Yesterday's News as Pet Bedding

Cedar and pine shavings are no longer recommended as bedding for small pets; fortunately many alternatives have become available. Yesterday's News is a pretty good alternative: it is made of recycled newspapers (thus the name) and formed into a relatively firm pellet that is absorbent and good at odor control.

• Very absorbent.
• Good odor control.
• Relatively inexpensive, especially if you use the kitty litter type (more on this below).
• Readily available (the kitty litter type can sometimes even be found in grocery stores).

Cons

• Not very soft or "cozy" -- I feel the need to add a layer of softer bedding to give my rats something to cuddle up in and provide a softer surface for wandering around on.
• By the time you line a good sized cage you have used a fair amount (makes the garbage heavy at cleaning time!).

Yesterday's News comes in a variety of types. Originally it was made as Cat Litter, and is usually easy to find in the cat litter section of stores. Yetsterday's News Cat Litter comes in both Original Texture and also in Softer Texture. Yesterday's News also produces a product called Small Animal Bedding, as well as a specific Rabbit Litter and a Ferret Litter. I've never tried either the rabbit or ferret formulations, so can't comment on these (apparently the texture is designed specifically for the species). Yesterday's News Cat Litter is available in a variety of sizes, while the Small Animal Bedding comes in 20 pound bags. The rabbit and ferret litters only appear to be available in 10 pound bags which owners may find somewhat impractical and less economical.

Overall, I consider Yesterday's News a good choice as bedding for small animals. It's very absorbent and helps control odor, and it is not dusty. I'm not that fond of the texture -- the pellets are pretty hard and I imagine them to be a bit uncomfortable as a surface (though perhaps I am projecting my own feelings here). However, as long as you provide some softer materials for nesting and sleeping, I think it is a great option due to its effectiveness. Personally, I have settled on using a layer of Yesterday's News covered with a layer of Ultra CareFresh to get the best of both worlds. I also use Yesterday's News in the rats' litter boxes.

I started out using Yesterday's News Pet Bedding and have used it in my rats' litter boxes since day one. As bedding, I first tried Yesterday's News Small Animal Bedding, and more recently have used Yesterday's News Soft Texture Cat Litter instead. Depending where you live and shop, you may find rather significant savings by using the cat litter instead, and from what I can tell the Soft Texture Litter and the Small Animal Bedding are pretty similar in texture. For me, the Cat Litter works out to half the price of the Small Animal Bedding, though at online outlets I have checked the price differential is often negligible. In any case, I have been just as happy with the Soft Texture Cat Litter as with the Small Animal Bedding. A photo at the left shows them side by side; to me they are both close in appearance and feel.