We had been using Aspen bedding for the rats that we feed to our Ball Pythons. My wife bought Cedar shreds because it was cheap, however I know Cedar is toxic to Ball Pythons. I do not believe we should use it since the snakes will be eating those rats. I have heard mixed opinions on this but most lean towards not using it because of the risk. What are everyones thoughts or opinions?
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Iirc from back when i kept pet rats, i believe pine/cedar shavings are just as, if not more, toxic to rats as they are to reptiles, so i wouldn’t use it regardless of whether they’re being used as feeders or not
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Cedar shavings will actually cause respiratory issues in rodents as well. A little bit mixed in might be fine for a little ‘fresh scent’ for us maybe… But I personally wouldn’t use it for them.
I stick to mostly Aspen on my rodents. Sometimes pine if they’re out of Aspen. (Rare)
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Thank you both! That was what I thought and the majority of the feedback I was getting.
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As has been said, cedar is toxic to rodents, definitely don’t use it as rodent bedding.
Some people use pine shavings, which are sometimes cheaper than aspen. Untreated pine also has toxic oils in it, but most pine goes through a process that removes most of the sap/oils before going to market, so most pine shavings should be safe, like the kind sold as horse bedding. (Just don’t chip raw pine yourself and use it for bedding.)
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