This article is from the WSSF 2015 AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

By Karen Robbins

CageTech Pellets.

CageTech 99% Dust-Free Cellulose Animal Bedding is made from recycled paper fiber providing exceptional absorbency and superior odor control. The natural fibers absorb quickly to neutralize ammonia odors. CageTech is ideal for both contact and non contact bedding. It is manufactured under consistent and defined parameters. Strict operating procedures are followed to ensure the most consistent material compositions in cellulose fiber animal bedding. CageTech is lightweight, easy to handle and does not stick to the bedding surface when wet making it easily disposed of without extra cleaning.

CageTech 35# bag of pellets. Photo ©2016 Karen Robbins.

This product is similar to other paper pellets though it is cheaper in price. It comes in pellets and a soft texture that looks like ground up CareFRESH®. I only tried the pellets which are softer feeling compared to the Paperchip® pellets. It is a mix of broken smaller pieces with the pellets. The smell is similar to CareFRESH® with a mild paper smell.

This was mainly tested on the rats to see how it compared to Paperchip® pellets. I tried it with aspen chips or aspen chips and shavings mixed. In the several cages tested, only one had an ammonia smell even though the cage didn’t look dirty. The other cages just had a dirty cage smell at cleaning time. It lasted about the same amount of time as the Paperchip® pellets. Since this is cheaper in price, I will continue using it in the rat cages underneath the aspen chips or shavings.

I did try it on a couple cages of mice but the aspen pellets are much better for them. This is definitely one to consider for those looking for an economical paper pellet to be either used underneath aspen chips/ shavings or in rat litter boxes. My rats give this 3 squeaks of approval.

CageTech Soft (not tested).

Overall results:

• smell of fresh product: good
• no dust: good
• not colorizing the critters: good
• odor control: good

NOTE: CageTech comes in a 35 lb bag of pellets or a 16 lb bag of the soft texture. It is manufactured by Stutzman Environmental Products, Inc., P.O. Box 307, Canby, OR 97013. [Ed. Note: CageTech is no longer being made.]

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