# Substrate?



## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

Just wondering what people use in the bottom of there housing?


----------



## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

Wood shavings. I've tried everything else and keep going back to them, I think nothing else compares.


----------



## Tinkers Mousery (Feb 20, 2011)

same here. the shavings i get are large flakes and very soft. the mice love them


----------



## hyshqa (Feb 12, 2011)

Aubiose, absolutely love it


----------



## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Being American, we don't have aubiose, so I use CareFresh Ultra. I used shavings for a while, but never could find them soft enough at a good price, and my feed store sells CFU for really cheap somehow.


----------



## jadeguppy (Jun 4, 2011)

Laigaie, check this out: http://www.nationalpetpharmacy.com/Prod ... ed-Bedding

Very inexpensive, huge amount, and it is shreded so it is softed. I also have much less of a dust problem from this brand. The company also carries the Harlan Lab blocks.

Anyway, I am currently using that and equine pine pellets. I'm planning on giving their sani chips a try.


----------



## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

I was using equine pine pellets, they were great, but break down to dust...so I switched to alfalfa pellets, which are still super cheap and extremely absorbant!


----------



## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

*jadeguppy*, how much does the aspen expand? 4.38cuft is not that much... I'm currently getting the expands-to-60L bag of CFU for about $18 with tax.


----------



## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

Kaytee Aspen from Mills fleet Farm; always nice and soft, fresh smelling, and very absorbent. I get the small bale for $4.75 because it's just the right size for my bedding bin. Their prices on other pet stuff are great as well. I'm not sure how many cu. ft it equals, but I suspect the large bale is the same volume as what jadeguppy mentioned for the aspen she uses.


----------



## jadeguppy (Jun 4, 2011)

Laigaie, the bag is huge. It weighs 40 pounds. I've been using it for two ro three months and haven't even reached the halfway point. The box for it is significantly bigger than the 40# bag of rodent blocks I bought. I'm going to try the chips soon too. I suspect that the shreded bag will fill two or three kitchen garbage cans. I use a flip top black plastic garbage bin to hold the pine pellets and wanted to do the same for the aspen, but I still have too much to fit.
Stina, I tried the alfalpha, but it costs more here and the smell got a bit too strong for me due to the small room.


----------



## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

Woodshavings. 
I have to say that when I heard that woodshavings were considered to be bad for Rodents due to the Phenols released from pine shavings I immediately tried other substrates; I have tried Finacard- too dusty, Ecobed(large cardboard pieces)- not very absorbent, mice didn't seem to play in it, Equiflax- a bit spikey and inconsistent, some bales dusty, Aubiose- this was my favourite but I have had 2 bales(from different suppliers) one was very dusty, the other,although it felt dry smelled very musty and mouldy.
So after all of this I have gone back to Woodshavings and the mice seem to love it, also my fatties may lose a little weight now as they were eating the Aubiose and the Equiflax! :roll:


----------



## Stina (Sep 24, 2010)

> Stina, I tried the alfalpha, but it costs more here and the smell got a bit too strong for me due to the small room.


I like the smell...lol It is quite a bit more expensive than the pine shavings, but still less than anything else I've ever used and better at controlling odor and absorbing liquids than anything else (besides the wood pellets). It just doesn't break down to as fine a dust as the wood.


----------



## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

Thanks everyone, mine are on woodshavings but i have one male on paper at the moment as we think he may be alergic to the shavings.


----------



## RebelWolfChris (Aug 22, 2011)

I use Ozpet litter, an Australian brand of wood pellet that works wonders - great for the smell and absorbency but you can't be late changing it because it does dust-ify when it breaks down.


----------

