Do you have to have something in the litterpan?

[sawyer_gota_gun]

Do you have to put bedding of some type in the litterpan or can it be left empty? I know some ppl's rats just knock it all out immeditely so when the rats pee does it get on their feet?

I'm not sure what to use for their litterpans 

Carefresh/aspen would be too expensive, clumping cat litter is dusty and they could eat it... is YN cheap? I've never seen it before at any stores, where should I look? Or could I use stredded newspaper? Is the ink bad for them?

sorry for all the questions 

[Johnny_]

Rats almost never pee in the litterpan, usually just poo.  If you get aspen at your local tractor supply its really cheap.

[Cigar]

My females pee in their litterbox. I use a small animal litter right now [low dust, very fine grain, clumping] but I'm on my last box and then I'm switching to YN to see what it's like.

[sawyer_gota_gun]

Ok, thanks   I dont know of any local tractor.. I'll have to loook around.

Why dont most pee in the litterpans?   There isn't any way to train them to?
My hamsters all pee in their litterpans and never have any accidents. Since rats are much smarter I figured they wouldn't have any trouble.

lol no wonder everyone has so many extra towels and fleece. I'm assuming they pee on them? So do you just throw them in the washer every couple days or something?

Would males be worse about peeing everywhere? I'm getting 5 males (5 & 6 wks old).

[Johnny_]

A lot of people on this forum say that there's don't pee in the litterbox.  My cage has a whole bottom level to go to the bathroom in, but I still find pee on the shelves.
Yes most people wash them every 2-3 days and have two pairs to switch them out.
I've heard both sides that males pee more and females pee more.  I know males will pee in weirder places, like upside down.

[Cigar]

My male wouldn't use a litterbox to save his life. I've tried and tried but no dice. I think it's because I didn't impose it on him early enough and he's just a stubborn buck! It's not impossible so don't get discouraged.

Males tend to mark alot so I change his towels/fleece and clean all the shelves, ramps, etc. every other day. I've heard that throwing little scrap pieces everywhere works nicely; the boys will want to mark them. I do a poopcheck/scoop litter once in the morning and once at night depending on what they're like.

[gracie]

When my girls are out of their cage they joyfully mark up everything they take a liking to...I'm assuming they do this for the same reason in their cage as well. I think its just natural for them, and they like being surrounded by their own, pungent, scent. Pooping in the litter box is much easier for them.

[Ratty Krazy]

NONE of my 17 rats pee in the litter box.  It's a marking thing.  They tend to mark their territory more than a hampster does.  You don't necessarily need to put something in the Litter box but I"m not sure if they will go in it if there's nothing in it.  YN isn't all too expensive.  I got a big bag of it for like $10-$12 and it lasts me about 3 weeks with 17 rats.

[Brooke and Ratties]

All my girls use the litter box for their poo's (Almost 100%, not quite) and I even have a few that pee in it occationally because I have see in done! 

For my litter box's I use unscented cat litter. You are not supposed to use it as a litter for the whole cage because it can be dusty, but in the litter boxes it's fine.

[Troter]

I have one rat that will almost always pee and pooh in his litter box 100% of the time (that's outside of his cage. Inside, they have the whole bottom to go in...).. he did have his first accident today though... but, it was my fault. I moved a stuffed animal, and it scared the pajeebers out of him.

Then, my other rat... well... let's just say we're working on it

[RatStars]

I used crushed walnut shell. It can usually be found in the bird aisle. It's ground up very small (not quite like sand) so it allows me to scoop out the dirty parts and the poop without changing the entire litterbox. I have a spoon that is designated for this task. I just scoop it once a day and change it as needed. One box gets used more than the other two so it gets changed every few days but the other two boxes only need new litter about once a week. Walnut shell is not cheap but it lasts pretty long that way. Most of my girls just poop in the litter box but I do have one hairless girl who pees in it.

[Troter]

With the crushed walnut, can you see pee spots?

[Maddeebear]

The litter in the litterbox has to be different than the bedding the ratties walk and sleep on. That helps them differenciate between the bathroom and the sleep areas. I personally use Cell Sorb. I get it in huge bags so it lasts me forever. I mix it with crushed walnut shell because I heard rats are inclined to go to the bathroom on them. I've tried just the walnut shells but it makes a mess when my rats kick it out and the tiny bits get stuck in all the towels and makes it hard to clean. Yesterday's News also works well. My rats are stubborn and only 2 of them use the litter box all the time, but it's easier for me to spot clean every day than get custom trays for the FN.

[Pamnangel]

I have the litterboxes with the grates, so the boys are never in the litter.  I also put alfalfa pellets in the box to absorb urine.  It smells good and it's cheap.  I get a 50# bag from the local feed store for $10.  As far as actually using the litterbox...well, they like to sleep there and they tend to poo wherever they sleep.  Which also why I frequently have to shake out the hammocks!