Is scented bedding safe?

Hello all,

One of my rescued rabbits that I adopted out came back to me, so I now have two bunnies instead of one. Her previous owner gave me a lot of stuff to use for her. One of the things she came with is some lavender scented Kaytee small pet bedding. Normally I wouldn't use it and would use what I'm used to (the recycled paper bedding), but I can't get to the pet store today and really need to clean the rabbits' litter boxes.

Is this safe to use? I know it's marketed towards small pets, but I know not everything that is marketed for small pets is really all that safe. I don't want her to get sick or to get a respiratory infection just because I didn't have the proper litter. Any advice?

Thanks!

Scented bedding has the potential to be irritating and cause sneezing. Personally, I try to avoid any kind of bedding that has added scent. I don't think using it for a day or two until you can buy your usual bedding would really hurt though. If you do use it, just listen for sneezing. If the litter boxes need to be changed urgently I would rather use the scented bedding temporarily since the ammonia smell from a dirty litter box can become quite harmful.

:yeahthat:

I agree with Happi Bun - scented bedding may be irritating to rabbits. Their sense of smell is more sensitive than ours, so we wouldn't be able to detect it. Lavender is great for bunnies, but I'm not too sure about artificial scents. I've recently read that strong scents from air fresheners and the like may cause damage to bunnies in the long term. As Happi Bun said, it shouldn't be a problem if you're only using it for a day or two but I wouldn't recommend using it any longer than that