This article is from the Mar./Apr. 1996 AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

By Nichole Royer

Recently my neighbors asked me to watch their two rats while they were on vacation. I was happy to do so, and as an added bonus got to test a new bedding in the process.

Critter Country is a pelleted litter made out of a blend of plant fibers. It has a slight odor which I did not find unpleasant and a natural greenish color.

I am usually not too thrilled with pelleted bedding, but my neighbors’ rats seem to like it and got upset when I switched them to Sani-Chips® (it stuck to their feet). My own rats nibbled on it some (it’s safe if ingested) and were not particularly unhappy with it. I did discover that it did an excellent job of reducing the smell of my male mice.

I was very pleased with the results obtained when mixing Sani-Chips® and Critter Country 50-50 in my mouse cages. Critter Country is more expensive than Sani-Chips, but is reasonable and more readily available. Most pet stores carry it in their reptile section.

For members who live in places where many of the other beddings are unavailable, this is an excellent alternative to cedar and pine.