CareFresh?

[Sunnyastounded]

How does everyone feel about CareFresh bedding? Is it safe for the chinchilla to consume it? I have never used it, and have been sticking to the K-D pine bedding. Just wondering what all the rage about it was.

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

Keep with the pine. I'd be worried about them trying to eat the carefresh bedding and getting an impaction.

 

[ChinnyMom]

i agree with Christine. keep using the pine shavings. since carefresh is a compressed paper product it can expand in the digestive system, causing impaction and blockage.

 

[greychins]

I would stay with the pine as well. I've always thought carefresh was awfully expensive, but even if it was cheaper, I would be worried about impaction. So we use pine here.

 

[3CsMommy]

I used Carefresh for my (now) Ex's chin and liked it. There was never any pee smell, even at the end of the week, and I didn't need much to fill the pan, so the bag lasted a while. But when we got Crash, he tended to try to nibble it, so I started using aspen shavings instead. The impaction risk wasn't one I was willing to take.

 

[avecat6906]

I used the CareFresh for a while until I noticed my Fonzie chewing on it. Always have used it for my rats in the past though. It's a great product, as far as I'm concerned, just not for chinchillas. The CareFresh brand is now making "All Natural" bedding with pine shavings and whatnot. Havn't tried it, but if you're set on using the CareFresh brand you might want to consider that )

 

[Stackie]

Aside from the impaction issues, Carefresh is terribly expensive, especially when you have multiple cages. You can get a huge bag of wood shavings for the same price as a small bag of Carefresh.

 

[ticklechin]

Carefresh IMO is nasty, the smell and soggy pee soaked globs on cage cleaning day were just gross. Pine if you want to use bedding is fine, cheap and smells nice.

 

[sheltiefan]

I use care fresh right now with my chin and I like it. But she doesn't chew on it thou. She likes to dig in it. Every time I used pine she always ended up with a eye infection. I don't know if its just her or she is digging in it and poking her eye. But if you get care freash i would just watch your chin and make sure there not eatting it

 

[starleomach]

I have seen carefresh in the intestines of 2 seperate necropsies of rescued chinchillas that died from Impaction, and have heard from owners that contacted me with similar issues...wouldn't touch it with a 10 ft pole

 

[ticklechin]

I use care fresh right now with my chin and I like it. But she doesn't chew on it thou. She likes to dig in it. Every time I used pine she always ended up with a eye infection. I don't know if its just her or she is digging in it and poking her eye. But if you get care freash i would just watch your chin and make sure there not eatting it

You can't watch a chin 24/7/365, they should never have anything in the cage that is known to cause issues, just because today they are not chewing or eating it does not mean tomorrow they won't.

 

[Sunnyastounded]

Thanks everyone.

 

[Dawn]

I have severe allergies and carefresh seems to be the only thing that doesn't drive me insane. I've used it for several years now with my 3 boys (1 who has the occassional liking to munch it if it's in a lrg. clump) and never a problem here.

 

[Godofgods]

i used carefresh for like 5 years and never had a problem with it. Did its job fine. Problem was its super expencive. It was $20 for a bag, and with my two cages, id only get 1 to 2 chages out of a bag. That adds up super quick. PLus theirs the health risk, so i switched

 

[midgemidge2000]

I just recently switched to a large bag of Aspen bedding for 13 dollars and a small bag of care fresh is 5 bucks where I live. I only get one change out of a bag of cf an Chet about 4-5 out of a. Bag of Aspen .... U do the math and see which is cheaper let alone better 4 ur chin

 

[Dawn]

Carefresh

I normally buy bulk, typically petco is the cheapest (for me) to order online.
I typically use a meivo coupon code & use bigcrumbs click through for my 4% cash back (I know it's not much, but every little bit helps).

My most recent order was for SIX 60L bags of the natural...I ended up paying $13.47 +tx per bag (and yes, that included the shipping to my door).

Now you walk into Petco to purchase the same bag at their store and your looking at $19.97+tx WHEN it's on sale. Kinda doesn't make sense does it?!

I research before I order (coupon codes, extra percentages back using bigcrumbs) to find whose cheapest...It normally ends up being Petco, PetfoodDirect, or PetBlvd.

I have yet to have been able to score the StoreUse 60L bags of color for that price, but if anyone has please let me know where

 

[Sunnyastounded]

Thanks, I will steer away from CareFresh.

 

[chin2heart]

I agree with MidgeMidge, I use aspen bedding and I've found it's the best for chins. When I used CF, it was a daily game between my girls of who could fling the stuff the furthest out of the cage. Aspen chips they don't seem to want to hurl, and it has no oil, like cedar, that messes with their fur. It does have a very slight clean, woodsy smell to it and I can get it fairly cheap at Petsmart.

 

[ChinnyMom]

Aspen chips ......... and it has no oil, like cedar, that messes with their fur.

it's not so much that the oils in cedar mess with their fur, it's the phenols and such affecting their respiratory systems. steer clear of cedar if you have chins!

 

[caiti]

I don't really know how CareFresh would cause more impactions than wood. I've been trying to figure that one out in my head but I think I just don't know. But I do remember reading what Kristy wrote before, that she saw it in necropsies so that obviously scared me.

Even if it was the best bedding in the world--I get walmart pine shavings for cheap and I'v never had problems. They aren't super soft, but Chloe chews up all the big pieces anyways--she actually searches for them. Not splinters or anything just chunks that didn't get shaved down, I've never been pricked by a piece when changing her cages or seen any. It's a big bag that lasts me about 5 changes and costs me $7. Mind you I have a very large cage so I could get away with a good two months of changes if I had a smaller sized cage.