Recommended Bedding-Enrichment

There are many quality bedding/substrate options for you and your rats. The most important aspects when it comes to choosing them are your rats health, your health, and odor/ammonia control. We want to avoid beddings that are scented, extremely dusty, don’t provide ammonia control, aren’t absorbent, or pose a risk to our rats if ingested, inhaled, etc. CEDAR IS 100% UNSAFE and should not be used in any instance.

Checking your local pet stores and farm stores can be valuable assets for bedding options as well! Look at options for farm animals, birds, and reptiles too. Frequently they’re marketed for one, but safe for the rest and you can often find better bulk deals that way.

Some links provided are affiliate links and may generate a small amount of revenue for me when used. This does not discount the researched suggestion, but helps compensate my time and energy.

“Every-day” Substrate Options

Hemp: Great for odor and control, low dust. Sometimes “flat” and benefits from mixing with a second bedding for diggability and airflow. compostable.
Pine: new lab studies have shown pine to be one of the best beddings for ammonia and odor control. all pine bought in store/online is safe and kiln dried. a lot of multi-decade, outdated info is still floating around about the safety of pine. Smells nice. some brands or batches may be dustier than others.
Aspen:Also amazing for odor and ammonia control. sometimes smells weird when wet. some batches/brands may be dustier than others.
Corncob: Great for odor and ammonia control. Has some propensity to mold, so moist areas need spread out or changed. Smells nice. Great for those with wood allergies. Very lightweight. Also great as a base layer or for litter boxes
Shredded Cardboard: May be harder to find, but a great option for folks with allergy and to mix with other bedding. can make your own (with heavy duty shredder). Available on etsy.

Litter Box and Moisture Reducing Options

Avoid litters made of clay or litters that clump, as they’re more prone to stick to feet/noses/eyes. I personally prefer pellets as they’re denser and get kicked around less, plus they have more surface area. Check cat litter options, farm stores, and wood smoker/stove pellets!

Pine Pellets – solid option and very cost effective! try different brands to find one you like in terms of dust, odor control, etc.
Straw Pellets – great alternative for those with wood allergies.
  • Oxbow Eco-Straw 20lbs – Amazon, Petco
  • Blue Mountain Hay 20lb – Amazon
  • Bastsab Cat Litter 5.5lb – Amazon
  • EcoPet BioLitter 6.5lb – Amazon
Walnut Pellets – Not as prominent, but a great option. love that they’re easily compostable too. have used for my rats and cats.
paper pellets- less odor control generally, but can be effective when changed out more frequently! Lots of options between cat litters and small animal litters. it is okay if they contain baking soda or zeolite, the rats are not breathing it in/ingesting it like if it were loose powder (even when pellets break down)
Aspen Pellets – tend to be low dust. great ammonia/odor control. slightly more expensive than pine pellets.
Corncob Pellets – Similar to the corncob bedding. can be harder to find, but work extremely well.

Enrichment and Nesting Options

Enrichment bedding and nesting material can be added to different areas of the cage to cater to the natural nesting instincts that all rats have (even the boys). These materials add insulation to sleeping areas, comfort, and help provide tunnel stability to our rats that like to burrow! I’ll add it into boxes, under huts, big corner piles, etc for them to spread out as they please. Make sure to avoid materials that have lots of strings (towels, certain fabrics) or get really sticky when wet (toilet paper/tissues) also use unscented!

Crinkle Paper – so many fun options with this. really can help with burrow structures when mixed with other beddings.
  • EcoBedding 3lb – Amazon
  • EcoBedding Blue – Amazon
  • EcoBedding Pink –Amazon
  • EcoBedding Odor Control – Amazon
  • Magic Water Crinkle Cut 1lb – Amazon
Hay – rat safe, they may nibble it. Also food enrichment if it still has seed/flower heads! smells nice. Timothy, Orchard, and Alfalfa are all fine!
Straw – I’ve used both whole and chopped straw for added enrichment! fun textures and the rats really enjoy it. great for adding warmth in the winter too, if your home runs cooler.
  • StandLee Chopped Straw –Amazon, Chewy , Tractor Supply, Farm and Home
  • Halls Hay Star Bale 4lb – Chewy
  • Sweet Meadow 1lb – Chewy
  • Natures Premier 4cu ft – Chewy
  • Double F Farms 4lb – Amazon
  • Farm Straw Chopped 3cu ft – Amazon
  • EZ Straw 1 cu ft – Amazon
  • WNJ 1lb – Amazon
Fluffy/Crumble Paper – not really suitable for full cage use due to dust and poor ammonia control on its own. can be mixed with other beddings tho.
Newspaper (tore up or shredded), Paper Towel, Fleece Strips, PAcking paper, tissue paper (like for gifts), flannel strips.
  • Honeycomb Packing Paper Roll – Amazon
  • Packing Paper – Amazon
  • Packing Paper- Amazon
  • Packing Roll (multiple colors) – Amazon
  • Gift Paper – Amazon