Bedding

Proper bedding plays a crucial role in you rat's wellbeing. Unfortunately pet stores still sell bedding that is often completely unsuitable for rats and other small animals and the unsuspecting customer who might not have done enough research on the subject might blindly fall for a sales pitch at the store.

Cedar and Pine beddings are NOT suitable for rats, or for any other small pet. Both of these softwood shavings give off aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols) and acids that are toxic.The phenols and acids can lead to serious respiratory problems. Studies also show that it can also affect their livers.

No clumping cat litter - It is very dusty and can lead to respiratory issues. If the rats ingest it during grooming it can also lead to serious problems.

Luckily, there are many other bedding choices available that are safe for your pet, such as:

Healthy Pet Dust Free Fiber Litter (marketed for cats)
Aspen shavings
Yesterdays' News
Crown's Animal Bedding
Corn cob bedding
Hardwood wood stove pellets
Alfalfa Pellets (rabbit food)
You could also use shredded paper or cloth bedding, although these would need to be changed daily.

Rats can be litter box trained (some more successfully than others) and can do extremely well with a combination of a litter box full of bedding and fleece covering the majority of the cage.