My friend and I put crushed limestone as a base. My friend uses those stall mats with holes over that, then shavings. I don't have any mats. I have never used the pellets.Does it then dry out to become absorbent? I can't figure out what to do in there. Shavings are a huge mess, but they are absorbent. Hay is fine, but gets dirty too fast. If I keep piling it up, then there's "sludge" underneath. I hate the sludge.![]()