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aspen bedding

Yvette

Yvette

I am Yvette.
I was at a pet store today and they had a giant bag of aspen shavings that was super cheap. It was the bedding for rodents though. Is there a difference between the aspen for reptiles and aspen for rodents? The worker said he didn't know, but it's probably the same. I didn't want to buy it without knowing for sure, so does anyone know if it's the same or not?
 
I was gonna say, "make sure it's not pine", but I guess the other thread is suggesting to use pine.

My book here says "avoid using resinous wood mulches such as cedar, pine, fir and walnut, which have toxic aromas or oils especially dangerous to juveniles or animals in cages with low ventilation". (Kathy Love)

If you've ever smelled wet wood of these types they can put off some chemicals that I don't want to breathe.
 
So I looked to see if there is any difference between reptile aspen and rodent aspen and they appear to be the same thing. Does anyone here use rodent aspen? :confused:
 
Yvette said:
So I looked to see if there is any difference between reptile aspen and rodent aspen and they appear to be the same thing. Does anyone here use rodent aspen? :confused:
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They're the same. I buy mine from Walmart. They have pretty big bags of the stuff for under $5. I think the brand is AlfaPet. It's not as nice looking as the reptile stuff but I doubt the snakes care.
 
Aspen is aspen is aspen is aspen, as long as it is only aspen and not mixed with anything or chemicals added for whatever reason.

Personally I like the shredded stuff, which if I recall is usually how the reptile stuff is sold...and the rodent aspen is usually the shaved stuff. I like the shredded stuff because it seems to hold up more to tunneling. I have been lucky and found an equine/farm store that sells aspen bedding for horses and it is more similar to the shredded aspen. I get 45 pounds of the stuff for about 5 bucks. I've had it for a few months now and have barely put a dent in it after multiple cage cleanings.

Here is a pic of what I get, with a 6 qt sterilite for comparison. So yeah, might be worth trying to find a farm supply store to see if you can find anything, because this is a good deal! It is a local product, but there might be something similar in your area.

IMG_2960.jpg
 
Aspen is aspen. The Zoo Med aspen, which is more expensive, is SHREDDED, not chipped, which is what rodent aspen is. You can buy it online at Petco.com for 10 bucks for the 24 quart bag.

Bean Farm sells aspen in 1.5 lb bags for 5 bucks, but I don't know if that's shredded or chipped.

Either way, you can use shredded or chipped aspen. Or you can use shredded newspaper even. And, if you just took a little time to read the back of the bags, or even look at the aspen, you would be able to see how different the ZooMed is compared to other brands of aspen that is in the rodent area. Just remember that the chipped/shaved aspen doesn't hold tunnels that corns use when they burrow, so you pay for what you get. Expensive shredded aspen gives a corn the fun of burrowing and making tunnels, cheap chipped aspen doesn't do the same. Plus, chipped aspen may be dustier.
 
I like shredded better for my snakies, since I feel the chipped aspen is scratchier and shredded is softer.

That's a good idea! There's a farm feed & tack store nearby, I'll check if they have aspen. I think I'm paying $5 or 6 for 4-5 lbs @ Pet Supplies Plus.
 
ZoologyGirl said:
Aspen is aspen is aspen is aspen, as long as it is only aspen and not mixed with anything or chemicals added for whatever reason.

Personally I like the shredded stuff, which if I recall is usually how the reptile stuff is sold...and the rodent aspen is usually the shaved stuff. I like the shredded stuff because it seems to hold up more to tunneling. I have been lucky and found an equine/farm store that sells aspen bedding for horses and it is more similar to the shredded aspen. I get 45 pounds of the stuff for about 5 bucks. I've had it for a few months now and have barely put a dent in it after multiple cage cleanings.

Here is a pic of what I get, with a 6 qt sterilite for comparison. So yeah, might be worth trying to find a farm supply store to see if you can find anything, because this is a good deal! It is a local product, but there might be something similar in your area.

IMG_2960.jpg
Click to expand...

That is the same stuff I use. I get it from Fleet Farm. I have to go 60 miles to get it though. I just buy a few bags at a time. I use it for rodents also. The place that makes it is only 15 miles away from me but they won't sell it there of course. :nope:
 
bondoron said:
That is the same stuff I use. I get it from Fleet Farm. I have to go 60 miles to get it though. I just buy a few bags at a time. I use it for rodents also. The place that makes it is only 15 miles away from me but they won't sell it there of course. :nope:
Click to expand...

Yep I get it from Fleet Farm, too. I live right in Appleton where the main distribution center is so it is pretty easy for me to get! That sucks to have to drive 60 miles when you live much closer to the place that produces it.
 
I've been using the Zoomed (I think) Snake Aspen. It is really nice but its about $10 for an 8 Quart bag... I found some nice shredded aspen at Walmart today too, it is AlfaPet, I believe, and its about the same size as the Zoomed bag (probably larger) and costs about $2. It looks exactly the same too, shredded - not chipped/shaved. It says on the bag "Safe for non-aquatic reptiles".

I bought some Aspen shavings in the past but I hated them, and I think my snakes did too. They have splintery ends, they're from "Premier Pet". I could tell by the way the snakes moved on them they weren't comfortable like the softer shredded aspen. Complete crap imo, I will only get shredded from now on...

Besides, like people have said above, the shredded is good for tunnels and my corn's have a lot of tunnels, my hides don't even need doors, the have tunnels going into them LOL! (They do have doors, I'm just saying :p)
 
HERETiC said:
I've been using the Zoomed (I think) Snake Aspen. It is really nice but its about $10 for an 8 Quart bag... I found some nice shredded aspen at Walmart today too, it is AlfaPet, I believe, and its about the same size as the Zoomed bag (probably larger) and costs about $2. It looks exactly the same too, shredded - not chipped/shaved. It says on the bag "Safe for non-aquatic reptiles".
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You're lucky. My local walmart only sells pine.
 
Raptor said:
You're lucky. My local walmart only sells pine.
Click to expand...

I thought mine only sold pine too, but it turned out the aspen was in the next isle over, completely away from all the other bedding... It was by the dog collars and leashes for some reason, but that is where they put it. I thought it was misplaced, but the price tag is on the shelf.

So you might want to check again sometime, just to be sure. I checked 3 or 4 times, but where the bedding was, I found it this last time purely by mistake.

It looks like nice stuff too, very fine shreds. I haven't bought it yet because I just bought a big bag of Zoomed, once I'm through that though I'm going to try the Walmart Alfapet aspen.
 
HERETiC said:
I thought mine only sold pine too, but it turned out the aspen was in the next isle over, completely away from all the other bedding... It was by the dog collars and leashes for some reason, but that is where they put it. I thought it was misplaced, but the price tag is on the shelf.

So you might want to check again sometime, just to be sure. I checked 3 or 4 times, but where the bedding was, I found it this last time purely by mistake.

It looks like nice stuff too, very fine shreds. I haven't bought it yet because I just bought a big bag of Zoomed, once I'm through that though I'm going to try the Walmart Alfapet aspen.
Click to expand...

I'll have to check that.
 
If you shop around you usually can find some aspen bedding in bulk for dirt cheap prices. Check your phone book for local feed stores and such.
 
Tractor Supply Company (TSC) sells the shredded aspen in the big bale for $6.00. The only problem with that though is there is not one near me and they won't ship it, sold in-store only :(
 
Oo. We have a tractor supply near us. I'm just not sure where I'd store the bale lol.
 
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