Bedding question

[newsquirrelma]

Hey, everyone!
We just updated our babies to a new cage. I’m in the process of cleaning it and searching for bedding and other necessities to make our babies feel more at home and comfortable. I’ll include a photo of it in this post. Any recommendations are very appreciated. For some context, we have 3 babies. They all just opened their eyes yesterday and weigh 58 grams today.

Also, has anyone used this bedding before? I haven’t seen a post about it yet.
http://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/kaytee-clean-and-cozy-small-animal-bedding-85-liters-%285184-cu-in%29-2373062

Thanks!

[CritterMom]

I use it little things like mice. It is a nice paper bedding, however you will spend a fortune and it will be in every single nook and cranny and corner of your house in no time.

I use sheets. I place it in the bottom so it is mostly smooth with the edges all piled up around the sides of the cage. Usually you will want to fold the sheet some first, In the morning, gather up, take outside, shake and replace, launder when you can smell squirrel pee. No paper everywhere, much less money even if you have to buy sheets, and nothing that needs to be thrown in a landfill. It feels better on their feet, too.

[newsquirrelma]

It was quite pricey, even on sale. Right now, I’m using old shirts in the plastic container they’re kept in. I have their container in the cage they’re in right now for extra safety until I move them into the new cage. I bought the Kaytee bedding, put it in their cage, but then got scared they’d accidentally get it in their mouths since their eyes weren’t opened yet and then quickly removed it. They seem to like the shirts and I have some old bed sheets to use. Thank you for the suggestion. That definitely sounds easier and a money-saver!

[10xmama]

I have the exact same cage. It’s been great. The first squirrel experience I had was with a litter of 3 pinkie babies…. Back in 2018. It was so fun watching them grow and then releasing them together. They nested together in an old tree in our woods for a couple of months. Such a fun experience!

I also used the Kaytee clean and cozy. I just used that in the cage tray but in their box as babies I used scraps of fleece or fabric (as long as they can’t get their claws tangled in the threads in any way).

As babies I set their box in the cage on its floor and rigged the heating pad up under the box (1/2 on 1/2 off) and covered the pad and its wires with kitchen towels folded around it so they couldn’t chew on it if they ventured out of their box. I was able to turn and press the heating pad wire between the cage bars to get it through and plugged it in in a near by outlet. Once they were regularly moving around and active outside their baby box, I took away the heating pad.. Also, about that time, I purchased a wooden nesting box … I think I got it off the exotic nutrition site. I hung the nesting box in the top area of the cage. All three of my squirrels nested together in it. I put the Kaytee clean and cozy in the nesting box. Once they nested in the nesting box, I removed the baby box and heating pad.

Those 3 babies I had were just the beginning of my squirrel days. They were so much fun and stole my heart! One of the three came to visit me everyday for about 3 years to get a treat or sit on my shoulder and say hi. So welcome to squirrel life! It’s going to be an amazing adventure!