Rat Bedding....why pine and cedar bedding is BAD!!!

First of all, bedding: Pine and Cedar bedding is BAD! Repeat BAD! Studies suggest that Pine and Cedar bedding used with small animals can not only cause Mycoplasma, a respiratory disease, but also harm their liver. Sure, studies suggest, but if you have a rat (or ANY pet at all!), you should only want the best for it. Carefresh is a bedding you can easily find in stores, as well as Aspen. They’re sort of dusty, I’ve noticed. Made my rats sneeze. Crushed Walnut Shell bedding is very good for odor control, but it can mold after 3 days, so you have to change it completely every 2-3 days, and it can get quite expensive. Did you know you can litter train your rats? It’s very simple. Cover the cage floor with bedding and wait a few days. Then, take the wettest poopiest bedding and put it in a litter pan, clean the entire cage and use a different bedding to cover the bottom than the bedding in the litter pan. Like for instance, you use aspen on the floor and walnut in the pan. If they poop out of the litter pan, then take the poop and put it in the pan.

Pine and cedar bedding for rats is very very bad, very very bad for the rats. did i say that it was bad!!!

Taking Rattie for a walk...

You can take your rattie for a walk. A leash or harness is a good idea.

The plastic clasp goes in the front under the chin. Be careful though because the velcro comes undone especially if it gets hair stuck in it over time. I actually use the ferret ones for everybody now because they tighten if they back up so they can't easily slip.

Theres also the Comfort Harness but its pretty much the same. It has velcro and snaps, so its pretty safe.

Oh, and make sure the neck part is pretty toight (but not TOO tight obviously!) because they kept sticking their paws up through it.

The ratties didn't like them much at first, I think they thought they couldn't move but they're getting used to it.

Now its time for Walkies...

Do rats bite?

It's very rare to find a rat that bites. Most will just squirm. They may nibble at your hands/eyebrows/etc. but they are just trying to groom you when they do that.

There are a few (but not very common) that bite, but that is caused by bad socialization usually. Rats may nibble on fingers when they are young, but it doesn't hurt at all.

so no in general rats don't bite...

Rat Care - Nail Clipping

This is not for the squeamish, or faint-hearted! Cutting rat's nails can be a tricky business as they are very wriggly, and if you cut too far down you can cause bleeding (not a good idea, as rats can lose a lot of blood in a very short time!). If you are unsure or anxious about doing it yourself, always go to the Vet.

The best implement for cutting toenails, would be a human nail clipper (not too big a one, so you can see what you are doing around it). Get someone else to help you to hold the rat still if you are not adept at this.

Splay the rats foot out so that the nails get extended. Take the nail clippers and cut the top sharp edge off. You may have to make a few attempts if the rat squirms a lot.

You should be able to see the quick of the nail pretty easily (it should have a pinker colour than the rest of the nail). If you can't see this, make sure to cut as little of the nail as possible. It is always better to cut little and often than to cause your rat to be sore and/or bleed.

You could also use a emery board, but if you are like me I don't like the noise! To try and prevent the nails getting to long in the first place, try placing a brick or other rough edged (not too rough!) object in the cage for them to climb over. I wouldn't recommend using sandpaper as it will get peed on and may hurt the rats feet as it can be really rough.

My recommendation goto the Vet!