Aspen Shavings ??

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debbie276
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Re: Aspen Shavings ??

Post by debbie276 » Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:06 pm

Luckily I can get it for free since its my dads company ;) But for others they can also get huge bags of it for cheap, and whatever grain size you want.
The walmarts by us only had the one size and it was too big for what I wanted to do with it (sift it out). I ended up throwing more oil-dri out then I wanted to, that's why I switched to the clay kitty litter, it's much finer then oil-dri.
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PrettyBird
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Re: Aspen Shavings ??

Post by PrettyBird » Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:30 pm

oil dry probably just comes in one grain size that might be why. zeolite comes in powdered form, fine grain (like sand) and goes all the way up to rock form. Its pretty neat.

I dont have it in my cages...never thought to use it! lol. I just have either newspaper or shavings right now.
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ranchnanny
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Re: Aspen Shavings ??

Post by ranchnanny » Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:04 pm

Thanks everyone for your comments and opinions regarding the use of Aspen
Shavings and based on what I have read I think I stay with the Pine Pellets. They seem to work best for me.
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6finchfriends
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Re: Aspen Shavings ??

Post by 6finchfriends » Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:59 pm

I use aspen/pine shavings. I like the smell. the huge bag I just got from the feed store doesn't have an odor like the bag from petsmart and it's a lot cheaper. If you don't have plexi-glass or a deep floor it will scatter around when they fly. My husband bought me one of those sweeper brooms (like the ones they use to clean up restaurant floors) and it's a snap to pick up the aspen shavings now. I love that sweeper! The shavings stay fresh a long time and soaks up water quickly and drys quickly (I think).
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Sally
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Re: Aspen Shavings ??

Post by Sally » Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:25 am

debbie276 wrote:
Luckily I can get it for free since its my dads company ;) But for others they can also get huge bags of it for cheap, and whatever grain size you want.
The walmarts by us only had the one size and it was too big for what I wanted to do with it (sift it out). I ended up throwing more oil-dri out then I wanted to, that's why I switched to the clay kitty litter, it's much finer then oil-dri.
I picked up some plain kitty litter tonight and will try that in some of my cages tomorrow. Since I don't have grates in any of my cages, it limits what I can use. I tried pine pellets that I got at the feed store one time--sold to use as horse bedding. The biggest problem I had with it was that when it got wet, it would just crumble and fall apart. Since I use plastic flowerpot saucers for baths in many of the cages, the birds throw quite a bit of water out on the floor of the cage, making a mess of the pellets.
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PrettyBird
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Re: Aspen Shavings ??

Post by PrettyBird » Thu Jan 05, 2012 9:35 pm

has anyone used carefresh in their flights? I have it in my parrotlet cage with the bottom wire grate on top of it. its been good for them, no smell or feathers/seed/shavings flying all over the place.

I was thinking about swapping out my wood shavings out the flight and plutting carefresh in. Atm the goulds are making such a mess when they fly down to the bottom to eat. Im getting shavings everywhere.
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cindy
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Re: Aspen Shavings ??

Post by cindy » Fri Jan 06, 2012 12:22 am

I have and I like it....I used Cozy Comfort, then KayTee changed it and it is more like shredded papertowels, a mess and not great when wet.

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Re: Aspen Shavings ??

Post by Ursula » Sat Jan 07, 2012 6:38 pm

I am getting rid of all aspen shavings in the aviary. I used it for over 4 years but the kaytee that I could get in big bales lost in quality and is very dusty now! My aviary is indoors, adjacent to the living/dining room and the dust was getting too much. Now I am using FiberCore Eco Bedding. These are small paper squiggles and they are almost dust free. I bought 50 pounds to try it out before Christmas and decided that's what I'm going with from now on. I just picked up 2 30 pound boxes today. A store near me orders it especially for me now. Next weekend is big cleaning day, then I'll post pictures afterwards when I've gotten rid of the rest of the aspen and filled it all with Eco bedding.
Walk-in aviary with Waxbills (6 Cordon Bleu, 3 Orange Cheek, 3 Black-rumped, 1 Lavender, ), 1 European Goldfinch, 4 Gouldians, 2 Spice Finches, 6 Owl Finches, 4 Budgies and 2 male Button Quail.
I also have 2 parrotlets, 3 dogs, 1 snake and 3 freshwater fishtanks.

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Re: Aspen Shavings ??

Post by glitterwings » Sun Jan 08, 2012 10:57 pm

Great info! I will also try the Zeolite. Thanks for sharing!
~Amy
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