# Megazorb, Finacard or Aubiose??



## RedGex (Dec 29, 2007)

I've done a bit of searching for the pros and cons of each of these, and found the odd bit here and there, like lately Megazorb has been dusty, Aubiose can be messy and Finacard isnt as good at reducing smell.

Does anyones have anything to add, even better if you've tried more than one of them for comparison?

Also have people continued to get dusty batches of aubiose and megazorb recently?
Currently I am using shredded paper on newspaper which is next to useless and smelt straight away :bash:

I was using shredded paper on dust extracted shavings which was ok but messy and I'd rather avoid shavings.

Any opinions welcomed :welcome:

P.S. Also where can you get them for reasonable prices :whistling2:


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## cpiggott22 (Apr 1, 2009)

Vet bedding is wonderful stuff. I use it on the floors of my rat cages and it keeps smell down and is so easy to clean (and cheap in the long run as it can last for ages). I use finacard paper pellets in their litter trays and they get a digging box of shredded paper and finacard. I clean their litter trays every other day and the rest of their cage smells fine come the end of the week and clean out day


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## RedGex (Dec 29, 2007)

I've heard of vetbedding, how do you wash it? Id worry that handwashing wouldnt get it clean enough and it would end up smelling more? Or if I put it throught he washing machine would everything end up coming out the washing machine with odour de rat??!

Currently my rats aren;t litter trained, they don;t seem to have one area they use for a toilet, they prefer leaving a bit everywhere :roll:


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

i use megazorb its great mice ands rats don't smell on it and its really absorbent


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## animal addict (Jun 1, 2008)

I find finacard great at absorbing the smells with the hedgies etc and its really good value for money


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## akai-chan (Sep 7, 2008)

Shreddybed  Chopped up bardboard. Really good for reducing smell, not dusty atall and it;s onyl messy if your animals decide they like chucking it out of their cage (But it's easy to clean up)

Peace
Red


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

Ive tried all 3

Megazorb - Fantastic stuff, although it goes everywhere!!! the smell of it i found quite nice although quite a few people that it smelled like egg or something along those lines. It is a little dusty and does leave a black soot a the bottom of the cage which i find a little worrying.

Finacard - Good stuff stays where its supposed to, mice make lovely nest out of it only thing is it doesnt keep the smell down it is very absorbant.

Abouise - ive only just started using it again same with teh megazorb it gets everywhere and is a little too dusty for my likely.

Im going to move back to cardbord because it absorbant, although it doesnt hold the smell of the mice very good it doesnt really matter because they are kept in their own shed.


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## KathyM (Jan 17, 2009)

I don't understand the Finacard revolution to be honest, it's so expensive compared to other nearly identical products. I was quoted roughly £20 a bale, and I can get Walmsley Premierbed (basically the same, chopped cardboard) for £6 delivered lol. 

I use Premierbed and at the moment I'm also using Bedmax shavings, which are ok too.


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

KathyM said:


> I don't understand the Finacard revolution to be honest, it's so expensive compared to other nearly identical products. I was quoted roughly £20 a bale, and I can get Walmsley Premierbed (basically the same, chopped cardboard) for £6 delivered lol.
> 
> I use Premierbed and at the moment I'm also using Bedmax shavings, which are ok too.


Well when i say finacard i mean the squared stuff can get it from farm shop 15mins drive fromw here i am  also get all my mouse/rat food from there too


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## cpiggott22 (Apr 1, 2009)

RedGex said:


> I've heard of vetbedding, how do you wash it? Id worry that handwashing wouldnt get it clean enough and it would end up smelling more? Or if I put it throught he washing machine would everything end up coming out the washing machine with odour de rat??!
> 
> Currently my rats aren;t litter trained, they don;t seem to have one area they use for a toilet, they prefer leaving a bit everywhere :roll:


I just bung mine in the machine at 40C. I do seperate pet washes so none of our stuff comes out hairy or pongy . You can wash it at 60 but just make sure the piece is a couple of inches bigger than needed because it does shrink a bit to begin with. Honestly, I know about a dozen people who have switched to vet bedding and they all love it because it's so easy. It can be a bit pricey to pay out for but it can last for several years if looked after which works out much cheaper in the long run. If you google it you'll see the long list of why it's so great!

Have you tried training them? I thought my old lady would really struggle to learn but managed in less than a week so it can be done at pretty much any age. 

Finacard is great for us peeps who live in the middle of nowhere and don't have a car but I definitely agree that if you can get to a farm or horse shop you can get a massive bail for practically pennies.


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## ladyboid (Nov 25, 2007)

KathyM said:


> I don't understand the Finacard revolution to be honest, it's so expensive compared to other nearly identical products. I was quoted roughly £20 a bale, and I can get Walmsley Premierbed (basically the same, chopped cardboard) for £6 delivered lol.
> 
> I use Premierbed and at the moment I'm also using Bedmax shavings, which are ok too.


 
I thought that finacard was only £13 delivered....

I use finacard all the time and love it.. even though is a bit more expencive than the others it really last ages compaired to the others as its packed so tightly into the bales... I personally wouldnt use anything else for the rats and i have tried everything else .. bedmax, Abouise, megazorb and a few others.

: victory:


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## RedGex (Dec 29, 2007)

The vet bedding sounds good although until they are litter trained I think I'll try something else, could get messy! I tried very briefly by putting a litter tray in with dirty bedding in one of the places they tended to wee, and cleaned the rest of the cage, but promptly found it emptied and one laying in it :blush: Also how do you fix the litter trays so they don't just chuck it around like the latest new toy?!


I'm thinking I might try the aubiose still, maybe with shredded paper/cardboard on top to keep the dust down?


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

Yeah finacard is only £13 delivered, but still pricey compared to the Walmsley. And (no offense to them) I think the cheaper stuff is less dusty and holds the smell better.

Aubiose: great for keeping the smell away - second best of all the beddings I've tried - but very lightweight and sticks to the carpet, so when it's flung out of the cage it makes a mess and takes ages to clean up. Also last batch I saw was very dusty.

Megazorb: used to use it regularly, then all of a sudden it got dusty, smelly and made my rats have myco flare ups. Haven't used it in years, and never intend to again.

Finacard: the actual finacard - lovely and soft but very dusty at the bottom of the bag and doesn't hold the smell as well as other beddings. Great for baby rats though and nests, although costs over double compared to other cardboard beddings. I still recommend it though for those who cant get cardboard locally - as far as I know they're the only one you can buy online and get delivered.

My favourites are Bedmax (kiln dried shavings, not the cheapo horrible stinky pet shop ones) and Walmsley Premierbed cardboard bedding. No cardboard bedding is fantastic for keeping smell away so you do need to clean more often, but on occasion I've mixed the two and this makes a great substrate for adults. I'd use cardboard only for babies, as even though Bedmax is dust extracted, it is too dusty for baby eyes.


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## KathyM (Jan 17, 2009)

ladyboid said:


> I thought that finacard was only £13 delivered....
> 
> I use finacard all the time and love it.. even though is a bit more expencive than the others it really last ages compaired to the others as its packed so tightly into the bales... I personally wouldnt use anything else for the rats and i have tried everything else .. bedmax, Abouise, megazorb and a few others.
> 
> : victory:


Must've gone down in price then - I was quoted about £20 (possibly £19?) by the man who runs it lol, but that was a while ago. I can get Premierbed in the same amount and just as compressed for £6, but £13 isn't horrendously bad for someone who hasn't got a Premierbed stockist nearby. A few people warned me off Finacard after they got bales that stank really badly though so I've never bothered ordering (especially seeing as I found Premierbed).


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## ladyboid (Nov 25, 2007)

I have used the cardboard squares (premierbed?) if its the same thing it didnt last me half as long as the finacard does.
never had a problem with funny smells ether using finacard.


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

My finacard didnt last long, but even if it lasted twice as long it still wouldn't be as good value.

I've nothing against it - it's lovely and soft for nesting mums and babies (at the top of the bale at least). However, it doesn't keep the smell down as much as regular cardboard, or a mix of regular and bedmax.


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## marthaMoo (May 4, 2007)

Does anyone know where you can get the Walmsley Premierbed cardboard online? As I've checked the stockist and there arent any near.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

KathyM said:


> Must've gone down in price then - I was quoted about £20 (possibly £19?) by the man who runs it lol, but that was a while ago. I can get Premierbed in the same amount and just as compressed for £6, but £13 isn't horrendously bad for someone who hasn't got a Premierbed stockist nearby. A few people warned me off Finacard after they got bales that stank really badly though so I've never bothered ordering (especially seeing as I found Premierbed).


Keep in mind WP will be MUCH cheaper for you as you live in yorkshire...


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## LisaLQ (Jan 29, 2009)

marthaMoo said:


> Does anyone know where you can get the Walmsley Premierbed cardboard online? As I've checked the stockist and there arent any near.


I dont know of any, but you can pick up cardboard bedding at some shows sometimes. There's also Ecobed and other manufacturers, ask at your local stable supplies or animal feed supplies place :2thumb:


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## dexnos (Mar 10, 2008)

I use Finacard with all my hedgies, its brilliant for absorbing smells, very easy to clean

A bale costs £13.99 inc P+P lasts for ages as its so tightly packed

finacard.co.uk


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