Cage Accessories
Accessories are important for your rats happiness!! Keep them active and playful by providing them with a whole bunch of toys.
food dish, hut, tissue box, litter box, play box, 3 hammocks.
For their comfort
Keep your rats comfortable by having a cage equipped with hammocks, a plastic hut, a wooden bridge, a food dish and a water bottle!
An extra wooden shelf, a wooden hut, toilet paper roll, hammocks, food dish, litter bin
For their entertainment
For your rat's enjoyment, provide them with toys such as tissue paper rolls, tissue boxes, anything cardboard basically and dangling wooden toys!
Beddings
My second choice
Aspen bedding
- Can be used in bin cages. Can be used in barred cages if additions are purchased. I personally find aspen more messy as rats can have “bedding parties”.
- Daily spot cleaning can be done, more material must be removed in spot cleans.
- Ammonia build up takes longer. When doing a full clean, unused spots of aspen can be recycled.
- Dust is present though minimal however when opening a bag check that dust is not excessive. Mites occasionally arrive in bags of aspen so be sure to check for mites when opening a
bag. I would recommend freezing every bag purchased before use.
- Cost effective when bought in bulk.
- Smells nice though I do know some can be allergic to the smell. Does not smell too strongly.
My third choice
Carefresh bedding
- Can be used in bin cages. Can be used in barred cages if additions are purchased. Allows for rats to have “bedding parties” if used in barred cages which makes it a bit more messy.
- Daily spot cleaning can be done, more material must be removed in spot cleans.
- I find it is less absorbent than other beddings.
- Dust is present, mites can travel in carefresh bags. Freeze and check every bag to be sure mites are not present. Baking powder has been found in enough bags to hazard a warning as
it was causing RIs which is one of the reasons I would caution against using Carefresh.
- I’m not 100% sure how cost effective it is as I have never used it for an extended period of
time.
- I really dislike the smell of Carefresh. I find it smells bad originally and obviously gets worse
as the cage gets dirty! This is a matter of opinion however, some find it smells less than aspen and thus prefer it for scent.
My first choice
fleece/fabric bedding
- Can be used in bar cages
- Daily spot cleaning and scoops are easy
- Ammonia buildup is faster so fleece must be changed more often
- Vinegar added to a laundry load helps to better clean fleece
- No dust, no mites upon purchase
- Occasionally rats can be allergic to detergents so sometimes detergents must be changed to accommodate (I have never experienced this myself)
- Easy litter box training
- More cost effective as fleece can be re-used multiple times (This is true in comparison to store bought bedding. Bulk bedding may be cheaper or similarly cost effective ultimately when
bought in bulk.)
- Pretty!! :D
- Does not have an original smell
Other beddings that can be used safely are "Kaytee Soft and Comfy" bedding (known to be dust free, without smell, relatively cheap, good with absorption and great for burrowing), flax bedding, paper bedding and non-dyed newspaper beddings.