Cage Bedding Reviews !

[degualot]

Finacard have been nice enough to send me out a free sample to try out their new and improved finacard.

I haven't got the sample yet, but i'm eager to try it out and get the Goo's seal of approvel. looking forward to it. I'll report my results

[xtratime]

which finacard package do you recommend to get as there seems to be a few. Want to try it out.

[malteser60]

I personally get the finacard cardboard bedding maxibale + nesting material. The nesting material is brilliant!! My goos go mad over it and it is really soft. I normally place a pile of it at the bottom of the cage and they spend the next hour or so moving it up into the nest box. They get so excited at seeing it and they literally scurry up and down. Sometimes they end up playing tug of war with it, not nicely either. It's a case of I got it first, no I got it first situation, lol!

Hmm, I noticed the price has gone up though. It used to be £13 (or £13.99). But you do get loads of it. I haven't checked out the other horse bedding, but it appears to be shredded newspaper and such like.

[Kins]

Nov 21, 2011 12:00:03 GMT malteser60 said:

I personally get the finacard cardboard bedding maxibale + nesting material

That's the package I get too. Just had a new delivery last week. The bedding is really nice and you get quite a bit in each little bag too, especially if you kind of pull it apart and stretch it out.

[Kins]

Oct 29, 2011 13:34:18 GMT degualot said:

Finacard have been nice enough to send me out a free sample to try out their new and improved finacard.

I haven't used my new and improved finacard yet either, although I was always really impressed with the 'old' style so am excited to see what it is like .

[xtratime]

thanks all will give that a try I think

[degualot]

Today I recieved my speedy delivery of the new Finacard. All I can say is i'm very impressed. There's virtually no dust in the new Finacard. It is definitely now my favourite substrate. I know I like my Wood shavings however now that Finacard have vastly improved the dust levels, all I can say is that's what i'll be using from now on.

Also delivery was lightning fast.

Finacard was also kindly provided me with some Softnest Paper Flakes, which is basically shredded and dust extracted newspaper but without all the poisonous ink. It's super soft and feels great. Also a few handfuls goes a long way. I was able to fill a whole nest box with just two handfuls and there's loads left. My Boys love it. And when I say love it, I mean they love making a mess with it. hahah

anyway I would like to amend my original critique on the bedding regarding Finacard. And hope more people try it.

[kittypollard]

This recommended the large wood shavings, anyone tried the giant wood shavings from P@H

[NightwishRaven999]

Aspen Snake Bedding by Zoo Med

Absorbancy: A
Texture: A
Appearance: A
Dust Factor and General Safety: A
Cost: C

My score: A-

Review: The Zoo Med snake bedding is by far one of the best beddings I have used for housing degus. Not only does this bedding look great and feels light and fluffy, but it is also VERY LOW in dust. The bedding is free of any harmful oils (like the ones found in cedar or untreated pine) + the aspen wood itself is safe for degus.
The bedding also makes for great burrowing and nesting substrate.
Unfortunatly, it is quite costly...especially for those of us using large multi tier cages.
Zoo Med sells this product in three different package sizes...the most common being the medium (8.8 L) and the large (26,4 L) bags.

*An option is to use this bedding on the main digging and nesting area of the cage (bottom level) and line the other levels with more affordable substrate.

[listracian]

Going by the snake bedding - I have been curious for a while about substrates for reptiles, has anyone else tried other ones?

[NightwishRaven999]

@ Listracian
Actually, I have briefly experimented using finely chopped coconut shell substrate for toads and small snakes and have mixed this up with kiln dried pine shavings and chopped oat hay. The result was lovely, but nothing spectular as far as practical use.

The degus did seem to enjoy collecting the coconut and creating small piles...but other than providing a little change, it served little purpose as far as absorbancy and actual usefulness.

Other common substrates include peatmoss, peat, dirt and sand...none of which I deemed suitable enough to try as far as actual cage bedding.

I will keep my eyes open though ! There are lots of good products to be found !

[Karma]

so jealous with all of you guys in europe with so many options in bedding. I have access to sawdust type bedding, large wood flakes (which are dustier than the sawdust), carefresh and 2 other paper bedding that is more expensive. So I guess it's carefresh for me

[aquila]

I'm a big fan of Carefresh, even though I agree it's on the more expensive side. I've used it for as long as I can remember for other animals and don't have major complaints. It doesn't even set off my asthma, which is always a plus.

[abirose]

I'd like to add ecopetbed to this list. It is basically small cardboard squares (I imagine it is similar to Finacard) and has no dust what so ever. I have heard that Finacard can be quite dusty so I decided to try Ecopetbed after one of my ratty's got a URI and I couldn't recommend it enough. It is very absorbent which is great because I have very severe asthma and the goo's and ratty's love making nests from the bigger pieces.

[jorivesud]

For the Carefresh users,

Which one do you use/recommend?
Original , ProEarth Crinkles or Ultra.

Thinking of trying it, but not sure which one to try 1st.

[mhb]

I am hoping for a bit of a steer here if anyone can help.

I have been intrigued by the bedding critique and have been looking at the Finacard wesbite.
It has separate pages for Rabbit and Degu bedding but to me it looks the same product.

Basically we're getting a rabbit in the next few weeks and I want to buy bedding that can be universally used in the hutch and the Degu cage.
The wooden box I am planning will have a digging pit so I was already on to looking at Fincard because of my hayfever/dust allergies and thought this might cure both me and the universal bedding issue.
In bulk.
lol

So if I got the Degu bedding I could use it for the rabbit as well?

[Karma]

I use original carefresh when I use bedding. My store only carries the original and ultra - ultra is more expensive and a smaller package. The crinkles we had sample bags for a little bit and is similar to another brand we carry. It seemed to compress down really easy.

Right now I've been back and forth from just wiping up the pee marks 3-4 times a day or using old sheets to cover the bottom. I have metal trays coming for my critter nation and then may use carefresh again not sure. The goos LOVE the sheets and have made tunnels in them all over the cage. I may just continue to use them as long as they decide not to chew them.

[deguconvert]

The finacard will be excellent for your coming rabbit as well. I've always wanted a rabbit!! Congratulations!

[mhb]

Thanks for the replies - I thought both 'Rabbit Bedding' and 'Degu Bedding' looked similar on the website.

My fiancee wanted a pet she could maul, I mean cuddle.
She was hoping the Degus would do that!
Our three look at you like you are mental if you tickle them - they are happy to run all over you but try and hold them or tickle them and they start looking at you like 'What the hell are you doing to me' before moving out the way.
lol

The rabbit will be slower and less resistant!

[luna1]

I use a product called bedXcel, it is sold for equines. It is recycled small squares of cardboard, it sounds like premier bed or Finacard. It is sold in 20 kilo sacks and is completely dust free as they extract it all but is quite light and I have to put a good 2/3 inches of it in to enable them to dig. I think I pay around £13 per bale, this is cost effective for me as I have 5 huge, homemade cages to fill. The only problem that I have found is that when I put it on my different levels in the cage it moves around a lot so leaves the wooden levels bare and then of course they pee on the wood. it is good in my deep trays at the bottom of the cages though.

We have our G.Pigs living indoors in a huge floor pen and we put Megazorb in there and use a whole bag at a time to cover all the floor space. It is very light. We mixed some of it in with the BedXcel on the Degu levels but they were concerning me because, typical Goos, they started eating it! But it didn't seem as slippy on the levels and covered the wood more effectively than just the Xcel but I am also concerned about them eating it so am cautious as to whether I put it in again.