Pet Bedding

Pet care costs rising! Paying in upwards of $15-20 for a large bag of small animal bedding (recycled cardboard shreds) is out of the question. The solution that I have found is using junk mail, newspapers, & even paper out of your shredder. Contrary to popular belief the ink on these papers are not as harmful to small animals as thought. For years I have used junk mail and such to make a bedding for my small animals. The ink from the paper only slightly gets in their mouths when they shred it so it's rendered harmless.
This way of recycling gives a new use for mail that would normally go straight to the city dump. It is reused once more and saves you money. On a side note, you can give your small animal your bank statements. They will chew it up into tiny, unrecognizable pieces keeping your identity safe.
For most small animals; gerbils, hamsters, mice, & rats, there is no need to pre-tear or shred the papers as they will tear it up themselves. Just crumble the paper and toss it in their cage. It also conceals smells pretty well and saves you some cash. I keep a small box under the sink in the kitchen and toss junk mail, bank statements, or old notes in there for when I change their cages. Chewing up the page gives them something to do and they make their own bed with the bits. Sometimes, I even toss empty cardboard trash bag boxes or PopTart boxes in the cage and they will either chew it up or use it as a hut to hide in.

*WARNING:
- As a precaution, do NOT use the slick, glossy-looking pages (Walmart ads, etc.) or pages that have tons of ink on them such as grocery store circulars. These pages are over saturated with ink which could heighten any issues they may have with the ink. Regular sheets of paper or cardboard pieces should be perfect.