Litter & Bedding

I strongly feel that sawdust, wood shavings and other wood based litters should not be used for mice. They are often very dusty and also give off phenols that have been shown to cause serious respiratory (breathing) problems and allergies - see here for more details. Unfortunately sawdust still seems to be what most people automatically buy and use when they keep small animals, mainly because it is so widely available and the alternatives little known. However there are many easily available, safe litters on the market many of which can work out just as cheap as sawdust. Most of them are made of paper or card which makes them re-recyclable and environmentally friendly as well as much better for the mice!

I currently use a 50/50 mix of Carefresh and Ecopetbed with my mice which I have found absorbent and good at controlling odors whilst still being good for them to burrow and nest in. There is more information about the different types of litters in the Product Reviews section.

Bedding is the term used to describe the nesting material that your mice will use to sleep in. There are many commercial animal beddings available, such as Safe Bed, but the cotton wool type beddings can become wrapped around limbs and have been known to cause serious injury to small animals. These are best avoided, but shredded paper or ‘J cloth’ type beddings can make a warm and comfortable bed for your mice. Similarly torn up or shredded newspaper (printing inks are non-toxic these days), kitchen towel or tissues can be used and are often cheaper than shop bought beddings.