I’ve been wondering about soil for rats for so long now, I don’t know how it took 5 months for me to see this, before there was just no info at all. I had rats years ago and it was such a struggle keeping the smells down and caring for them because I have pretty bad asthma. Since they passed away (siblings, came from a bad breeder and had mammary tumors at 2yrs old) I’ve actually gone into keeping reptiles and other weird pets. I’ve got two frogs, a salamander, a gecko, and a whip scorpion and bioactive soil has been my best friend the whole way! I never have to clean, and I can keep pretty plants in the tanks since everyone’s carnivorous. I’m thinking about rats more and more lately, now that my asthmas under better control, and soil substrate would be such a fun project with rats in the future. I’m so glad that there’s someone out there now whose tried soil before me, so I don’t have to wonder if it’ll work. P.s. there is a science to it! For each brick about a gallon of water should be used and it should sit for half an hour. I don’t know how they’re sold where you are, but my coco fiber bricks always come with instructions :) Thank you so much for this video!!!!
If your on Facebook I’ve just set up a group called naturalistic and bioactive rat setups if you want any more ideas and motivation. There’s a fair few currently doing it which is lovely
This video is every bit as fascinating as I’ve been anticipating, and I’m so looking forward to applying these principles to a nice big digging box and raising some “supplemental pets” in addition to my eventual ratties! I can just picture how much your girls must be loving having this as their substrate; talk about engaging in natural behavior!
I just have moments of joy with it all the time. Like a few days ago going into the rat room in the middle of the day and seeing Foo throwing her whole self into digging. She made a couple of tunnels and then scratched around foraging on the floor. It just feels so natural for them
It’s one I toyed with years ago but never really went the whole hog with but have been thinking about ever since I saw an awesome set up with half a critter nation turned into a digging area. It’s a lot of commitment though so took me a couple years to get there lol. I’m not sure I will go back now
Fantastic! I had just come across someone using bioactive soil and while looking for further information about it i came across your channel, I must say its very useful thank you!
thank you for the videos they are so helpful. im looking into doing this for my boys they love there dig boxes and the 2 boys that have problems with alot of substraights don't have any problems in the dig boxes and in the summer i found they loved sleeping in it as well. To get the ecosystem up and running would say a 90 liter storage box work ok with the clean up crew in, as id like to try to kick start it with letting the boys in it during free roam then after a few weeks put it into the cage or would it be better in the cage to start with. Sorry its so long xx
If it’s outside the cage you’ll need to make sure your digging through it fairly regularly but it will also give your CUC a good chance to establish do can be worth while
i saw someone get pvc pipes and a shower drain on the sides that they loaded the CUC into and let them establish in there. that really helped as they had their safe space away from the rats!
This looks fabulous! I’m not sure it’ll be something I do for the rats at the moment (cage set up not right for it currently) but definitely be looking to do this for the hammy as he is in a diy bin cage and a digging box for the rats. Out of interest, how is your bottom Perspex put together?
I think I’m going to start the journey of learning about this so I can upgrade my rat care. I’m on 2 and a half years and am ready to start a new and improved chapter of rat care
There must be microbial activity in there that would help with ammonia control, same with a fish tank. I've put a bacteria booster in my dig box as I was getting an ammonia smell. I'll see how it does.
There definitely is otherwise it would smell by now. I helped it get started by emptying my dig box (which had been running for a year) into there so effectively some parts of the soil are over 18 months old.
Mary Pang Within the insects waste there are microbes and beneficial bacteria. They not only eat the rats waste, but they actually create the beneficial bacteria and microbes necessary for the the bioactive to fully function.
Ive been waiting on this video, thank you for uploading! Ive been switching between pine and aspen but I haven't had great luck in quality with the brands I have access to in the states. Ill have to get a bigger bottom pan before trying this out though. Is there a specific kind of hay you recommend for nesting material?
Hay needs to be good quality and dust free, you want something very soft too. I use a brand called www.dustfreehay.co.uk here in the UK which I sadly doubt is available elsewhere but if you can get some nice quality stuff and have a good check for dust them it should be fine
They will be breeding in there, they will have come in on something else most likely though, if you got the blocks. they are fruit flies which do come in on veg and stuff. But not to do with lack of cleaning out
Thank you for giving such a detailed method of developing a healthy substrate. I do wish you could do this with the camera on the cage and substrate itself. It was a little frustrating not to actually see what you were referring to as you spoke.
I am due to refilm this as in the time since I started we’ve learnt even more so I’ll try and do that next time (to be fair I’d always rather the camera wasn’t on me lol). In the mean time though if your on Facebook there’s now a group dedicated to this kind of substrate, naturalistic and bioactive rat set ups. Lots of photos and alternative videos/guides on there
This was entirely wonderful and insightful and ill be joining the Facebook group post haste! My boys are currently in a Liberta Nevada which I plan to customise with a substrate box like this. My only issue I'd like help with, if you don't mind, is my boys cage is in my living room (1bed room rented flat 😔) which is carpeted I don't mind a bit of soil mess but I am worried about potential infestation - and I'm sure my landlord would be too. Would you suggest sticking to only the springtails to minimise risk of unwanted infestation? And as a plant mum too, this wouldn't affect my plants would it? I'm currently "breeding" various spider plants in the same room. Thank you!
This was very helpful as I spent the last month making my rats cage bioactive, I ordered 50cm high perspex and my CUC arrived 2 days ago. The boys are very enthusiastic and my espresso would not let me even place the springtails in without having to sniff all of them himself ;D. Do you think litter trays are still necessary for only 2 rats?? I've kept them in for now but their cage is huge and the litter tray is very deep and I was considering just going full bioactive as they don't produce as much waste as a full group of rats.
I probably would because water will build up but really we are still learning about rats and bioactive so it’s also worth experimenting a bit too. Just make sure you share your results if you do. That way we can all learn more
little hint, for litter training, try hanging dishes. my boys trained themselves to go in those. my girls use an actual litter pan. but the boys nope they taught each other to use a hanging dish.
Do you have any problems with the wooden branches having their ends in the damp soil? Would the part of the branch in the soil wick-up moisture and start to go bad? Thank you for your time and assistance.
so to get this straight. The springtails take care of the mold and the isopods take care of the poop? Can i just start with isopods and later add springtails? thanks
Your best chance is the Facebook group “naturalistic and bioactive rat setups”. At some point I will write an article for my website but weebly is so painful I can’t bring myself to add much until I build a new site
I recently set up a 10 gallon tank in my DCN as a dig box. I put the eco earth substrate in it. My boys love it. Should I add insects to it to keep it clean?
Gonna work on my cage to hopefully be able to make it semi-bioactive one day:) When it comes to introducing living plants in the cage, is there a way to tell what plants are safe and which are not? Thinking of sticking a passion fruit plant in with our girls since I have one too many, but I haven't found any information so far on how to make sure that "untested" plants are safe. Is there a way to tell?
Basically if a plant is safe for us to eat raw you can be reasonably certain it’s fine for rat’s. Sticking to culinary herbs isn’t a bad approach. However I find that rats destroy plants very quickly so I tend to just add for short enrichment
What about mealworm frass for nutritious soil and leaf litter to feed the springtails? I think we have to put in a food for them to have a better survivability.
How to you keep the things standing in the soil from getting nasty/moldy/rotten? And do you have recommendations for quantity of the larger insects (earthworms, meal worms), particularly for rats who haven't been introduced to them? And aren't meal worms a larval stage of insect?
Around every month or two I give it a good dig through and take anything that’s mould out. However things rotting/breaking down is a natural part of healthy soil, as long as whilst doing so it isn’t toxic to the rat’s then it’s wondering that should be allowed and encouraged. My soil has plenty of plant matter in it that breaks down. I tend to add about half a Standard tub of each (less for mealworms as they are really easy for the rat’s to hunt, about a max of 2 per rat of those) to the soil and bury, then save the rest to reproduce in my back up tank. Mealworms are an early stage of darkling beetles, these are edible to rat’s too and can’t fly but to be fair none of the ones in the rat cage have lived long enough to get to that stage though I’ve had a few in my back up tank
Hi Jemma. I ordered some springtails from a bioactive shop (neherpculture.com) here in the U.S. They came in a tub with substrate that includes Tree fern fiber, pet grade fir/orchard bark, pet grade coconut fiber, pet grade cypress mulch, AAA N.Z. sphagnum moss, OMRI organic peat moss, rinsed fine charcoal, and calcined clay. The store says this is their own mix and is safe to add right to a vivarium. Of course, this is for rats and not a vivarium. Is it safe to dump this in my rats new dig box with all those ingredients?
Hey Jemma! I have some coir setup in a perspex tray i made, waiting on the cuc to arrive. I noticed some mould growing along the sides on the perspex, just wondering if that would be harmful for the rats? And when the cuc is added, would they help control the mould? The rats have been digging in the box, and i also turn the soil every other day. Thanks in advance!!
I would add mealworms The rats will eat them but they will add to the cuc and when they are beetles they are great for eating waste And add dwarf/common isopods I kept a duprasi on a bio active and the soil was not smelly etc for 4 years then I replaced it Do you think I could do this method with larger mammals? Skunks?
I know some people do semi bioactive for ferrets, if you are on Facebook there’s a good group called bioactive and naturalistic for mammals which might help
Wonderful information thank you! I have a few questions :) How often do you change the accessories in this type of set up? Is it okay to still use fleece in the top levels? Is there a list of CUCs you recommend for the rats?
Also, i find my rats sometime eating the coco fiber I have in a small dig box... is that okay? And lastly, what about their respiratory system? My girls sometimes sneeze after burying their heads with digging... THANK YOU 🙏🏼
I tend to change things round every month ish, I have quite a lot of stuff to switch in and out. I would personally use deeper shelves with substrate in, as litter trays, you need to not overload the soil so this works well and is better for the nose too Springtails are the essentials, I do add earthworms and dwarf Isopods or mealworms occasionally too but they aren’t needed as much If your on Facebook it’s worth joining the group naturalistic and bioactive rat setups for ideas and links, we’ve started to get more international members now so if your not U.K. based that might help
In terms of eating coco fiber it’s organic matter so I wouldn’t worry unless they were eating loads, then it’s probably pica and they are feeling a little nauseous for some reason. Respiratory wise it seems to work well, if kept damp enough it’s not dusty at all and the springtails take care of any mould. But it is one you need to try and see if it suits your rats as mine are mostly well bred with minimal resp issues. I should say though that sneezing in itself isn’t a respiratory infection, much like with us
@@IsamuRatCare thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions. I adopted my girls (as rescues) so i have no idea what their genetics or past health is, but I did try bedding, and i find they do best with their fleece/absorbent layer- so far... They would eat their bedding and seemed to be sensitive to it causing sneezing. But they do use their litter boxes! I’d love to check out that Facebook group, again, thank you so much :)
My mom has her own tub of compost that she keeps outside, made from food scraps, egg shells, grass clippings, etc. After this all gets broken down and turned into dirt, do you think this compost would be safe to use for rats? It does get its own compost crew, provided by nature, so I imagine that’s something I would have to eliminate before giving the soil to the rats (any suggestions on how to do that?)
I think the problem with this is wild insects getting in, these can be full of parasites which you don’t want getting near your rat’s. It’s a shame as it sounds perfect otherwise. It might be that you could carefully seive some of it and add it to a larger amount to help it become more bioactive (kind of a kick start) as the rat’s are unlikely to eat anything small enough to get through the sieve but it’s not one I’ve tried myself
@@lydialaub5475 it's an enclosed tub, like a big barrel with a slide out lid, so there's no access for wild animals. I do think naturally occurring bugs would still be a concern though.
Do you have the measurements for your perspex base? I have the same cage but I’m terrible at getting accurate measurements😅 also did you have to take the wheels off the cage for the base to rest on the floor?
I’m afraid the measurements are long gone, I dropped it through the floor so didn’t need to remove the wheels though they do have to be splayed out to fit the base in like that
Thanks for the video as I just started a digbox for my ratties with about 6 bricks of cocosoil (I thought 25 cm would be high enough and as you said its not😅). I am still using hemp in most of the cage and I really want to try earthworms and springtails but I wont use mealworms cause I am a little put off by the beatles 🤣😅. The only thing I am a little afraid of is it starting to mold which is why I wanted springtails (probably gonna pick some up the day after tomorrow). Did it ever start to mold with you and if so did you throw out all the dirt or just the parts that where infected?
I have found that if I’m regularly digging it through out the rat’s are then it doesn’t get mouldy. However before I realised this I did get a couple patches of mouldy old food. I took out the mouldy bit and a bit of the soil on either side then topped it up. The bugs definitely help though
This intrigues me as an option, but I'm wondering whether it would be suitable if your cage is going to be in a well-lived in room, with carpet? In particular is it super messy and is it bad to intentionally have bugs living in your house - could they get out and cause an infestation? (Maybe this is a silly question, but I've heard this can be a thing with springtails, although maybe just if your house is naturally damp..?) I'm certainly interested to give a dig box a go though :D
I know people that use it in a carpeted room, some does get kicked out but it hovers up far easier than most substrate. The insects aren’t a big deal, particularly if you only use springtails, these need a very moist environment to survive so won’t live in the carpet or anything. They also aren’t harmful generally as they eat decomposing plant matter (which is found a good clean up job )
Probably not because I’ll be honest the rat’s catch and eat those fairly quickly in my experience, the springtails do a lot better. But you can definitely try it. I’ve learnt a lot from trial and error. If you do though let us know how you get on as it may be useful for others too
Not related to the video, but can rats eat dubia roaches? I'm interested in keeping dubia roaches as pets, but I don't want to be overrun and I don't own any reptiles right now. Thanks. Amazing video by the way :).
I am sure they can (obviously I would avoid wild insects but home bred are fine). Just don’t give them too often s as insects are a high protein and often fat treat
@@IsamuRatCare Okay thank you. Yeah they would be home bred, I wouldn't dream of giving them wild insects and they would only get them very rarely and only one or two each, it would just be to keep my numbers of dubia roaches at a level I could handle. :) Edit: the number of roaches I can handle is quite high, by the way, if I could only manage small numbers, there's not much point to me keeping them. :)
How long can the springtails live in the prepacked plastic box they come in. I bought them a few days ago but I'm still waiting for my coco soil to dry out a bit from adding too much water.
From what I understand, they can stay in that box for days- or even weeks, as long as they stay warm and moist, and if it’s going to be a looong time, maybe add some food
I have a bioactive setup for my tortoise, I use isopods and springtails. I wonder if I could put some isopods in with my rats? Would it be fine if they ate them?
@@IsamuRatCare Thanks. Yes, deffinatley farmed. My boys will be very excited by this news, I'm sure! Edit: wait just read human consumption, do you know this from experience?!
What are the bugs like? In the sense of do they go everywhere/ do you find them outside the cage? My cage is the the bedroom (Lino flooring) so I wouldn’t want the bugs to become a problem outside of the cage. If that makes sense
When I used mealworms I sometimes found the odd one making a break for freedom but springtails and earthworms wouldn’t survive outside the soil so happily stay in it
@@IsamuRatCare Thanks! That was my other halfs main worry about a bioactive base. I think I may start with a bioactive dig box first see how they get on with that then move up to the whole base middle of next year if it goes well. Do you have any suggestions on where to buy the cleanup crew from?
I have started doing this. Does it smell. Mine has no mould and has springtails but smells of like a garlic soil smell lol thats the best way to describe it. Does yours smell
Oh i dig through once a week aswell. Am I wetting it too much. I am just afraid it will get dusty and dry out cause they sneeze alittle the way it is. They also have litter trays
I haven’t had garlic smell myself, it might be something your adding to there food maybe? Mine smells basically of damp soil, it should be damp enough to clump and hold shape when you pat it together not sloppy or powdery I just add bark and such on top, the ears end up mixing it up
It does tend to bring wire a few fungus gnats, these are harmless tiny fly like creatures that feed on breaking down vegetable matter (you get them in house plants too, people sometimes confuse them with fruit fly’s). However if you’ve got a healthy spring tail population it normally outcompetes them and I find having a bug zapper in the room means I don’t really notice them
Yep I currently have a thriving colony of dairy cows in my boys cage and a slightly less thriving colony in the girls cage (they are better hunters). I’m actually using them as my main CUC now as I have a little tank where I breed them and keep them as pets, with the excess from the far too videos dairy cows breeding going into the rat cages. I do need to do a new version of this
Hi Jemma i have set up a dig box after watching your amazing videos, but my boys love a toilet roll and used to put it in the sputnick, but since having the dig box they are putting it in there and I'm having to clear it almost weekly. I don't want to take either away as they love both but don't know what else to do. Any suggestions?
It’s a difficult one as short of stopping access to the digging box they will do what they want with the toilet roll. You could try giving them dust free hay in a mesh bird feeder instead, see if they get enrichment from that as it will work better with the digging box
I’m afraid I don’t keep mice or consider myself so at best I’m pretty basic. I do think some people are trying bioactive with mice. Are you on Facebook?
I’ve been wondering about soil for rats for so long now, I don’t know how it took 5 months for me to see this, before there was just no info at all. I had rats years ago and it was such a struggle keeping the smells down and caring for them because I have pretty bad asthma. Since they passed away (siblings, came from a bad breeder and had mammary tumors at 2yrs old) I’ve actually gone into keeping reptiles and other weird pets. I’ve got two frogs, a salamander, a gecko, and a whip scorpion and bioactive soil has been my best friend the whole way! I never have to clean, and I can keep pretty plants in the tanks since everyone’s carnivorous. I’m thinking about rats more and more lately, now that my asthmas under better control, and soil substrate would be such a fun project with rats in the future. I’m so glad that there’s someone out there now whose tried soil before me, so I don’t have to wonder if it’ll work.
P.s. there is a science to it! For each brick about a gallon of water should be used and it should sit for half an hour. I don’t know how they’re sold where you are, but my coco fiber bricks always come with instructions :)
Thank you so much for this video!!!!
If your on Facebook I’ve just set up a group called naturalistic and bioactive rat setups if you want any more ideas and motivation. There’s a fair few currently doing it which is lovely
Did you end up doing it?
As someone who already has critters with bioactive enclosures, and looking into getting rats again, this is fantastic and fascinating!
I'm really really excited to use what I've learned from your substrate videos thank you so much you are my favorite CZcamsr!!
Thank you, I really appreciate that, particularly as I know I waffle and am not particularly polished lol
This video is every bit as fascinating as I’ve been anticipating, and I’m so looking forward to applying these principles to a nice big digging box and raising some “supplemental pets” in addition to my eventual ratties! I can just picture how much your girls must be loving having this as their substrate; talk about engaging in natural behavior!
I just have moments of joy with it all the time. Like a few days ago going into the rat room in the middle of the day and seeing Foo throwing her whole self into digging. She made a couple of tunnels and then scratched around foraging on the floor. It just feels so natural for them
Instablaster.
I love your videos, always so informative and I had no idea I could do this for them. x
It’s one I toyed with years ago but never really went the whole hog with but have been thinking about ever since I saw an awesome set up with half a critter nation turned into a digging area. It’s a lot of commitment though so took me a couple years to get there lol. I’m not sure I will go back now
Fantastic! I had just come across someone using bioactive soil and while looking for further information about it i came across your channel, I must say its very useful thank you!
Thank you ❤️, I hope you enjoy bioactive, I love if
I use coco fiber for my mice and add a little bit of moss for soil structure!
You are a wonderful teacher. I will be starting a bio dig box for the boys and girls.
This is a great idea! I posted the link in one of my rat groups! I have always wondered whether this might work with rats!
It seems surprisingly rare to be honest. I’ve seen maybe a couple people do similar over the years
thank you for the videos they are so helpful. im looking into doing this for my boys they love there dig boxes and the 2 boys that have problems with alot of substraights don't have any problems in the dig boxes and in the summer i found they loved sleeping in it as well. To get the ecosystem up and running would say a 90 liter storage box work ok with the clean up crew in, as id like to try to kick start it with letting the boys in it during free roam then after a few weeks put it into the cage or would it be better in the cage to start with. Sorry its so long xx
If it’s outside the cage you’ll need to make sure your digging through it fairly regularly but it will also give your CUC a good chance to establish do can be worth while
Me: ooh, soil sounds fun for them to dig in!
Me after the bugs were revealed: NOPE NO THANKS IT'LL BE BEDMAX FOR ME I THINK
Lol, to be fair you don’t have to use the bugs though I suspect it helps. I am lucky in that they don’t bother me.
@@IsamuRatCare thank goodness :')
Thanks for sharing. 😊
i saw someone get pvc pipes and a shower drain on the sides that they loaded the CUC into and let them establish in there. that really helped as they had their safe space away from the rats!
This looks fabulous! I’m not sure it’ll be something I do for the rats at the moment (cage set up not right for it currently) but definitely be looking to do this for the hammy as he is in a diy bin cage and a digging box for the rats.
Out of interest, how is your bottom Perspex put together?
I think I’m going to start the journey of learning about this so I can upgrade my rat care. I’m on 2 and a half years and am ready to start a new and improved chapter of rat care
Had to chuckle at the litter training comment “dont do it, let the rats do it” honestly how i did it 😂
There must be microbial activity in there that would help with ammonia control, same with a fish tank. I've put a bacteria booster in my dig box as I was getting an ammonia smell. I'll see how it does.
There definitely is otherwise it would smell by now. I helped it get started by emptying my dig box (which had been running for a year) into there so effectively some parts of the soil are over 18 months old.
Mary Pang Within the insects waste there are microbes and beneficial bacteria. They not only eat the rats waste, but they actually create the beneficial bacteria and microbes necessary for the the bioactive to fully function.
Mary how did it end up working out for you?
Ive been waiting on this video, thank you for uploading! Ive been switching between pine and aspen but I haven't had great luck in quality with the brands I have access to in the states. Ill have to get a bigger bottom pan before trying this out though. Is there a specific kind of hay you recommend for nesting material?
Hay needs to be good quality and dust free, you want something very soft too. I use a brand called www.dustfreehay.co.uk here in the UK which I sadly doubt is available elsewhere but if you can get some nice quality stuff and have a good check for dust them it should be fine
I bloody knew the flies had come from the soil! Pet shop guy tried to tell me I wasn't cleaning often enough!
They will be breeding in there, they will have come in on something else most likely though, if you got the blocks. they are fruit flies which do come in on veg and stuff. But not to do with lack of cleaning out
Thank you for giving such a detailed method of developing a healthy substrate. I do wish you could do this with the camera on the cage and substrate itself. It was a little frustrating not to actually see what you were referring to as you spoke.
I am due to refilm this as in the time since I started we’ve learnt even more so I’ll try and do that next time (to be fair I’d always rather the camera wasn’t on me lol). In the mean time though if your on Facebook there’s now a group dedicated to this kind of substrate, naturalistic and bioactive rat set ups. Lots of photos and alternative videos/guides on there
If you wanted a bio active set up but only have a pair of rats would you feed your clean up crew rat safe leaves? love the video btw
I'd love to do a bioactive setup! It looks like so much fun for the rats; but do you ever have trouble with the bugs and such crawling out?
Not that I notice, I can get smells of fruit flys though which is a bit of a pain but you can usually sort in a few days
This was entirely wonderful and insightful and ill be joining the Facebook group post haste! My boys are currently in a Liberta Nevada which I plan to customise with a substrate box like this. My only issue I'd like help with, if you don't mind, is my boys cage is in my living room (1bed room rented flat 😔) which is carpeted I don't mind a bit of soil mess but I am worried about potential infestation - and I'm sure my landlord would be too. Would you suggest sticking to only the springtails to minimise risk of unwanted infestation? And as a plant mum too, this wouldn't affect my plants would it? I'm currently "breeding" various spider plants in the same room. Thank you!
This was very helpful as I spent the last month making my rats cage bioactive, I ordered 50cm high perspex and my CUC arrived 2 days ago. The boys are very enthusiastic and my espresso would not let me even place the springtails in without having to sniff all of them himself ;D. Do you think litter trays are still necessary for only 2 rats?? I've kept them in for now but their cage is huge and the litter tray is very deep and I was considering just going full bioactive as they don't produce as much waste as a full group of rats.
I probably would because water will build up but really we are still learning about rats and bioactive so it’s also worth experimenting a bit too. Just make sure you share your results if you do. That way we can all learn more
little hint, for litter training, try hanging dishes. my boys trained themselves to go in those. my girls use an actual litter pan. but the boys nope they taught each other to use a hanging dish.
Do you have any problems with the wooden branches having their ends in the damp soil? Would the part of the branch in the soil wick-up moisture and start to go bad?
Thank you for your time and assistance.
Bioactive seems like basically a DIY garden/composter lol.
so to get this straight. The springtails take care of the mold and the isopods take care of the poop? Can i just start with isopods and later add springtails? thanks
Do you have list anywhere of all the things you suggest? such wonderful information.
Your best chance is the Facebook group “naturalistic and bioactive rat setups”. At some point I will write an article for my website but weebly is so painful I can’t bring myself to add much until I build a new site
I recently set up a 10 gallon tank in my DCN as a dig box. I put the eco earth substrate in it. My boys love it. Should I add insects to it to keep it clean?
Insects (particularly spring tails) can really help in a dig box so well worth a try if you can find some and don’t have an issue with them
Gonna work on my cage to hopefully be able to make it semi-bioactive one day:)
When it comes to introducing living plants in the cage, is there a way to tell what plants are safe and which are not? Thinking of sticking a passion fruit plant in with our girls since I have one too many, but I haven't found any information so far on how to make sure that "untested" plants are safe. Is there a way to tell?
Basically if a plant is safe for us to eat raw you can be reasonably certain it’s fine for rat’s. Sticking to culinary herbs isn’t a bad approach. However I find that rats destroy plants very quickly so I tend to just add for short enrichment
70L brick for 14.50 if you need bulk quantity
What about mealworm frass for nutritious soil and leaf litter to feed the springtails? I think we have to put in a food for them to have a better survivability.
Could well go down well, though actually my Isopods tend to eat it before my springtails do. The springtails love mouldy veg and bee pollen though
How to you keep the things standing in the soil from getting nasty/moldy/rotten? And do you have recommendations for quantity of the larger insects (earthworms, meal worms), particularly for rats who haven't been introduced to them? And aren't meal worms a larval stage of insect?
Around every month or two I give it a good dig through and take anything that’s mould out. However things rotting/breaking down is a natural part of healthy soil, as long as whilst doing so it isn’t toxic to the rat’s then it’s wondering that should be allowed and encouraged. My soil has plenty of plant matter in it that breaks down.
I tend to add about half a Standard tub of each (less for mealworms as they are really easy for the rat’s to hunt, about a max of 2 per rat of those) to the soil and bury, then save the rest to reproduce in my back up tank. Mealworms are an early stage of darkling beetles, these are edible to rat’s too and can’t fly but to be fair none of the ones in the rat cage have lived long enough to get to that stage though I’ve had a few in my back up tank
Hi Jemma. I ordered some springtails from a bioactive shop (neherpculture.com) here in the U.S. They came in a tub with substrate that includes Tree fern fiber, pet grade fir/orchard bark, pet grade coconut fiber, pet grade cypress mulch, AAA N.Z. sphagnum moss, OMRI organic peat moss, rinsed fine charcoal, and calcined clay. The store says this is their own mix and is safe to add right to a vivarium. Of course, this is for rats and not a vivarium. Is it safe to dump this in my rats new dig box with all those ingredients?
Yep that would be fine
Can I use reptisoil as substrate for a dig box?
I have a mealworm farm, I'm considering adding the frass I sift out to their bioactive set up. I don't have any other use for it. Any thoughts?
Have you considered adding charcoal? Springtails seem to take advantage of it.
It could well help yes, and wouldn’t harm the rats if they ate a too
Hey Jemma! I have some coir setup in a perspex tray i made, waiting on the cuc to arrive. I noticed some mould growing along the sides on the perspex, just wondering if that would be harmful for the rats? And when the cuc is added, would they help control the mould? The rats have been digging in the box, and i also turn the soil every other day. Thanks in advance!!
If you remove any thick stuff and give it a good dig through and add the CUC. You’ll find it sorts out fairly quickly when they are added
Hey I breed earthworms for my axolotls, I use the willy worm keeper (from willy worms) if you buy that you can breed them yourself :)
I do breed a few in my clean up crew tank. They aren’t bad to breed
I would add mealworms
The rats will eat them but they will add to the cuc and when they are beetles they are great for eating waste
And add dwarf/common isopods
I kept a duprasi on a bio active and the soil was not smelly etc for 4 years then I replaced it
Do you think I could do this method with larger mammals? Skunks?
I know some people do semi bioactive for ferrets, if you are on Facebook there’s a good group called bioactive and naturalistic for mammals which might help
Wonderful information thank you!
I have a few questions :)
How often do you change the accessories in this type of set up?
Is it okay to still use fleece in the top levels?
Is there a list of CUCs you recommend for the rats?
Also, i find my rats sometime eating the coco fiber I have in a small dig box... is that okay?
And lastly, what about their respiratory system? My girls sometimes sneeze after burying their heads with digging...
THANK YOU 🙏🏼
I tend to change things round every month ish, I have quite a lot of stuff to switch in and out.
I would personally use deeper shelves with substrate in, as litter trays, you need to not overload the soil so this works well and is better for the nose too
Springtails are the essentials, I do add earthworms and dwarf Isopods or mealworms occasionally too but they aren’t needed as much
If your on Facebook it’s worth joining the group naturalistic and bioactive rat setups for ideas and links, we’ve started to get more international members now so if your not U.K. based that might help
In terms of eating coco fiber it’s organic matter so I wouldn’t worry unless they were eating loads, then it’s probably pica and they are feeling a little nauseous for some reason.
Respiratory wise it seems to work well, if kept damp enough it’s not dusty at all and the springtails take care of any mould. But it is one you need to try and see if it suits your rats as mine are mostly well bred with minimal resp issues. I should say though that sneezing in itself isn’t a respiratory infection, much like with us
@@IsamuRatCare thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions.
I adopted my girls (as rescues) so i have no idea what their genetics or past health is, but I did try bedding, and i find they do best with their fleece/absorbent layer- so far... They would eat their bedding and seemed to be sensitive to it causing sneezing. But they do use their litter boxes!
I’d love to check out that Facebook group, again, thank you so much :)
Is that plexiglass and may I ask hpw you have it in there? Ive been wanting to do this so I can put substrate in the bottom of thier cage.
It is Plexiglas or as we call it Perspex. I’ve done a video on how to measure up here czcams.com/video/HnlXxd9Snp8/video.html
My mom has her own tub of compost that she keeps outside, made from food scraps, egg shells, grass clippings, etc. After this all gets broken down and turned into dirt, do you think this compost would be safe to use for rats?
It does get its own compost crew, provided by nature, so I imagine that’s something I would have to eliminate before giving the soil to the rats (any suggestions on how to do that?)
I think the problem with this is wild insects getting in, these can be full of parasites which you don’t want getting near your rat’s. It’s a shame as it sounds perfect otherwise. It might be that you could carefully seive some of it and add it to a larger amount to help it become more bioactive (kind of a kick start) as the rat’s are unlikely to eat anything small enough to get through the sieve but it’s not one I’ve tried myself
My Perfect Mischief I’d also be concerned about mites, as wild rodents have likely foraged through it
@@lydialaub5475 it's an enclosed tub, like a big barrel with a slide out lid, so there's no access for wild animals. I do think naturally occurring bugs would still be a concern though.
Do you have the measurements for your perspex base? I have the same cage but I’m terrible at getting accurate measurements😅 also did you have to take the wheels off the cage for the base to rest on the floor?
I’m afraid the measurements are long gone, I dropped it through the floor so didn’t need to remove the wheels though they do have to be splayed out to fit the base in like that
Hi. Is there a place online I can order springtails. My local pet shops don't sell them. Thanks.
Is this safe to do with mice?
Thanks for the video as I just started a digbox for my ratties with about 6 bricks of cocosoil (I thought 25 cm would be high enough and as you said its not😅). I am still using hemp in most of the cage and I really want to try earthworms and springtails but I wont use mealworms cause I am a little put off by the beatles 🤣😅.
The only thing I am a little afraid of is it starting to mold which is why I wanted springtails (probably gonna pick some up the day after tomorrow). Did it ever start to mold with you and if so did you throw out all the dirt or just the parts that where infected?
I have found that if I’m regularly digging it through out the rat’s are then it doesn’t get mouldy. However before I realised this I did get a couple patches of mouldy old food. I took out the mouldy bit and a bit of the soil on either side then topped it up.
The bugs definitely help though
When purchasing earth worms, I have found usually they contain ‘tiger worms’ and such, are they also safe for the rats to eat?
They are a type of Earth worm so yes should be
Do you think if you bought like reptile farmed moss you could plant moss in it?
Yep you can
What worms do you use in the soil also what other bugs do you use to keep it up please xx
I use earth worms (farmed though not wild) and springtails in the main, occasionally dwarf isopods
This intrigues me as an option, but I'm wondering whether it would be suitable if your cage is going to be in a well-lived in room, with carpet? In particular is it super messy and is it bad to intentionally have bugs living in your house - could they get out and cause an infestation? (Maybe this is a silly question, but I've heard this can be a thing with springtails, although maybe just if your house is naturally damp..?) I'm certainly interested to give a dig box a go though :D
I know people that use it in a carpeted room, some does get kicked out but it hovers up far easier than most substrate. The insects aren’t a big deal, particularly if you only use springtails, these need a very moist environment to survive so won’t live in the carpet or anything. They also aren’t harmful generally as they eat decomposing plant matter (which is found a good clean up job )
@@IsamuRatCare good to know, thank you! x
would it work just as good with only earthworms in the soil?
Probably not because I’ll be honest the rat’s catch and eat those fairly quickly in my experience, the springtails do a lot better. But you can definitely try it. I’ve learnt a lot from trial and error. If you do though let us know how you get on as it may be useful for others too
Not related to the video, but can rats eat dubia roaches? I'm interested in keeping dubia roaches as pets, but I don't want to be overrun and I don't own any reptiles right now. Thanks.
Amazing video by the way :).
I am sure they can (obviously I would avoid wild insects but home bred are fine). Just don’t give them too often s as insects are a high protein and often fat treat
@@IsamuRatCare Okay thank you. Yeah they would be home bred, I wouldn't dream of giving them wild insects and they would only get them very rarely and only one or two each, it would just be to keep my numbers of dubia roaches at a level I could handle. :)
Edit: the number of roaches I can handle is quite high, by the way, if I could only manage small numbers, there's not much point to me keeping them. :)
How long can the springtails live in the prepacked plastic box they come in. I bought them a few days ago but I'm still waiting for my coco soil to dry out a bit from adding too much water.
From what I understand, they can stay in that box for days- or even weeks, as long as they stay warm and moist, and if it’s going to be a looong time, maybe add some food
Yeah I tend to stick in a bit of veg and bug food if I’m leaving more than a few days and spray with a bit of water as needed
I have a bioactive setup for my tortoise, I use isopods and springtails. I wonder if I could put some isopods in with my rats? Would it be fine if they ate them?
As long as they are farmed rather than wild then yes, woodlice are actually edible for humans too
@@IsamuRatCare Thanks. Yes, deffinatley farmed. My boys will be very excited by this news, I'm sure!
Edit: wait just read human consumption, do you know this from experience?!
@@runningoninsulin9053 🤮
@@IsamuRatCare , perhaps dwarf isopods would be small enough to escape the notice of rats.
Not my girls, they are arseholes. My bucks have a thriving community of pets though
What are the bugs like? In the sense of do they go everywhere/ do you find them outside the cage? My cage is the the bedroom (Lino flooring) so I wouldn’t want the bugs to become a problem outside of the cage. If that makes sense
When I used mealworms I sometimes found the odd one making a break for freedom but springtails and earthworms wouldn’t survive outside the soil so happily stay in it
@@IsamuRatCare Thanks! That was my other halfs main worry about a bioactive base. I think I may start with a bioactive dig box first see how they get on with that then move up to the whole base middle of next year if it goes well. Do you have any suggestions on where to buy the cleanup crew from?
I tend to buy them from sites specialising in bioactive clean up crew for reptiles. They are usually good quality
I have started doing this. Does it smell. Mine has no mould and has springtails but smells of like a garlic soil smell lol thats the best way to describe it. Does yours smell
Oh i dig through once a week aswell. Am I wetting it too much. I am just afraid it will get dusty and dry out cause they sneeze alittle the way it is. They also have litter trays
Also can you tell me what you do with the bark chips leave on top or mix them in?
I haven’t had garlic smell myself, it might be something your adding to there food maybe?
Mine smells basically of damp soil, it should be damp enough to clump and hold shape when you pat it together not sloppy or powdery
I just add bark and such on top, the ears end up mixing it up
@@IsamuRatCare thats what I was thinking it might be the garlic pieces and the damp soil together. Thanks very much ☺️
Just started looking in to bioactive soil for my bucks. Can you tell me if it attracts any type of flies?
It does tend to bring wire a few fungus gnats, these are harmless tiny fly like creatures that feed on breaking down vegetable matter (you get them in house plants too, people sometimes confuse them with fruit fly’s). However if you’ve got a healthy spring tail population it normally outcompetes them and I find having a bug zapper in the room means I don’t really notice them
Have you tried isopods at all?
Yep I currently have a thriving colony of dairy cows in my boys cage and a slightly less thriving colony in the girls cage (they are better hunters). I’m actually using them as my main CUC now as I have a little tank where I breed them and keep them as pets, with the excess from the far too videos dairy cows breeding going into the rat cages. I do need to do a new version of this
Aww they’re named after Final Fantasy creatures?
Chocobo and Mog were yes, I go through phases lol
Hi Jemma i have set up a dig box after watching your amazing videos, but my boys love a toilet roll and used to put it in the sputnick, but since having the dig box they are putting it in there and I'm having to clear it almost weekly. I don't want to take either away as they love both but don't know what else to do. Any suggestions?
It’s a difficult one as short of stopping access to the digging box they will do what they want with the toilet roll. You could try giving them dust free hay in a mesh bird feeder instead, see if they get enrichment from that as it will work better with the digging box
Would it be possible to do something like this with mice?
I’m afraid I don’t keep mice or consider myself so at best I’m pretty basic. I do think some people are trying bioactive with mice. Are you on Facebook?
I am, why?
Check out the groups; bioactive and naturalistic mammal setup, and naturalistic and bioactive rat set ups
Will do, thank you
... bugs... 😢😢😢