Poll: What type of litter do you use?

So what does everybody use? Vote on your type, then post about your brand and your opinions on other brands or types.

I use ABM wood pellets. It is one of two wood pellet brands I can find in my area, and it seems to be a little less dusty and absorbs better, plus it's always in stock at that feed store. 50 lbs is about $4.

I used to use Carefresh, which is a fluffy recycled paper litter. It's pretty good, but it's really expensive and I didn't really like how it compacted down under little bunny butts. It's easier to scoop out just the dirty corners with wood pellets.

I've been using "Yesterdays news" It works pretty well..I just gotta watch skippy..sometimes he tries to eat it. -_-

WOODY PET!!! :blueribbon:

I use Woody Pet, but the last bag I've been using (which I had stored in the basement for the last 4-5 months) is useless. The pellets broke down and there is no absorption value to it at all. I have to change the litter boxes daily, and they still smell of urine. I'm thinking of switching to another brand if I can find one that's not too expensive.

I use Pine Stall, which is a very similar product to Woody Pet. Works great, and it's really cheap too, only $9 can. for a #40 bag.

--Dawn

Well, I just called the local feed store here, and they do stock a product called Magnum Horse Bedding...similar to WP (and probably similar to Pine Stall, Dawn). I did a quick search on the net for it, and from what I could gather, it seems to be processed the same way as WP. I'm going to give that a try, as it's cheap ($7.99 CA for 40 lbs) and the store is much closer to me than the one that stocked WP here.

I am SO glad you posted this topic!
The pet store we got Jack from insisted we buy him PINE shavings for his cage because it's "so safe" for him :shock: I found out TODAY from the SPCA that Pine (and another but I can't remember which one off the top of my head) is actually dangerous for rabbits and can cause them to become ill! I was so upset when I read that and actually plan to call the store and tell them to stop misinforming their customers because if something had happened to my rabbit due to him using the wrong bedding (which their store basically made me get and almost made me feel stupid if I didn't), I would have held them completely responsible for any bills I acquired.

But thank you everyone for posting what you use because we need to go to the store today and get some new stuff!

Bassetluv wrote:

I use Woody Pet, but the last bag I've been using (which I had stored in the basement for the last 4-5 months) is useless. The pellets broke down and there is no absorption value to it at all. I have to change the litter boxes daily, and they still smell of urine. I'm thinking of switching to another brand if I can find one that's not too expensive.

Click to expand...

I started researching several of the wood pellet manufacturers and found something interesting.... quite a few of them are now producing the smaller consistancy product in addition to the larger one.

I first found out when I contacted someone about Guardian pellets. She buys it for her own use, and buys it by the truckload. Since she has it on hand she sells a certain amount to customers. She said that Guardian advised her that they are now making the product in a smaller consistancy, as well as the regular product.

The only thing I haven't found out is...Why?

I've been using Woody Pet for a while. I have noticed that the product has become smaller and is a bit more dusty. However, I haven't notice much difference in performance. I have 8 indoor bunnies that are all litter trained and have their own individual litter pans. I still only change them every other day ( they start to stink on day 3)and I still only use one scoop using the same measuring scoop I've always used. The bags are still 40 lbs and still sell for $4.79. I really haven't noticed a decreased quantity in the bags, either. So......:?...go figure.

~Jim

Yesterday's News, it works really well at keeping the smell down. I only have to change the box twice a week for two bunnies (mostly because they throw everything in the box).

Thanks Jim...

This last bag of WP that I have will have to be thrown out, it has disintegrated so badly. It could have to do with storage; I was keeping mine in my basement, which is unheated. It's too bad really, as I don't have many options on where to store, and since I don't have a vehicle, have to buy in bulk when I do get it. So I'm going to try out Magnum and see if it stands up as well as WP. Woody Pet is rather hard to come by here as well (unless, again, you have a car). The only dealer I know of who sells it is quite far from me, and to ask someone for a lift all the way out there to get litter is really inconvenient.

I'm wondering though...how long do you keep your bags of Woody Pet in storage Jim? And how are they stored? I'm suspecting that dampness may have caused this problem I'm now having. With the bags that didn't break down, I was scooping the litter box every day and changing it fully every 4 days or so.

(Sorry I didn't post before this, but I no longer have Internet at home since Anna decided to sever my modem cable :?...so I'm posting very quickly from work.)

~Di

Hi, Di!

I drive 25 miles (oneway) to get my Woody Pet.

They receive it on pallets of 75 bags, and quite often they will stack one pallet on top of another. Sometimes I wonder how much product gets crushed storing it this way.

I buy as much as my little car can handle before it scrapes bottom going out of their parking lot.....16 bags (640 lbs).8 bags in the trunk and 8 bags in the back seat.

Sometimes they'll give me some bags that are ripped for free...I can put about 4 in the front passenger seat. And now we're "riding on the frame".

I storearound 24 bags in my garage on a pallet. I put a tarp over the stack to help keep it as dry as possible.

~Jim

:shock:Jim D. wrote about Woody Pet...the bags are 40 lbs. and sell for $4.79? What a bargain! I can only get Pestell corn cob 5lb for $6.41 with tax! I'm totally getting ripped off!!!!

Holy guacamole Jim!! You certainly do keep the makers of WP in business! LOL...I can just picture your car laden with bags upon bags of Woody Pet (imagine getting stopped by the police for a broken taillight or something, and having to explain your haul to the trooper!).

Well, if you keep that many bags in storage, and you keep it in a garage (unheated?) in the winter - I'm assuming you live in an area where it gets cold during the winter - then the bags of WP I had in my basement, by all accounts, shouldn't have broken down the way it did. I had two go that way...the first one I thought was a fluke, and it wastowards the end of the bag that I really noticed it...the second one is the bag I now have, and the entire contents are a write-off. Unless moisture got to them somehow...but I can't really see how. I was happy with the first few bags of WP I had, though the product didn't seem to be lastingquite so long as somesaid it does...but still,it was doing pretty well for me at first.Anyway, I'm going to give Magnum a test-run to compare. Will let you know how I make out.

thor, there's a lot of products in petstores that work well but are very expensive (Yesterday's News is one of them here). I'd go broke if I relied on using them all the time. That's why I began asking about Woody Pet after I joined this forum and someone (pretty sure it was Jim) told me about it. Woody Pet, Magnum Horse Bedding, and other such products can be purchased at a fraction of the price of the pelleted or 'cottony' bedding sold in pet stores. Both WP and Magnum retail here for around $7.99 Canadian in local feed stores, and that's a 40-lb bag. (It's a bit higher than the American price because of the exchange on the dollar from US to Canadian.)

If you have a feed store anywhere nearby, check them out...they might have one a product you could try...(or you could try the suggestions that were made regarding stove pellets...though I'm not sure how they're processed, so be careful and research before buying).

:bunnydance:

mybabyjack wrote:

I am SO glad you posted this topic!
The pet store we got Jack from insisted we buy him PINE shavings for his cage because it's "so safe" for him :shock: I found out TODAY from the SPCA that Pine (and another but I can't remember which one off the top of my head) is actually dangerous for rabbits and can cause them to become ill! I was so upset when I read that and actually plan to call the store and tell them to stop misinforming their customers because if something had happened to my rabbit due to him using the wrong bedding (which their store basically made me get and almost made me feel stupid if I didn't), I would have held them completely responsible for any bills I acquired.

But thank you everyone for posting what you use because we need to go to the store today and get some new stuff!

Click to expand...

Some pet stores...ARRRRRGH!!!

Cedar is the other product to stay away from.

Both pine and cedar have aromatic oils that are dangerous to the bunnies and can cause respiratory complications.

A pet store, where I bought my first hamsters, insisted that cedar shavings were the best because they covered up the odor. I was pretty ignorant about hamster care at the time and was relying on their so called "expertise". In actuality, the aromatic oils killed both of them within a week.

Kiln dried aspen is considered relatively safe. I've used it in the drop pans of the cages, but never as a bedding or a litter.

I've also used Carefresh (bedding)&Yesterdays News (paper pellet litter). Both products can be costly.

The cheapest thing I've used is plain ol' shredded newspaper for bedding. I stopped using newsprint because it tends to turn white bunnie feet black. Most newsprint ink is soy-based so it's not harmful, but the buns hated to have their feet cleaned....(bun sprouts a gazillion feet and "nononononono-stop-cleaning-my-feet!!!")

....did I mention that I love Woody Pet (jk....old joke).

~Jim

I use wood stove pellets I get atthe hardware store. I have stock up in about April for the summer so I don't run out, if I do run out I use Yesterdays News.

Shannon

m.e. wrote:

I use Agway Pelleted Horse Bedding for the pull-out tray in their cage, but their litterboxes have newspaper in them.

Click to expand...

I wish the Agway's buy me carried their brand of pellets. I called around and none of them do. I even had my relatives in the outlying areas check the Agway with no luck.

~Jim

aurora369 wrote:

I use Pine Stall, only $9 can. for a #40 bag.

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Hi Aurora! There are so many plants in B.C. that make wood pellets. The key word is Kiln Dry Wood Products. Is there a Home Hardware near you? I founda product that they sell, called Dragon Mountain (Product of Canada) costs $4.50 Can. in a #40 bag. The pellet size is larger and not as broken up as Woody Pet.

Rainbows!