What do you line your rats cage with?

Question

I just bought two rats yesterday, and I love them! However I was wondering if theres anything homemade I can line the cage with. I am wary about newspaper.

Answer 1

you can use blankets, or carpet, or worn out clothing

Answer 2

You can use old towels and rags as lining.  It's reusable (just throw them in the wash when they're soiled) and better for the rats than newspaper.  The ink from normal newspaper is not so great for rats, and wet newspaper smells nasty, never mind having rat pee all over it.  If you don't have any rags you can use, you can swing by your local thrift store/Goodwill and pick some up for pennies.  Another option is using paper towel which doesn't have any dyes that might harm your rats.  I've used this when my rat was recovering from surgery to avoid irritating the site.

You could also get CareFresh as a bedding, which is highly recommended by vets and other rat owners.  Once your rats get used to it, you can litter train them which will greatly cut back on the cost of the bedding.  I get a big thing of it for about $15 and it lasts most of the year.

If you are looking for something to cover wire floors, consider going to your local hardware store and getting cheap linoleum tile.  The cheap stuff usually is only 20 cents a square and you don't need much to cover the floors.  Hopefully you do have a wire cage, as aquariums do not provide necessary ventilation needed.

Hope that helps!

Answer 3

you can use recycled paper cat litter or shredded cardboard. they work fine and it doesn't smell too bad either. DO NOT USE ANY THING WOOD WOOD SHAVINGS SAW DUST ETC ITS REALLY BAD AND CAN KILL THEM!!!

Answer 4

i work at a breeding canter and we use shredded card bored then we give them some tissue for them to make the bedding out of. then you can put card boxes for then to play with.  

Answer 5

Fleece blankets! I absolutely love them, especially if you potty train your rats. Buy two sets, then you can use one while you wash the other. You can hold them down with velcro or binder clips.

Answer 6

For homemade bedding i would rip up bits of cardboard, toilet-paper, paper-towels, etc. It works fine, but dosn't last long if urinated on. I would reccomend recycled paper bedding from stores though. Its fairly cheap, and can be bought at most stores with pet supplies. You can order it off of www.cavycages.com if you do not have time to shop for it. DO NOT use PINE, ASPEN, or ANY OTHER WOOD shaving/bedding products. IT CAN BE FATAL TO RODENTS!!!  

Answer 7

Newspaper would be my choice.  It's cheap and usually doesn't contain anything that might hurt the animal.  You can even tear it up to give them something to dig in.  If you want to buy a bedding, choose something from the pet store that's soft and comfortable and doesn't have many added chemicals.  Avoid "scented bedding" or bedding that is very dusty.  Rats are susceptible to respiratory infections so you don't want to give them bedding that will irritate them.  Basically, your animal is going to be running around in this stuff, so if you don't think you'd like to stick your head in a bag of it and keep in there for several minutes, they won't like it either.  Also, avoid aromatic woods like pine and cedar as these can sometimes cause disease as well.  The phenols that make them smell so good can damage the respiratory tract as well as the liver and kidneys of small animals

Answer 8

YOU LINE A RAT CAGE JUST LIKE YOU WOULD IF YOU HAD ANY OTHER TYPE OF RODENT. WITH BEDDING OF ANY KIND FROM THE STORE.

Answer 9

My fiance and I get hamster bedding from the store or you could tear little bits of newspaper for them to nest in.  I think the hamster bedding is the easiest to clean though and it won't stink like the newspaper will once they pee on it.  It is very cheap and absorbant.