I took the advice of the folks here on the forum and went with the pellets. They are wonderful. I've also taken food & water out of their house. They don't need it 24/7 and have access to buckets of water as well as a pond from 6:30 am to dusk. Anywho, I did a layer of pellets and a thin layer of fine shavings over the top. I just pick the wet spots or solids, give it a stir and all is fresh!