Substrates/Bedding

Substrate (aka Bedding) is very important to your rats wellbeing! Many different types are available but careful consideration should be take n when selecting what is best for your rats! Many of the commonly used commercially available options are actually harmful to  rats and can cause upper respiratory infections. The proper substrate will prevent ammonia build up, lesson odors, and provide enrichment for your rats. 

There are only a few options for substrate that are considered safe for rats:

  1.  Coco Coir/Bioactive: Our favorite option that is very long lasting is a Bioactive coco coir substrate that is mixed with leaf litter and sphagnum moss to create a very natural substrate that the rats can dig and tunnel in. However, there is a lot of research to be done first on this! It must remain moist at all times so water is added frequently to prevent dust. It also must have Isopods and/or Springtails added to it. These teeny bugs live in the substrate and break down waste. This setup maintains an earthy smell and gives the rats a  nice cool area to rest as well. Our current setup is now a year old and has never needed to be replaced! More information can be found on the Facebook Group: Naturalistic & Bioactive Rat Setups
  2. Hemp: Our top choice after Bioactive! Hemp is known to absorb ammonia very well. In my experience Hemp lasts much longer than wood shavings so despite the more expensive up front cost, in the long wrong it makes the most sense both financially and for the benefits it offers. It seems to help greatly with odor and is also low dust so it doesn't upset their sensitive respiratory system.  We use this specific one, which is very soft and comes in a huge bag that last a long time: RentACoop- Amazon  Or this smaller bag: All Walks- Amazon
  3. Aspen Shavings: Another option we use occasionally is Aspen. It is conveniently available at pet stores and Walmart so is easy to pick up. It seems to last a little longer than Pine Shavings and does decently well on odor control. 
  4. Pine Shavings: The last safe option is pine shavings. This is generally the cheapest option at the pet stores, however it does need to be replaced quicker than the other two options and doesn't seem to do as well with odor control. 

Now for the substrates that are NOT acceptable for rats:

  1. Carefresh: This fluffy option that fills the shelves at the pet stores is actually not a good choice for it's lack of ammonia absorption. Studies have shown that when compared to the preciously mentioned substrates, Carefresh does not reduce ammonia levels as affectively. Ammonia levels lead to upper respiratory infections and other health issues. 
  2. Cedar: Cedar shavings are toxic to rats and should never be used!
  3. Eco Bedding/Paper: Paper based substrates do not help to control ammonia levels and therefore aren't recommended. 
  4. Fleece/Fabric: This popular option will not help reduce ammonia levels and also doesn't offer any enrichment. Rats love to be able to dig in their bedding/substrate!
  5. Sawdust: sawdust of any type of wood is too dusty and will cause respiratory issues for rats.

How Much Substrate/ Bedding?

For maximum ammonia control and for important enrichment to allow the rats to dig/tunnel like they are natural meant to do, they need a minimum of 6 inches of substrate covering the bottom of their cage. Scatter Guards can be purchased or made to allow the deep substrate without it falling out of the cage. Plexiglass boxes can be cut and glued to make a box that fits into the cage as well. Amazon has various Scatter Guard options available including some that are easily cut with scissors to zip tie onto your cage. 

 

Litter

Rats tend to naturally pick certain areas of their cage as their potty area (Although they will still pee to mark). Offering litter pans in your rats cage will give them their designated potty spot and is easy to train them to use them. Offer at least 2 litter pans in their cage at different areas, example one towards the top and one towards the bottom so they never have to go far to reach a litter area. 

You need to have a different litter substrate than what your cages base substrate/bedding is. 

  1. Oxbow Eco Straw: This is my favorite option as it has nice odor control.  EcoStraw- Amazon Link
  2. Pine Pellets: This is often found in the cat litter areas at pet store. Make sure it Does NOT have baking soda added to it. 
  3. Paper Pellets: Get the Unscented and No Baking Powder Added kind!

Litter will need to be replaced every few days to prevent ammonia build up. 

Nesting Materials

Rats love to build themselves comfy little nests in their favorite sleeping areas and this is an important natural behavior for them so adding materials for them to collect and use is essential to happy enriched rats!

  1. Paper Towels, Toilet Paper, Kleenex- Great options that can be hung inside their cage or just outside of the cage where they can pull it through to use.
  2. Packing Paper: We always keep the packing paper from  our Amazon boxes and stick them through the cage bars for the rats to tear off.
  3. Eco Bedding: This is crinkled paper strands that can be found on Amazon, they enjoy a handful of this to put in their hides.
  4. Fleece/Fabric: A bit of fabric can be used to build their nests.

Nesting materials due tend to get stinky fast as rats like to mark their sleeping areas so be sure to clean them out and replace often.