[GerbilCrazy]

anyone else have problems with carefresh? I know it's supposed to be really great bedding but I can't being myself to keep using it. I have like half a bag left from the last time I bought some (a just in case thing) It's really dusty my gerbils are always covered in peices from it when I pick them up, I can't stand the wierd smell from it and it smells even worse when it gets wet (chewing on waterbottles making them drip). Just thought Id see if anyone else has had the same experience. I keep all of my animals in kiln dried pine and they seem alot happier in it because they like to chew on it (chewing on carefresh is what made it so dusty) oh and just a couple little random things anyone know of a brand that still sells waterbottles that have a spring behind the ball, id have to recheck the brand that I have right now (only one left ) but it kept the bedding dry, because when bedding got kicked on it the ball wouldnt slide back and stay there like normal water bottles do. Also I'm having problems with glass waterbottles I bought two and yeah their great for the little ones because they dont chew on them but the metal is rusting, and that cant be good for them, I've also cut myself on a sharp edge while trying to get the cover off to refill.

ok all done rambling on about my bedding and waterbottles

 

[Sasami]

Have you tried Carefresh Ultra? I don't use Carefresh, but my sister uses the Ultra for her guinea pigs and it seems to work really well .

 

[GerbilCrazy]

haven't tried ultra because I kind of gave up on carefresh after buying it and seeing all the problems I had with it.

 

[Kendalle]

I have found the colored is a lot worse than the plain brown. I loved the brown but my roommate bought blue and it makes everything blue and dusty

 

[Dragonrain]

I tried Carefresh for my rabbits and didn't like it. One of them has long hair and the Carefresh was constantly getting stuck on his fur, which he hated. Now I use Yesterday's News in their litter box and give them fleece blankets and dog beds to lay on. I tried a lot of diffrent things in their litterbox, I think it's just kind of trial and error untill you find what works best for you and your pet.

 

[VanillaRat]

I don't like it either.
I had a rat develop allergies to it.It does smell when it gets wet,I agree and I also find it dusty.


I use aspen and sometimes aspen mixed with Yesterday's News.I have great success with that.


As for your water bottle issue...I can't help you.My rats don't chew the bottles,but when I had my gerbil,she chewed up 4-5 plastic bottles on me! I switched to glass and never had issues with it rusting or cutting.

 

[GerbilCrazy]

if i could find some more of of the water bottles like I used to have (the spring ones) id go out and like stock pile them lol i need like 7 more. for my bunnies i used same bedding that I use in the cages and it worked just fine (both were netherland dwarfs) I really dont like the colored carefresh or the scented stuff. Just my opinion but I think the scented might cause problems with dominance because everything would smell wierd and some of them could have really bad allergies to it. As far as the colors I dont want my lighter gerbils to look BLUE and dusty. I dont mind the smell of the wood shavings. isnt carefresh supposed to be non dusty, better for allergies and keep the cage from smelling ??

 

[VanillaRat]

It is supposed to be! And I know alot of people who love it and have no problems with it.But I am personally not a fan.

 

[Ravnos]

I've tried it many times for several different animals, and have hated it every single time. Fugly, messy, dusty, gets disgusting very fast if there's any amount of moisture involved - but I suppose, that's one thing, it encourages more frequent changings.

 

[GerbilCrazy]

I guess Ive never seen someone who actually likes it. only good thing about it is it packs really well so it was easy for the gerbils to make burrows and didnt collapse (that was after they chewed it all apart and it got dusty though) seems kinda hard =/ I wouldn't want to lay on it. ok and I suppose this goes along with bedding why in the world would someone buy a hamster litter box? any one of my gerbils or hamsters would have it chewed apart in a couple minutes. and then they have plush hamster beds... crazyyy. The bedding sticks to them and my hamsters and gerbils would just chew it apart (got one to see if they would actually lay on it and ended up giving it to the dogs for a chew toy) I suppose some of the things would be alright for not so chewy animals but mine just murder anything that isnt ceramic, or impossible for them to destroyy. one of my gerbils even managed to chew through the 14 gauge metal mesh that was the cover of her cage. OHH now i remember what else i was going to say lol sorry im kinda on/off topic but hamster houses. my gerbil chewed completely through one and I kind of freaked when I found out they had nailed the roof of it on and she had already eatten a couple nails. I had to take it out and ended up with a coconut shell in her cage (now everyone asks if its real because all the hair and anything they could get their teeth on is gone so its perfectly smooth) so i guess buyer beware

 

[VanillaRat]

Gerbils certainly are chewers,eh?
I only ever had one gerbil and she chewed EVERYTHING.

 

[ABC Chinchillas]

I won't use it. I have seen people with chinchillas who ate it and died due to intenstinal blockage. I know someone who's chinchilla chocked on it and died. I just stick with pine

 

[GerbilCrazy]

yeah mine will chew pretty much anything they get their paws on, some worse than others. I dont know why they sell it if it can be soo harmful for animals, it's just like the greenies, nutro and those swiffer things

 

[gigglebee]

I have a guinea pig and her bedding is just polar fleece. It is about $2-7/yd at walmart and all you have to do is put some puppy pads and a towel underneath it and wash it once a week.

I have a litter box in the corner of her cage and she goes in it. I have carefresh in it now, but it is large and quite expensive so I end up spending way too much. I also have Kaytee Soft-Sorbent litter that works well and is good for the environment. I have found Carefresh to be dusty and so I keep it in the garage. The ultra is the best by far and the colored the worst. The brown stuff is OK but not excelent.

 

[rajagiri]

have you tried carefresh ultra. because i am not use ultra

 

[candyraver]

I won't use it. I have seen people with chinchillas who ate it and died due to intenstinal blockage. I know someone who's chinchilla chocked on it and died. I just stick with pine

Pine& cedar isnt even safe for any small animal....btw... D0N'T even consider switching to it..


I liked Lisa's answer,I loved aspen& yesterday's news mixture.Yesterday's News on the bottom,aspen on top,or aspen in the cage,yesterdays news in the litterbox for those that were littertrained.

 

[marmalade]

Thats scary about the chinchilla having an intestinal blockage from the carefesh. I kind of gave up on bedding a while ago when all Henry would do was shove it to the sides of his cage or send it flying out of his cage. Since then, he just had his bed, house and litter box. When my new bunny comes home, I'm justgoing to use the stuff i use for my mice in his litter box,its hemp bedding, Ilike it. Its low dust and pretty good for odour control! I wont buy that carefresh stuff again I guess.

 

[GerbilCrazy]

normal pine is bad for them but if it's kiln dried it's fine. All of my little ones are on it (the bag has to say kiln dried)... isnt yesterdays news pellets?? (not sure).. Oh I was at the petstore the other day and found that annoying nesting material they sell that can get wrapped around feet and can kill little animals if eatten even though it says it's safe.

 

[candyraver]

Did a search online & theres a debate on whether kiln dried is fine...some say yes,others say they wouldn't risk pine,period.
Anyone know 110% sure? A lot of it seems to be the chemical reaction urine has on the pine shavings.With those types of beddings its the phenols& hydro-carbons thats harmful.

Maybe kiln died 'is' "safer",it does go through an intense heat process.Hmm...

I havent ever saw it in stores around me.Just the regular pine& cedar blends.

Yes YN (yesterdays news) is in pellet form.

& That bedding you are talking about,that soft stuff,often marketed for hamsters,you are correct,its highly dangerous.

 

[GerbilCrazy]

ive seen cedar marketed towards small animals and really couldnt beleive it, all of the things they make that are really unsafe for the little ones, Usually I buy a huge bag of kiln dried pine the main use for it is for horse stalls but it also has directions and such for small animals. Hamster houses - mainly not safe my gerbil chewed the roof off and swallowed a couple of the nails used to hold it on before i even knew it had nails in it, litter boxes and other soft plastic "toys"-could eat pieces and get really sick, never seen anyone litter box train a hamster or gerbil mine are all too willing to chew anything plastic up. watch what you buy the small animals most things are really unsafe. mine have a coconut in each cage (they chewed all the fur stuff off and people dont beleive its real anymore lol) lots of cardboard tubes and after i clean the cages I put a tube stuffed with timothy hay in to make a nest and then later give them some paper, and some toilet paper to chew through and add to the nest they love it