bin cages are basically a cage created out of a plastic storage bin.
I do not think bins should be used as permanent cages for rats. Being plastic there is always the chance of being chewed through and rats really enjoy more room and vertical climbing. They do make really nice cages for hamsters and mice though.
I use bin cages as travel cages, quarantine cages, temp medical cages but mostly I use them as nursery cages.
Bins make really great nursery cages for momma rats because they are really super easy to clean, very safe and secure for tiny pinkies that may fall/slip through normal cage bars. Being all one floor they protect babies from falls.
It is important to get the right type of storage bin. I made this mistake last time. Ideally it should be perfectly smooth inside, no edges or rims. My last one had an edge on the inside up by the handle....and my girl used it to her advantage and chewed a whole & escaped....
(Click pics to enlarge them)
Cost & Supplies:
About $20-$30. Which is a pretty good price. You will end up with a ton of hardware mesh left over. So you could probably make several bins with it to have backups.
The plastic storage bin cost me under $10 at walmart.
The hardware mesh was about $12 at tractor supply but you can find it at like any hardware store probably.
Zip ties are like under $2 (you can also use bolts & washers. I don't know much about tools so I just stuck with zipties. They may get chewed so keep an eye on them and replace as needed. Use extra to secure incase one does get chewed. You will also need a drill, wire cutters and something to cut the bin with.
For my last bin I used a utility knife, but this time the plastic was too thick and I could not do it. We actually used the wire cutters to cut it out which was alot of work. Ideally you should use a dremel cutter.
The bin I am using is 51qt Sterilite brand.
Step One:
You want to draw a window shape on the bin. You want it to take up most of the side for good air flow. But you also want it a few inches from the bottom so pinkies have some room away from it and also so bedding doesn't get easily tossed out. I could have probably made it alittle higher honestly.
Step Two:
Cut out the window. Be careful do not cut off a finger!
Step Three:
Cut out a piece of the hardware cloth larger then the window, and inch or two larger on each side.
It is a pain in the butt to cut the hardware cloth. My hands kill me afterwards lol. Just use the wire cutters. Once you are done you want to either trim or fold the edges over so it is not pokey.
Step Four:
Drill holes into the bin for the zipties. I like to hold the hardware cloth on top of the window and mark little dots for where I want the holes to go. I try not to put too many but enough so that it is tightly secure. Definitely all the corners.
Step Five:
Attach the hardware cloth to the bin using zipties.
IMPORTANT!!!
YOU MUST ATTACH THE MESH ON THE INSIDE OF THE BIN!
If you attach it to the outside the rats will chew on the exposed cut edge of the bin and escape.
You can also do the lid (not pictured). Doing the lid as well helps ammonia escape through the top.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Introducing Castiel!
This is the newest member of the mischief: Castiel!
He is a dwarf boy from Great Star Rattery. I am absolutely in love with this little baby. He is so sweet and funny. He literally hops around his cage. He is also alittle begger for food but refuses to eat his veggies.
Currently he is housed alone because he is my only dwarf and is just way too small to be kept with the standard boys. So his cage is on my desk and I am letting him play on my desk when I am on my computer. He is so friendly and brave, I just got him and he comes right out to me and climbs up my arm.
He will be the start of my dwarf line. My Siamese doe Meg will be having a litter soon and one of her female babies will be paired with Castiel when they are old enough.
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