Fleece should be fine, but you always want to avoid newsprint if you can. You should even avoid dyed cardboard as a chew toy! Inks and dyes can have any number of toxins in them that are harmful to small pets.
A good option though is toilet paper, plain white unscented toilet paper, and why not? Its made to absorb urine isn’t it? And small animals will often use it as nest building material as well as bedding.
As for fleece, the only thing I would do is watch that fibers don’t get caught around limbs or tails. I know it’s one of the things not suggested for gerbils (my pet of choice) because they shuck their tails if they get caught, and fleece fibers are strong enough that if tails did somehow manage to get caught, the tail would die and fall off. Rats don’t do that, to my knowledge, but it would still be painful and annoying for you and your rat, so it would be safer to go with some other form of bedding like Carefree or the equally good walmart brand (can’t remember the name of it off the top of my head).
Also, I second Taste of Rain’s note not to use pine like others have suggested, its has oils that are toxic to rodents as well and are best avoided.
I wouldn’t use newspaper, as rodents tend to eat/chew on bedding and the ink could make him sick over a long period of time. I don’t know about notebook paper, but that has ink in it too, so I’d stay away from it.
Fleece blankets are excellent bedding options. Layer newspaper or towels or something under fleece that’s been washed three or four times without fabric softener, and the pee will flow through it and absorb into the lower layer of whatever.
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Why not? He’s a rat. Rats can live through almost anything. Ours likes lots of different things to use for fun and bedding and just collecting.
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All are fine. I used to have 56 rats (Accidental breeding, not all at once!!) and they had all three and were perfectly healthy
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Yes definately stay away from newspaper…
At the base of the cage, the floor, you should use wood shavings.. they soak up the pee and smell of the poo. But as a bedding, i use clothing, suck as things ive outgrown or dont want anymore. It provides them with comfort and warmth.
The bedding should not be at he base of the cage, or else it will get stinky and gross pretty quickly.
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Years of breeding rats
yup its fine…..newspaper will leave a nasty taste in their mouth though and if they are light in color it will dye their skin too….the best stuff is PINE mulch you can get a huge bag for like 5 or 6 bucks from wal-mart!
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They are all good. Try to use newspaper printed with ink if you can, though. The bedding materials that you listed will need to be changed out every few days, wheras if you buy something like aspen (the only safe wood), CareFresh or paper pellets they won’t need to be changed out for a week.
Please DO NOT USE PINE. Pine and cedar are both TOXIC for small animals, kiln-dried or not. Aspen is the safest wood to use if you must use wood, and paper products are a very suitable alternative.
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Fleece should be fine, but you always want to avoid newsprint if you can. You should even avoid dyed cardboard as a chew toy! Inks and dyes can have any number of toxins in them that are harmful to small pets.
A good option though is toilet paper, plain white unscented toilet paper, and why not? Its made to absorb urine isn’t it? And small animals will often use it as nest building material as well as bedding.
As for fleece, the only thing I would do is watch that fibers don’t get caught around limbs or tails. I know it’s one of the things not suggested for gerbils (my pet of choice) because they shuck their tails if they get caught, and fleece fibers are strong enough that if tails did somehow manage to get caught, the tail would die and fall off. Rats don’t do that, to my knowledge, but it would still be painful and annoying for you and your rat, so it would be safer to go with some other form of bedding like Carefree or the equally good walmart brand (can’t remember the name of it off the top of my head).
Also, I second Taste of Rain’s note not to use pine like others have suggested, its has oils that are toxic to rodents as well and are best avoided.
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The best option to use for bedding it strips of cloth. Newspaper is not only smelly but highly poisnous to rodents. the ink can be absored not only by mouth but by skin as well. Fleece would be good but not very hygenic as they tend to urinate on things to claim it as thier own.
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