Buying bedding for small animals can be quite challenging. 🐭 🐹 🐰 🛏 😓
It’s definitely much harder than buying some sheets and a duvet for ourselves…
Even the most experienced rat owners would agree, given the enormous range of choices available online and in pet stores across the country.
You need some help.
But today’s your lucky day — a comprehensive guide is sitting right here at your fingertips.
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First, thank Google for bringing you here, and then start scrolling.
The 8 Best Rat Beddings reviewed in this article, at a glance:
- Oxbow Pure Comfort Small Animal Bedding
- ECO BEDDING FiberCore Paper Bedding
- Kaytee Aspen Small Pet Bedding
- Carefresh Bedding for Small Pets
- Vitakraft Fresh World Strength Bedding for Small Pets
- Dr. Hemp All Natural Pet Bedding Bag
- Super Soft Cute Dot Pattern Pet Blanket (Pack of 3)
Note: Clicking the above links will take you to further information, current prices and customer reviews on Amazon.
You’ll uncover a shortlist of eight excellent rat beddings that are guaranteed to turn your rat’s cage into a paradise of softness and warmth.
So let’s dive in headfirst and uncover the perfect product for your fluffball!
Table of Contents
The Eight Best Rat Beddings of 2023
Oxbow Pure Comfort Small Animal Bedding
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If you’re searching for the very best bedding for rats, then don’t search any further!
Oxbow Pure Comfort is the product for you and little ratties.
It’s so good that you could easily stop reading this article, order it, and be fully satisfied with your decision.
Why is it head and shoulders above its competition?
Well, for starters, it’s made by Oxbow, a company famed for its commitment to producing only the best for our small animals. And this high-quality bedding does nothing but cement this reputation.
What else?
- It’s more absorbent than the other leading brands.
- It’s dust-free.
- It has an incredibly fluffy and soft texture.
This bedding material is simply the bomb!
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- Odor absorbent to minimize pet odors
- Moisture absorbent for easy cleanup
- 99. 9% Dust Free
- Pure, Never-printed paper Bedding is soft, hygienic and safe
Pros
- Excellent at absorbing odor and moisture
- Dust-free
- Made from pure, never-printed paper
- 100% safe
- Also great for other types of small animals, like guinea pigs and rabbits
- Manufactured by Oxbow, one of the world’s leading small pet specialists
- Fairly priced
Cons
- None to note
ECO BEDDING FiberCore Paper Bedding
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Coming in second place is an innovative solution from ECO BEDDING.
As you could guess from the company name, this product’s forte is its commitment to sustainable manufacturing.
This makes it an outstanding choice for any environmentally-conscious rat owner looking for ways to reduce their carbon pawprint.
But don’t worry about having to sacrifice performance for sustainability — there’s no need.
This is good bedding that ticks all the boxes (free from dust, non-toxic, highly absorbent, comfy), with the one exception that it’s only average at masking smells.
Buy it without hesitating!
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- HAPPY HOME: Eco Bedding provides great environmental enrichment for many small pets including rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, birds, ferrets, mice, rats, and even puppies.
- LESS STRESS: Eco Bedding's unique interlocking crinkle paper encourages and helps with natural burrowing, foraging, and nesting activities, which can help reduce stress and stress-related illnesses and behaviors with animals.
- PREMIUM PAPER: Our bedding is dust-free, which makes it a safer option than hay, straw, or wood chips. It’s made out of 100% recycled stock paper.
- SANITARY: Our Eco Bedding is highly absorbent and is designed to make cleaning up easier. You’re able to spot clean without the soiled bedding sticking which creates neater cage and crate areas.
- WORKING TOGETHER: We care about our community as much we care about the livelihood of animals and the planet. Eco Bedding is a packed with the help of a remarkable group of adults with disabilities through several county programs in Northeast Ohio.
Pros
- Biodegradable and environmentally friendly
- Hypoallergenic = safe for small pets and owners with allergies/asthma
- Funky shapes create a diverse cage environment
- Cleans easily without any sticking
- Made in the USA
- Socially conscious — packaged with the help of adults living with disabilities
Cons
- Not the best at controlling odors
- On the pricey side
Kaytee Aspen Small Pet Bedding
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Considering using wood shavings as your pet’s cage bedding material?
Good thinking.
But don’t just get some random shavings; get Kaytee’s Aspen Small Pet Bedding!
This is the market-leading product in this category, thanks to its combination of absorbency, consistent quality, and value for money.
Our absolute favorite thing about this bedding is that it fills our living room with a slight smell of freshly cut wood…
Both you and your rats will enjoy the delightful scent!
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- Hard wood bedding
- No aromatic oils or inks.
- Can be used in all cages, aquariums and Crittertrails
- All natural
Pros
- Made from premium aspen wood shavings
- No harmful aromatic oils or inks
- All-natural odor control
- Can be used in any type of small pet cages
- Biodegradable
- Soft to the touch
- Effective at absorbing waste
Cons
- Prone to being a bit dusty
- Messy if kicked out of cages and litter trays
- Poor packaging
Carefresh Bedding for Small Pets
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Healthy Pet’s Carefresh narrowly missed out on a podium finish — it was neck to neck all the way until the end!
We’re talking about a sustainably produced, virtually dust-free bedding that’s ultra-soft, ultra-absorbent, and comes in a variety of fun colors.
What’s not to like?
Just one thing… and it’s this one thing that cost it a top-three finish:
There’s a small risk of receiving a bag where the bedding materials are past their prime and need to be tossed out.
Still, the vast majority of bags deliver excellent quality natural bedding at a fair price.
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- Small Pet Bedding: Our natural paper fiber bedding makes the softest, driest most comfortable home for small pets
- Pillowy Soft: Comfyfluff natural paper bedding made from scratch is gentle on sensitive feet with perfect texture for burrowing, tunneling, nesting, or creating a hamster hideout; ideal rat, mice or guinea pig bedding, rabbit litter or for small pets
- Exceptional Odor Control: Ideal for use as hamster bedding, guinea pig habitat lining, or bunny bedding, our pet-safe, proven odor-control formula suppresses ammonia odors for up to 10 days
- Ultra-Absorbent: 2X more absorbent than shavings, our natural paper bedding keeps small pets and their homes warm and dry with no more soggy messes to clean up
- 99 percent Dust-Free: Free of harmful chemicals and synthetic dyes, our high performance bedding is virtually dust free so your pet can enjoy a cleaner, healthier home. Biodegradable and compostable means better for the planet too
Pros
- 99% dust-free
- Pillowy soft
- Great for tunneling, nesting, burrowing, and absorbing waste and odors
- Made from natural paper that’s free from harmful chemicals and dyes
- Over 16,000 5-star reviews on Amazon
- Available in various sizes and colors
- Healthy Pet supports animal shelters and rescues
Cons
- Prone to being a bit dusty
- Inconsistent quality — there’s a minor risk of receiving an old bag that smells
Vitakraft Fresh World Strength Bedding for Small Pets
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If odor control is your top priority, Vitakraft’s paper pellet bedding should be high on your list of products to try out.
It has the unbelievable ability to keep your rat cages smelling fresh for up to two weeks.
And it does so without having to resort to potentially harmful baking soda like the other scented beddings do!
Just one thing… and it’s this one thing that cost it a top-three finish:
Pretty unbelievable stuff.
Anything else you should know?
It’ll absorb waste materials better than other paper pellets, but not quite as well as shredded paper bedding for rats.
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- SUPERIOR ODOR CONTROL: Up to 14 days of odor control to keep your home and your bunny, chinchilla, guinea pig, or hamster's home smelling clean and fresh
- EXTRA ABSORBANT: Fresh World is heavier and more absorbent than normal bedding with up to 3x expansion, making it paper bedding small animals and their parents can rely on
- SAFE AND COMFORTABLE: Extra soft for easy comfort, 99.5% dust-free, and free of baking soda. No more sneezing for your small pet, no more worrying for you
- ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY: Made from 100% real recycled paper that you can see and smell. Biodegradable and compostable
- LOW MAINTENANCE: With regular spot cleaning, the Ultra Strength formula can control odor for up to 14 days. Change bedding when wet, or once the odor blocker is no longer effectively controlling odors
Pros
- Best odor control on the market
- Soft and cozy
- Keeps your cage and litter box smelling pleasant for up to 14 days
- Manufactured from 100% recycled paper
- Made in the USA
- Baking soda-free
- Biodegradable and compostable
Cons
- Expensive
- Not suitable for burrowing or digging
- Risk of poor packaging
Sunseed 18222 Fresh World Bedding for Small Pets
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Sunseed’s paper-based bedding is a great alternative for owners looking for superior odor control.
It keeps your cage fresh for a minimum of seven days, and it absorbs three times its weight in waste.
Not shabby at all.
The only downside is that it contains baking soda, a potentially harmful additive some owners prefer to stay away from.
The jury’s still out on whether or not it’s safe for pet rats, but if it bothers you, stick to Vitakraft.
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- Fresh world bedding is a paper based litter made with baking soda for superior odor control
- Made from phenol free Recycled newspapers and magazines making it is effective and
- Have the best odor control and absorbency of any small animal bedding
- Available in Gray color; bedding weighs 20-pounds
- Expanded volume 2130-Cubic" Size
Pros
- 99.5% dust-free
- Biodegradable bedding
- Excellent at neutralizing bad smells
- Produced from phenol-free recycled paper
- Sold in a resealable bag to keep the bedding fresher for longer
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Pricey
- Contains baking soda, a potentially harmful substance
Dr. Hemp All Natural Pet Bedding Bag
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Trying to find 100% natural bedding that’s resistant to mold?
Well, we’ve got news for you.
You’ve just found it — Dr. Hemp’s Amazing Pet Bedding.
Your pet rat’s sensitive respiratory system is sure to thank you for your detective work — the dust and chemical-free environment is precisely what the doctor ordered!
One word of warning, though:
Hemp bedding will cost you big bucks.
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- Very High Absorbency Allows the bedding material to stay dry longer than straw or wood shavings - Hemp bedding will absorb four times its own weight
- Low Dust and Low Palatability Are Two critical qualities in limiting respiratory and other health risks in rabbits, hamsters, and other small animals
- Chemical Free Industrial hemp requires limited pesticides or herbicides when grown which prevents chemical residues being transferred to your animal
- The longer life of hemp bedding immediately translates into dollar savings through reductions in labor, transport, and storage costs
- Made In The USA
Pros
- Absorbs four times its own weight in rat waste
- No chemical residue
- Unpalatable — your rats won’t eat it
- Virtually dust-free
- Grown in the Netherlands, packaged in the USA
Cons
- Very expensive
- Comes in a small bag
Super Soft Cute Dot Pattern Pet Blanket (Pack of 3)
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Fleece blankets are another standout option.
They keep rats warm, soft, and cozy.
Just think about it — even you’d sleep on them if they were big enough!
So why isn’t fleece our top choice?
Because of convenience — well, more like the complete lack of convenience.
You have to change these blankets every other day and immediately wash them.
Annoying.
P.S. If you pick fleece, you should also get a natural detergent (like this cleaner liquid ), as it’ll work miracles when you have to wash bedding regularly!
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- SIZE: The small/medium/large pet blankets contain 3 covers per pack. Small: 23" x16"(60*40cm) / Medium: 30"x20"(76*52cm) / Large: 41"x31" (104*78cm).Value pack!
- MATERIAL: 100% double-sided coral velvet textures (polyester).The blankets are made of ultra-soft extravagant fabric.
- EASY TO WASH/CLEAN: 100% machine washable. The blankets not only look elegant, it is also easy to clean and dry. It can be utilized as a cover or quilt for dogs, cats and other pets.
- USAGE: Protect furniture from scratching and pet hair. Cute and lovely paw print design. No pilling, skin-friendly, perfect for the couch, sofa, bed and pet carrier.
- EASY TO CARRY: The blankets are soft and lightweight. It's perfect to take it to participate in outdoor activities, such as traveling, camping, and picnic. Keep your pets warm and cozy during sleeping in the outdoors.
Pros
- High-quality blankets
- Softest, cuddliest bedding on this list
- Cheap
- Machine washable
- One-off cost instead of monthly purchases
- Breaks the vicious ‘rat see bedding, rat eat bedding’ cycle
Cons
- No odor control
- Doesn’t absorb urine as well as the competition
- Blankets need to be changed and washed three to four times a week
Buyer’s Guide to the Best Bedding for Rats
Pet owners like us only want the best for their animal family members. 🐭 ❤️
A happy, healthy pet is the most important thing in our books.
And this means we have to do some in-depth research BEFORE buying anything for our little critters.
It makes perfect sense.
Given this knowledge, we’ve pulled together this handy buyer’s guide section, where we deep dive into seven FAQs about rat bedding.
Your rat’s cage will look, feel, and smell better than ever before! 👀 🖐 👃
What Should I Look For When Buying Rat Bedding?
Keep a careful eye out for the following factors:
- Materials — Rat bedding comes in a wide range of materials, so please check out the following question for all the details you’ll ever need to know!
- Absorbency —This is the most critical characteristic of pet rat bedding. The more absorbent the bedding, the better it is! A quality product keeps your rats dry for a long time and saves you from the hassle of frequent cage cleanups.
- Odor control —Pick rat beddings that neutralize smells and odors for as long as possible. Why? Because nobody wants a stinky home!
- 99% dust-free —It’s best to minimize dust for two reasons. One, it can irritate your rat’s sensitive respiratory system, and two, it’s messy.
- Quantity — Buying in bulk makes sense because it helps pet owners save money. However, be careful and only buy large bags after you’ve tested a product out.
- Feel —Always stick to bedding that’s soft and comfy; your rat will literally spend his life on it!
What Types of Bedding Material Are Available for Rats?
The best bedding options include:
- Shredded paper bedding
- Aspen bedding
- Fleece bedding
- Hemp bedding
- Recycled paper cat litter
- Reclaimed wood pulp bedding (this alternative from Healthy Pet is a good place to start exploring)
However, you need to be aware that unhealthy options are also widely available.
So take a note of them and stay away:
- Pine bedding or cedar bedding (as both pine and cedar oils are toxic to your small pet’s respiratory system)
- Corn cob bedding (dangerous due to how quickly it rots and molds)
- Clumping cat litters (causes respiratory and digestive problems)
- A ratty tatty cloth (can break up and cause injuries)
Can I Recycle Used Rat Bedding?
No, unfortunately, you can’t recycle your pet’s bedding because it’s been soiled and compromised.
However, soiled bedding makes for terrific compost material, so toss it in your compost bin and watch as the circle of life unfolds!
What Should I Do if My Rats Are Eating the Bedding?
Don’t worry; it’s pretty normal behavior that your pet rat eats its bedding.
The key is preventing any health issues by only buying the best bedding for rats. You know, like one of the eight products we reviewed above.
This way, you can rest assured that the odd bit of bedding they chew on won’t cause any harm.
Does Rat Bedding Control Odor?
Yes, odor control is one of the main reasons to buy a commercial rat bedding rather than making your own DIY version.
Paper bedding is particularly excellent at masking the smell of rat pee and droppings — so pick one of these products if you have a sensitive nose!
How Often Should I Change My Rat’s Bedding?
You should aim to clean your rat’s cage and change their bedding once a week at the very least.
However, your nose is your best friend when it comes to making this decision.
As soon as you start to notice a foul smell coming from your ratty’s cage, it’s a surefire sign that you need to change it and give it a proper scrub.
Any Other Tips for my Rats Bedding?
Yes, don’t forget to throw some nesting material into their cage!
You can try things like unscented toilet tissue, extra-soft paper towels, or even fabric diapers. These materials are marvelous for snuggling up with…
Trust us; your little buddies will thank you for it. 🤗
Final Thoughts on the Best Bedding for Rats
It’s time to shimmy on over to Amazon or your nearest pet store and buy your favorite bedding for adorable pet rats.
Which one will you pick?
Trust your gut feeling and go for the one that made you say ‘Eureka!’ when you saw it.
But what if your gut is still feeling a little bit hesitant?
No worries.
Just play it safe and order one of the top three products:
You simply can’t go wrong with these options.
Well, that’s it for today; thank you for reading, and enjoy your dry, odorless rat cage! ☺️
