# Do mice NEED bedding?



## JuniperBerry55 (Feb 19, 2018)

I have my mice on aspen, but I was just curious to see what other people thought of just using newspaper/fleece.

I always had in my mind that you should keep your mice on something that they can burrow in because that's what they enjoy (Not to mention helping keep the smell down etc.) but I was thinking, would it be that 'bad' to just keep them on fleece for example? My question stems from also keeping rats, surely rats also love to dig, but why is it so widely accepted to just keep them on fleece. Just curious.


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## WoodWitch (Oct 18, 2009)

This sounds absolutely horrendous to me. On fleece? It would stink to high heaven and be very unhygienic. Please don't do this.
Mice should live (in captivity) on an absorbent substrate (such as shavings/aubiose) with the addition of soft bedding for them to nest/hide in (such as hay/straw/tissue).


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

I've used newspaper a couple of times for mice with an open wound, where I didn't want any bedding to get in it. It needs to be cleaned every or every other day, it smells so bad. Would imagine it's the same with fleece.
The reason fleece is so popular with some rat owners, is that the rats have been potty trained, so they don't actually pee or poop on the fleece


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

I don't think rats can be potty trained?I'm all ears if there is evidence to the contrary, would be great for me.I think rats are less of a prey animal than mice and blessed with self-confidence.Wild rats are often out and about in daylight, rare to see wild mice out in the day.Mice are put out without cover.Having said that I don't suppose laboratory animals of any sort have much in the way of bedding.


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

SarahC said:


> I don't think rats can be potty trained?I'm all ears if there is evidence to the contrary, would be great for me.


I know of plenty pet rat keepers who have theirs potty trained  I never had the patience or the need for it myself, but it's supposedly easy (at least for some rats, but again, I've never tried it myself. The same way you do it with bunnies, apparently.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

Rabbits are naturally clean though, do their business in corners so I can see that.Rats are scatterers which makes me dubious and people do like to exaggerate.Shall investigate further, however.


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

Very true! But I don't see how else it can work for the people who have very neat fleeced cages. Either way, I hope it works for you!


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