Here, we use bath/hand towels on all of the larger surfaces in their cage, like carpet. Hides/boxes get an extra layer of "nesting" fabric. "Nesting fabric" is just pieces of t-shirts, bedsheets, washcloths, and other fabric items. We cut large scraps from these items that were stained or end of the line hand me downs. They are sourced from friends & family. Rats do like to dig, so we give them a dig box with coconut fiber.

We often see people talk down on towels as substrates. Here's the breakdown of our experience:

First off, our cleaning schedule for each cage is a spot cleaning on Tuesdays and a deep cleaning on Fridays. Spot cleans are usually just reorganizing, scooping out dirt/poops/debris, and switching out any soiled boxes/hides. We deep clean by removing everything from the cage, vacuuming the debris, and scrubbing with baby wipes. If you need something more abrasive, dish soap and a melamine sponge work wonders. 

This method has been standard throughout.

1. Paper Bedding - 

This was our first bedding. It can carry mites, and it also creates a lot of dust. It's been treated as the gold standard, but once we made the switch, we haven't had to make another appointment for the sniffles again. It works well enough, but dries slowly, which required more regular cleaning. My rats opted to pee in the hammocks rather than in this bedding. Spot cleans were needed on Sundays and Wednesdays, rather than Tuesday. For what it's worth - IT'S SO MESSY. If you have a longhair dog/cat, it will be stuck to them constantly.

2. Aspen Bedding -

This was okay, but it caused a lot of mild eye infections. It increases the chances of them getting scratched in the eye by a wood chip by 1,000%. My hairless, mosaic, werewolf, DRex and rex rats all had issues with their skin. It also caused an allergic reaction in myself and a few of my rats.

3. Pellets/Corn litters -

This is a giant mess, uncomfy on their feet, and it smells the worst out of all of these options <3

4. Paper Towels - 

Be so for real. Don't do that. Nesting material only.

5. Fleece - 

Not very absorbant, and DEFINITELY holds a smell. They did enjoy the fleece, but they like to tear up fabric, so getting new fleece liners that often was really, really pricey.

6. Towels/T-Shirts -

Absorbant, but intended to dry quickly. This keeps the smell close to it, and doesn't feel as icky as dirtied fleece. They do chew the fabric, but it gives them the opportunity to gather nesting materials. Contrary to popular belief, boys do like to nest; usually the ones at the bottom of the heirarchy. We buy about 1 new towel a month for each cage, and this is still cheaper than paper bedding.