Cage
Substrates Review and Survey
By Matthew Creaney
When it comes to
setting up the artificial habitat for your rats, an important decision to be
made is to what bedding to use. Too
often pet owners fail to realise the consequences of such a decision, and hence
use something like wood shavings because they are cheap and easily available. Other reasons that wood shavings are chosen
could be that to most inexperienced small animal owners, there is no other
obvious option or they are not told of the health risks that may or may not be
involved. A lot of pet shops will only
stock wood shavings or sawdust and are happy to let their customers believe
that this is the best option.
Hopefully this
article will weigh up the pros and cons of most commonly used substrates for
rat housing, in order for people to make conscientious decisions about what
they should use for themselves. Please
remember that this article is written by people with experience of all the
substrates mentioned, and any reference to health risks of any particular
substrate is purely the opinion of the author, unless stated as scientific fact
and referenced to evidence. All the pros
and cons are reviews of those submitted to me by other rat owners.
Personally I have
tried a number of different substrates since owning rats, and for every one I
have heard a number of people recommending it and an equal number who would not
consider using it themselves. For many types
of bedding also there is a lot of conflicting evidence, such as wood
shavings. I feel there is a need for
more investigation into the effects each substrate can have on rat health, but
such a project is probably a long way off.
Wood
Shavings or Sawdust
This is the most highly
debated substrate for rat cages, therefore I approach
this section with slight trepidation. It
is widely documented that pine and cedar shavings give off aromatic
hydrocarbons known as phenols, as well as toxic acids which are absorbed
through the respiratory tract and into the blood. Experiments have shown these can cause damage
to the respiratory tract and therefore the rats are more prone to respiratory
infections[1]. There is some evidence to suggest that use of
these beddings can also cause elevated levels of liver enzymes, which
eventually causes damage to the liver. However,
there are conflicting views that the results of such experiments have been
misinterpreted, and the effects of these phenols and toxins do not threaten the
health of the rat more than any other environmental pollutant, to which we are
all subjected[2]. And then there are those that believe that
most wood shavings in this country are in fact made of spruce, which does not
contain these toxins at all, and therefore these debates are irrelevant! Personally I have not heard enough evidence
for the use of wood shavings to consider using it ahead of proven safe
alternatives, but several rat owners still swear by it.
Pros:
Cons:
No. of votes: 2
Chipped
Cardboard
This substrate I
have had a lot of experience with, and I can safely say that it is my chosen
bedding and I see no reason why I should ever cease to use it, unless
manufacturers start giving some other substrate away! A lot of breeders and owners alike are moving
to brands such as BedXcel or EcoPetBed,
which were intended originally for horse bedding, but manufacturers are
realising its potential for home pet use. The main gripe many people have is that it is
not widely available, and therefore you can be paying a lot more to have it
delivered in small quantities. The
average pet rat owner will only require one bale at a time, and delivery can
add three times the cost of one bale to each purchase. I would be surprised, however, if such
products do not make it to pet shops in the future due to their popularity.
Pros:
Cons:
No. of votes: 6
CareFresh
The first piece of
advice I got after purchasing my first rats was “Don’t use wood shavings, use CareFresh”. This is
because of the previously discussed health implications, but in my experience CareFresh is not that much better. CareFresh is made
from wood pulp that is too small to be made into paper, and looks like shreds
of egg box material. Although dust
extracted, there is still dust, which many rats are allergic to, causing them
to sneeze frequently. Upon changing the
substrate, this problem ceases. Many pet
owners still choose to use this as an alternative to shavings, although it may
be uneconomical to use for more than a single cage.
Pros:
Cons:
No. of votes: 1
MegaZorb
This is another
highly popular substrate in use in many pet and breeding homes. Made from dried wood fibre pulp, it is similar
to CareFresh in appearance, but the shreds are far
smaller and paler. This is preferred by
a lot of people, because it is so much easier to obtain than chipped cardboard,
and proven to be safe.
Pros:
Cons:
No. of votes: 2
Wood-based
Cat Litter
This type of cat
litter is kiln dried, which gets rid of the phenols that some rat owners believe
to be harmful to rats’ health.
Pros:
Cons:
Other Cat
Litters
Pros:
Cons:
Newspaper
Newspaper is a
relatively cheap way of lining cages, and some rat owners use it without any
other substrate. It is advisable to only
use newspapers that are printed using soya-based
inks, to ensure that they are not poisonous.
Pros:
Cons:
No. of votes: 1
Grey
Paper-Based Cat Litter
Brands such as Bob
Martin’s paper-based cat litter or Bio Catolet are
now highly regarded among rat owners. In
appearance, these are similar to other paper-based beddings such as MegaZorb, but the colour is distinctly greyer like regular
cat litter. There are differences
between brands, but in general these can be treated as the same. Such is their popularity that it is now acceptable
to use these as substrates in show tanks at NFRS shows.
Pros:
Cons: