Post by Robin on Sept 27, 2020 19:13:21 GMT -2
Hello!
I thought I'd do a brief rundown of all the common types of bedding out there and which ones are good to use. Let's begin!
Good Beddings
Kaytee Clean and Cozy (KCC)
This notoriously soft bedding is great for most mice. The white variety can be a bit dusty, but the natural version is fairly dust-free. It's also very good for burrowing. However, it can be a little pricey, especially if you have a larger cage: typically, a 49L bag is about $15.
Similar: Boxo, Small Pet Select, Oxbow Comfort (all of which tend to be much cheaper)
Carefresh
This bedding is also pretty great. It's pretty decent at holding burrows, and it reportedly has much better odor control compared to KCC. However, the white and natural variety can be quite hard (the colored beddings are a bit better) and it can be very expensive in some places. On Amazon, a 50L bag of colored Carefresh is about $20, but, especially in pet shops, it can be closer to $25-30.
Similar: Critter Care (often rougher than Carefresh, though)
Crinkle Paper
Some companies sell this specifically for rodents (such as SoPhresh), but you can also find this at the dollar store and business supply stores as it’s often used in gift bags, shipping packages, and Easter baskets. It’s fantastic for burrowing, truly dust-free, and pretty cheap, but it lacks in terms of comfort and odor control. Still, a fantastic addition even for just part of the cage.
Safe/Decent Beddings
Aspen
While this bedding is technically safe and has really good odor control, it's generally not preferred. It's very rough, dusty, and can be difficult to burrow in. However, it is a cheap and widespread option, so it can work in circumstances where paper bedding isn't available. Smaller bags go for about $12 for ~50L, but buying in bulk drastically reduces this price (ex on Amazon you can buy 226L of aspen for about $30).
Similar: Hemp
Shredded Napkins/Paper
This bedding is great for people who don’t have access to commercial bedding, but it has a lot of downsides. The main one is the amount of time it takes to make even a couple liters of bedding--unless you have a whole operation of shredders going it can take several hours to shred enough for one bedding change. In addition, this bedding tends to be dusty, and paper especially can be difficult to burrow in. It also has very poor odor control. On the plus side, it’s extremely cheap, comes in many colors, and napkins especially are super soft and easy to burrow in.
Orchard Grass Hay (OGH)
This bedding should never be used alone due to its lack of absorption, but it can make for a great addition to any of the beddings above. It helps with burrow structure, smells great, and can add a great pop of green to a natural set up. Just be sure the hay you get isn't too dusty; I've found lower-quality brands like Brown's and Kaytee tend to have this problem. Oxbow OGH is quite good from my experience; it runs for about $5 for 15oz.
Eco Earth
This bedding should never be used alone for several reasons, but it can make for a nice enrichment substrate. It should not be used as the main substrate because it doesn't hold burrows at all, it is very dusty when dry, and it has little to no odor control. I know it looks really cool in naturally-themed tanks, but for your mice's sake they need a bedding that can support burrows. Still, feel free to put some in a small dish where your mice can opt to steer clear of it if they wish. An 8qt bag runs for about $8 at most pet shops, but you can get it for cheaper if you buy it in bricks (just be sure the Eco Earth is completely dry after soaking it before adding it to the enclosure).
Similar: Any coconut fiber bedding (such as those from Zilla), coconut husk bedding
Kaytee Soft Granules
This bedding should never be used alone because it cannot hold burrows, but, again, it can make for a nice enrichment substrate. It tends to be very dust-free and has a standard amount of odor control and absorption. However, it can be very expensive: just 10L is about $5.
Sand
This bedding should never be used alone for several reasons, but it can make for a great enrichment substrate once you take the proper precautions. To start, you need to buy quartz-based sand--calcium sand (often sold for reptiles) is unsafe. Rodent sands/dusts are also unsafe as most tend to be extremely dusty. The two most common options are quartz-based, non-dyed reptile sand (such as Reptisand) or children's play sand. To make this sand less dusty, you'll have to rinse it off. Put some sand on a towel or cheese cloth, then run water over it. The smaller particles should fall through the fabric, leaving you with the dust-free, larger granules. Once rinsed, you can leave it to air dry for at least a day or bake it at a high temp (~400F) for a few hours. After it's dry, you're set to put it in a small portion of the cage. If you used children's play sand, you may also want to sift the sand to remove any larger twigs/stones.
The reasons why it should not be used alone are similar to those of Eco Earth--it can't hold burrows, and it has no odor control. Typically reptile sand runs for about $15 per 10lbs, and children's play sand runs for about $5 per 50lbs.
Unsafe Beddings
Pine, Cedar, and Other Softwood Shavings
The vast majority of softwood shavings are unsafe for mice, even when kiln-dried. Generally, phenols, which are present in high amounts in most softwoods, are respiratory irritants. In a study done on mice, softwood shavings like pine and cedar disrupted sleep more often than safer woods like spruce and aspen. This not only leads to stress, which can weaken the immune system, but the simple chemistry of phenols reacting to the respiratory tract can cause URIs or worse.
However, there are some exceptions to this. One noteable one is spruce, which is said to have similar phenol levels as hardwoods like aspen (noted in the study above). These softwoods are also safe when their surface areas are drastically reduced, such as in pine toys/cages. Since the amount of phenols released at a time is dependent on the surface area of the wood, a solid, wooden object with a much smaller surface area compared to its mass would have a much smaller impact on the respiratory tract.
Corn Cob
Corn cob is known to mold easily, so it should be generally avoided. In addition, it is very tough and difficult to burrow in.
Similar: gravel
Fleece
Unlike guinea pigs or rabbits, mice cannot have fleece bedding. Mice need to burrow for thermoregulation as they are much smaller than guinea pigs or rabbits. In addition, fleece can cause blockages if ingested and some mice find it hard to walk on depending on how sharp their nails are. This also applies to fleece scraps for the same reasons, even if it can hold burrows.
I hope this helps any new owners out there! If there are any other beddings you are unsure about feel free to make a topic in our Accessories/Supplies subforum!
I thought I'd do a brief rundown of all the common types of bedding out there and which ones are good to use. Let's begin!
Good Beddings
Kaytee Clean and Cozy (KCC)
This notoriously soft bedding is great for most mice. The white variety can be a bit dusty, but the natural version is fairly dust-free. It's also very good for burrowing. However, it can be a little pricey, especially if you have a larger cage: typically, a 49L bag is about $15.
Similar: Boxo, Small Pet Select, Oxbow Comfort (all of which tend to be much cheaper)
Carefresh
This bedding is also pretty great. It's pretty decent at holding burrows, and it reportedly has much better odor control compared to KCC. However, the white and natural variety can be quite hard (the colored beddings are a bit better) and it can be very expensive in some places. On Amazon, a 50L bag of colored Carefresh is about $20, but, especially in pet shops, it can be closer to $25-30.
Similar: Critter Care (often rougher than Carefresh, though)
Crinkle Paper
Some companies sell this specifically for rodents (such as SoPhresh), but you can also find this at the dollar store and business supply stores as it’s often used in gift bags, shipping packages, and Easter baskets. It’s fantastic for burrowing, truly dust-free, and pretty cheap, but it lacks in terms of comfort and odor control. Still, a fantastic addition even for just part of the cage.
Safe/Decent Beddings
Aspen
While this bedding is technically safe and has really good odor control, it's generally not preferred. It's very rough, dusty, and can be difficult to burrow in. However, it is a cheap and widespread option, so it can work in circumstances where paper bedding isn't available. Smaller bags go for about $12 for ~50L, but buying in bulk drastically reduces this price (ex on Amazon you can buy 226L of aspen for about $30).
Similar: Hemp
Shredded Napkins/Paper
This bedding is great for people who don’t have access to commercial bedding, but it has a lot of downsides. The main one is the amount of time it takes to make even a couple liters of bedding--unless you have a whole operation of shredders going it can take several hours to shred enough for one bedding change. In addition, this bedding tends to be dusty, and paper especially can be difficult to burrow in. It also has very poor odor control. On the plus side, it’s extremely cheap, comes in many colors, and napkins especially are super soft and easy to burrow in.
Orchard Grass Hay (OGH)
This bedding should never be used alone due to its lack of absorption, but it can make for a great addition to any of the beddings above. It helps with burrow structure, smells great, and can add a great pop of green to a natural set up. Just be sure the hay you get isn't too dusty; I've found lower-quality brands like Brown's and Kaytee tend to have this problem. Oxbow OGH is quite good from my experience; it runs for about $5 for 15oz.
Eco Earth
This bedding should never be used alone for several reasons, but it can make for a nice enrichment substrate. It should not be used as the main substrate because it doesn't hold burrows at all, it is very dusty when dry, and it has little to no odor control. I know it looks really cool in naturally-themed tanks, but for your mice's sake they need a bedding that can support burrows. Still, feel free to put some in a small dish where your mice can opt to steer clear of it if they wish. An 8qt bag runs for about $8 at most pet shops, but you can get it for cheaper if you buy it in bricks (just be sure the Eco Earth is completely dry after soaking it before adding it to the enclosure).
Similar: Any coconut fiber bedding (such as those from Zilla), coconut husk bedding
Kaytee Soft Granules
This bedding should never be used alone because it cannot hold burrows, but, again, it can make for a nice enrichment substrate. It tends to be very dust-free and has a standard amount of odor control and absorption. However, it can be very expensive: just 10L is about $5.
Sand
This bedding should never be used alone for several reasons, but it can make for a great enrichment substrate once you take the proper precautions. To start, you need to buy quartz-based sand--calcium sand (often sold for reptiles) is unsafe. Rodent sands/dusts are also unsafe as most tend to be extremely dusty. The two most common options are quartz-based, non-dyed reptile sand (such as Reptisand) or children's play sand. To make this sand less dusty, you'll have to rinse it off. Put some sand on a towel or cheese cloth, then run water over it. The smaller particles should fall through the fabric, leaving you with the dust-free, larger granules. Once rinsed, you can leave it to air dry for at least a day or bake it at a high temp (~400F) for a few hours. After it's dry, you're set to put it in a small portion of the cage. If you used children's play sand, you may also want to sift the sand to remove any larger twigs/stones.
The reasons why it should not be used alone are similar to those of Eco Earth--it can't hold burrows, and it has no odor control. Typically reptile sand runs for about $15 per 10lbs, and children's play sand runs for about $5 per 50lbs.
Unsafe Beddings
Pine, Cedar, and Other Softwood Shavings
The vast majority of softwood shavings are unsafe for mice, even when kiln-dried. Generally, phenols, which are present in high amounts in most softwoods, are respiratory irritants. In a study done on mice, softwood shavings like pine and cedar disrupted sleep more often than safer woods like spruce and aspen. This not only leads to stress, which can weaken the immune system, but the simple chemistry of phenols reacting to the respiratory tract can cause URIs or worse.
However, there are some exceptions to this. One noteable one is spruce, which is said to have similar phenol levels as hardwoods like aspen (noted in the study above). These softwoods are also safe when their surface areas are drastically reduced, such as in pine toys/cages. Since the amount of phenols released at a time is dependent on the surface area of the wood, a solid, wooden object with a much smaller surface area compared to its mass would have a much smaller impact on the respiratory tract.
Corn Cob
Corn cob is known to mold easily, so it should be generally avoided. In addition, it is very tough and difficult to burrow in.
Similar: gravel
Fleece
Unlike guinea pigs or rabbits, mice cannot have fleece bedding. Mice need to burrow for thermoregulation as they are much smaller than guinea pigs or rabbits. In addition, fleece can cause blockages if ingested and some mice find it hard to walk on depending on how sharp their nails are. This also applies to fleece scraps for the same reasons, even if it can hold burrows.
I hope this helps any new owners out there! If there are any other beddings you are unsure about feel free to make a topic in our Accessories/Supplies subforum!