#rat bedding

I think it mostly depends on personal preference. A lot of people will use fleece because it’s washable & reusable, but rats are quite messy & fleece can only absorb so much. It’s common for hedgehogs to sew multi-layer liners, but hedgehogs don’t chew their bedding like rats do. So I’m not sure if that’s as common for rat owners? 

Loose bedding is usually better at handling the mess & smell of rodents, but unfortunately a lot of the choices for loose bedding can have health drawbacks, since rats & mice are so prone to URIs from dust, and it can be a lot messier (in terms of getting everywhere).

A compromise could include lower levels with guards on the side of the cage that have loose bedding so the rats can dig (and forage!) in it & to help with the mess/smell build up, and fleece coverings on the ramps & higher levels? You could replace the smaller sections of fleece a few times a week, then do a weekly clean of the whole cage & remove the loose bedding at that time. Honestly, I like the idea of that for when/if I manage to get some ratties myself.

For fleece covers, check out Etsy! There are lots of shops that sell fleece bedding for various cages, including the Ferret Nation. :) They also sell sets of things for hiding/sleeping in, like hammocks, tunnels, huts, etc., which would be great for ratty sleep time.

And I did a quick search since I didn’t know offhand, and there are scatter guard accessories sold for the Ferret Nation! https://www.ferret.com/item/ferret-nation-scatter-guard/650415/ If you want something cheaper, you could get coroplast (you can usually find it with the glass & plexiglass panels of home improvement stores) or something similar & ziptie it to the cage.