Aspen bedding – The best wood bedding for small animals and why…

If you think about preparing a safe living space for our small pets, Aspen Bedding is something you should never forget. It is one of the most known types of bedding you can use. Aspen bedding is a bulk of natural hardwood shavings from the Aspen tree, spread into a layer. This is where your pet would rest on. Why is Aspen bedding so popular? Well, Keep on reading. You will know all the facts regarding Aspen bedding and why you should use it over other beddings. 

 

 

An introduction to “Animal Bedding”…

 

Generally, “Bedding” in animal husbandry is an organic material animals use to support their bodies while resting or stationary. Bedding helps to reduce heat loss and pressure on the skin. It also helps to minimize waste contamination produced by an animal or anyone with whom it shares the living space.

 

Why bedding for your pet? 

 

Before moving on to Aspen bedding, lets us see why small animals need bedding in the first place. Bedding in simply provides comfort for these animals. If you construct them properly, these cushioned structures reduce rough textures and irritability that cause pressure, pain, and stress on your pet. This also prevents bruising and preserves the physical beauty of the animal. 

 

The most crucial factor is that bedding creates an environment of moisture retention. Although it cannot prevent all microbial activity, bedding absorbs considerable moisture in the animal’s living environment. By absorbing excess urine, bedding helps to keep the cage dry until you change bedding material. A drier cage can promote ventilation and decrease harmful levels of pathogens.

 

Insulation against cold weather and odor control are two other critical purposes. Bedding helps to decrease and filter dust to protect against respiratory infections. It also helps to create an environment encouraging chemical resistance and thermoregulation. All these factors together create an ideal, peaceful environment. Therefore, it helps to improve the overall productivity, life, and wellbeing of the pet.

 

 

What are the general types of Beddings?

 

There are several types of shavings available for beddings; Wood, Hemp, Corncob, Paper, hay, wood chips, sawdust, sand, waterbeds, to name a few. Wood shavings like Pine, cedar, and Aspen are the most common due to their absorbing and odor control properties. Different textures, like soft shreds, fine cut, thick-cut, etc., are also available for different animals.

 

The problem with wood shavings is that they can be dusty and contain aromatic oils. They can cause respiratory, urinary tract, gastrointestinal, skin disorders, and other health issues in some animals. However, Aspen and kiln-dried wood shavings contain less dust, and manufacturers have removed the oils. That is why shredded aspen bedding is ideal for small animals. 

 

What is aspen bedding made of ? 

 

Aspen bedding is made of shavings obtained from the hardwood of Aspen trees. Aspens are usually medium-sized, deciduous trees with a height of 15–30 m. It is a hardwood with less dust and aromatic oils. Manufacturers make Aspen shavings by shredding this natural Aspen wood. Most manufacturers process these shaving further to make them optimal for animal bedding. E.g., Kiln-drying to eliminate excess dust and wood debris found in other bedding.

 

What is Aspen bedding used for ?

 

The most significant use of Aspen bedding is as resting materials for small animals. It is a good choice for small pets such as hamsters, rats, mice, and gerbils. Further, you can use Aspen bedding for horses, snakes, hamsters, and chickens as well. Aspen pet bedding is very cost-effective, absorbing, and does a fair job in odor control. 

Let us discuss in detail about few of the most common pets that use Aspen as their beddings.

 

For guinea pigs –

 

As guinea pigs are delicate and highly prone to infections, owners often wonder, “is aspen bedding safe for guinea pigs?” According to research conducted by the Animal Welfare Research Arena, 40% of the owners reported their guinea pigs to have a bacterial infection diagnosis at least once during their lifetime. 

 

Due to the absorbance and absence of essential oils in aspen bedding, guinea pigs get the optimum conditions. 

 

Some Aspen bedding materials can be very dusty depending on the amount of processing and quality. Therefore, you need to be careful about the quality of the Aspen bedding you use. 

 

For snakes – 

 

Aspen snake bedding is a professional recommendation for snakes. The unique feature of Aspen bedding is its natural substrate that gives snakes the feel of the wild. So, snakes can make burrows and nests as in the forests. 

 

 

Aspen bedding for hamsters-

 

“Is Aspen shavings good for hamsters?” is such a frequent question. And the simple answer is yes! 

According to some sources, Aspen is the only safe wood-based bedding for hamsters. Because other wood beddings like Pine and Cedar are highly toxic to your hamster due to their dusty and high aromatic nature. But if you use poor quality aspen bedding, hamster health will not be as good as we describe here. 

 

Aspen bedding for rats/ aspen bedding for rabbits –

 

Aspen bedding is suitable for rabbits and rats too. The phenols in softwood like Pine or cedar are not available to the same amount in hardwood beddings. Therefore, hardwood bedding materials like Aspen are much safer. Even the professionals recommend them for rabbits and rats. However, it is optimum to use bedding like “paper” for these pets. 

Where can I buy aspen bedding?

You can buy Aspen bedding bulk from your nearest physical market. If not, you can definitely purchase bulk aspen bedding in any Walmart outlet. They are available in several sizes and volumes with different textures. You can choose the volumes and textures according to your requirement. 

 

As we are very used to online shopping, you can also purchase Aspen bedding bulks from several online platforms. 

 

Walmart – 

 

Like the physical Walmart, all sorts of Aspen beddings are also available on the Walmart website. Visit the Walmart website on www.walmart.com, or you can type “Aspen bedding Walmart” in the search engine, and you’ll get the link. Here, you can choose from the available Walmart aspen bedding brands. 

 

Tractor Supply Company –

 

Tractor Supply Company is another excellent place to buy Aspen beddings. This company is not only a distributor but also a manufacturer of Aspen beddings. This 80-year-old company is the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States.

 

The company has been serving a niche market of farmers, ranchers, and anyone who enjoys living the rural lifestyle. Tractor Supply Company has well-distributed physical stores and online purchasing platforms as well. It owns 1,955 Tractor Supply outlets in 49 states, a mobile app for customers, and an e-commerce website at www.TractorSupply.com.

 

Tractor Supply has a wide-ranging mix of products needed for land, home, pets, and animals. Another wonderful thing is that their prices are pretty reasonable. Not to mention that this company has excellent customer service too. Since it is a well-established and reliable company, you can buy Tractor supply aspen bedding from this website without a second thought.

 

Zoo Med –

 

Zoo Med Laboratories is a famous name when it comes to reptile husbandry. The company has been serving reptile husbandry for 43 years. Not to mention their 1st UVB lamp developed in 1993 for reptiles changed the way all Zoos, herpetologists, and hobbyists keep reptiles in captivity.

 

Zoo Med Laboratories has over 30 patents and manufactures more than half of its 1200 item product line at its headquarters in San Luis Obispo, California. As you can see, this is a safe place to buy Aspen beddings for your reptilian pet. 

 

Zoo Med Aspen snake bedding is one of the most popular products in reptile husbandry. The bedding provides a safe, naturalistic substrate for snakes, lizards, and small pets to form nests, according to its product description. It also has a 191% absorbency rating and is completely odorless. This Aspen bedding has no toxic oils as in cedar and other similar wood beddings; it also is suitable for birds, lizards, turtles, tortoises, tarantulas, and insects. This product has 4.8 out of 5 stars and 2,596 ratings on Amazon. 

 

Kaytee – 

 

Kaytee Aspen Bedding and shavings are completely natural aspen shavings. These beddings were specially processed to remove dust and wood debris. Similar to Tractor Supply, Kaytee also is a manufacturer with its own website for online purchasing. You can visit the website via www.kaytee.com.

 

There is a variety of shavings as well as sizes you can select. You can call Kaytee aspen bedding reliable bedding primarily due to its high purity compared to most other brands. 

 

 

Amazon –  

 

Amazon is an excellent place where you can find any of the brands mentioned above on one website. Other than Kaytee, Zoo med, you can find brands like AlfaPer and Easy Clean that are pretty reliable. It has a variety of Aspen beddings depending on your requirement. Access the site via www.amazon.com. 

 

However, Amazon has all sorts of products in it with a variety of qualities and prices. Therefore, make sure to read the reviews and ratings before purchasing any bedding. Be careful to choose a reliable brand, as it can directly affect your loving pet’s health. 

You can find Aspen beddings under the category of “shavings” on most of these websites. 

 

Is Aspen or Pine bedding better ?

 

In general, Aspen is considered to be better for animal bedding compared to Pine. The primary reason is Pine is a fine wood, and it has a strong odor caused by volatile oils called phenols. The amount of dust contents in Pine is also high.

 

These are very harmful to small pets and can cause respiratory problems and liver problems. Aspen is a hardwood and compared to Pine; it has very low oil and dust contents. But this is not the case for any Aspen bedding you see; therefore, you need to choose a well-refined Aspen bedding material. 

However, Pine has a better absorption compared to Aspen. But, overall, Aspen is considered a better choice compared to Pine. 

 

The research paper “Preference for bedding material in Syrian hamsters” by Stéphan G. Reebs says something else. This study aims to discover whether Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) prefer specific bedding materials and whether the bedding material can affect body weight gain, paw condition, and wheel-running activity.

 

He conducted four series of experiments using hamsters in cages, each containing a different bedding material. Bedding materials were pine shavings, aspen shavings, corn cob, and wood pellets. The first experiment was about bedding material appropriateness as nesting material. The appropriateness was as follows: –

 

– Pine shavings over aspen shavings, 

– Corn cob over wood pellets. 

– Pine shavings over corn cob 

– Aspen shavings over wood pellets 

 

(No test between aspen shavings versus corn cob)

 

 

Also, there was no significant effect of bedding material on body weight gain, paw condition, and wheel-running activity. None of the four bedding materials tested to be inappropriate in the short term as nesting material if you change the litter regularly. 

 

How to maintain bedding?

 

Your task does not end once you purchase the aspen bedding material and make the bedding for your pet. You need to continuously change and maintain them to retain the health of the animal. As frequent changes must happen, it is better to have a bulk stored with you. Proper storing of bedding is vital to secure the quality of the bedding material.

 

The ideal storage place is in a dry and above-ground level environment. Regular bedding change is crucial to reduce the number of bacteria. The front of the stall is the area with the most bacterial contamination. Pay the closest attention to this area when cleaning and changing the bedding. You will have to increase the frequency of changing the bedding material when the number of animals is higher…