changing litter box a lot????

how many times do you change the litter box?
i keep forgetting what day i change it, but i feel like i change it a lot.
when i change it i put down some care fresh bedding and fill half the litter box with hay, but by the end of the day its full of poop and the bedding is all drenched in pee.
is there a more absorbent bedding then carefresh? when it does get filled up i put another layer of carefresh so he's not sitting in poop and pee after about 3 days (it gets really heavy) i'll dump it in the compost. I have looked at the binkybunny.com wire litter box cover, but i'm a bit nervous to try that, since he is sorta prone to sore hocks.

I have two small bunnies. I give them two litter boxes, but they seem to prefer one of them. I change their favourite box every two to three days, or whenever I see a lot of poop. I add fresh hay to it every day. The other box only needs changing once a week or less.

I put a thick layer of newspaper on the bottom to absorb the pee, followed by either wood stove pellets or Yesterday's News. Then on top I put a layer of hay. Sometimes Zelda rips the newspaper up, but it's no problem as they still use the box.

I've never used Carefresh because I've heard it's expensive. So I don't know how it compares with stove pellets or YN for absorbency.

I'm not sure about the litter box cover, I guess it would depend on how much time they spend in the box. My littlest one likes to sit in the box and meditate while munching on hay. The bigger one just does her thing and then sits beside the box to munch.

BlackRabbits said:

I have two small bunnies. I give them two litter boxes, but they seem to prefer one of them. I change their favourite box every two to three days, or whenever I see a lot of poop. I add fresh hay to it every day. The other box only needs changing once a week or less.

I put a thick layer of newspaper on the bottom to absorb the pee, followed by either wood stove pellets or Yesterday's News. Then on top I put a layer of hay. Sometimes Zelda rips the newspaper up, but it's no problem as they still use the box.

I've never used Carefresh because I've heard it's expensive. So I don't know how it compares with stove pellets or YN for absorbency.

I'm not sure about the litter box cover, I guess it would depend on how much time they spend in the box. My littlest one likes to sit in the box and meditate while munching on hay. The bigger one just does her thing and then sits beside the box to munch.

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i got carefresh cause i heard it absorbs a lot, but i'm running low to i might want to try woodstove pellets or yesterday's news, but has your bunnies ever tried eating it? they look a lot like his rabbit pellets (only these are grey) and he LOVES his rabbit pellets.
how much is 'a lot of poop' cause i see a small mound of poop at the end of the day and i don't want him sitting in poop and pee.

The wood stove pellets and the pelleted paper litter (like Yesterdays's News) do look like the food pellets, but rabbits absolutely know the difference. They smell it. Never heard a bun eat it.

I'm not a big fan of Carefresh because I just find it messy. It seems to get everywhere. Plus it doesn't absorb odor as well as the pellets.

Yesterday's News (only get unscented) works well but costs considerably more than wood stove pellets and, imho, isn't quite as good as the wood pellets. YN would be my second choice.

Wood pellets topped with hay works well. With two rabbits, I changed the litterbox twice per week. Now that I'm down to one rabbit, I only need to change it once per week.

Don't put too many wood pellets in the litter box. They really expand when wet. I show how much I fill it and how it expands on this page of my website. The photos are probably better at explaining how this system works. If hay isn't added daily, then it will start smell sooner.

ok, next time i'm shopping for litter (which will be very soon) i'll see if i can find wood stove pellets (or YN if they don't have any Wood stove pellets)

BlackMiniRex said:

ok, next time i'm shopping for litter (which will be very soon) i'll see if i can find wood stove pellets (or YN if they don't have any Wood stove pellets)

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You can get wood stove pellets at places like Home Depot or Lowes. Feed stores would probably have them as well, I believe they're used as horse bedding. Up here in Toronto they only sell them seasonally (Sept-Oct -> March). I guess it's because in the city fewer people use pellet stoves because they're mainly used for heating. You may have better luck getting the pellets year round where you are. When they're available I stock up. I've always found 4 50 lb bags do my two buns for the whole year. This year I've added a Flemish to the mix, so I'll get a fifth bag.

I've never seen evidence that they get eaten. I never see wood pellets outside of the litter box, and while the rabbits are in the box they're focused on eating hay. They break down into sawdust when moist, and I'm sure the rabbits wouldn't find damp sawdust saturated with pee to be very appetizing. Same goes for the YN, always at the bottom of the box and nowhere else.

I change it every 3 days. I put a very thin layer of wooden pellets (looks more like very big sand grains actually) on the bottom and that's it because my rabbits are super picky and will leave a lot of hay inside the box (the hay rack is in front of the litter box and I add about a handful in the box for Aki since she has more trouble taking the hay from the rack). If you put a big layer, things will p. ile up super quickly and my dwarf lop who as this habit of peeing while leaning against the corner of the box will pee half outside of the box. When I change it, I obviously empty it completely.
So, 3 days sound normal to me...

Aki said:

I change it every 3 days. I put a very thin layer of wooden pellets (looks more like very big sand grains actually) on the bottom and that's it because my rabbits are super picky and will leave a lot of hay inside the box (the hay rack is in front of the litter box and I add about a handful in the box for Aki since she has more trouble taking the hay from the rack). If you put a big layer, things will p. ile up super quickly and my dwarf lop who as this habit of peeing while leaning against the corner of the box will pee half outside of the box. When I change it, I obviously empty it completely.
So, 3 days sound normal to me...

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andy is extremely picky about hay, he'll dig through his pile of hay (making a hay tunnel for himself) to find the perfect piece of hay,

Can someone give me the name of the brand of wood stove pellets their use? I'm scared it's going to be toxic to the rabbit so I don't know which brand to use.

katiecrna said:

Can someone give me the name of the brand of wood stove pellets their use? I'm scared it's going to be toxic to the rabbit so I don't know which brand to use.

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There are tons of different brands of wood pellets and what is available varies in each area. I just get a plain pine pellet making sure there are no additives listed on the bags, particularly an added accelerant.

If you are still concerned about getting the wrong wood stove pellets, you can get some equine bedding pellets at a feed store instead, or Feline Pine pellets at a pet store(which will be a bit more expensive than the wood stove pellets or equine bedding pellets).

I've had rabbits eat the wood stove pellets However in both instances it was when they were first changed to the new litter. I think Bandit tried two, and Apollo tried 3 or 4. Nothing since then though. I don't think they taste too good, but they're perfectly safe to be eaten if bunny happens to nibble one or two at first when you introduce it. Large quantities however and I wouldn't continue using it. But don't be surprised if one or two gets eaten just to see what this new thing is.

I've not read all the replies - but I used to have to change my girls litter tray twice a day - fully empty it and replace everything.

The amount of hay and litter that would be wasted was incredible.

I've since got one of these:



I don't waste anywhere near as much and can spot clean the tray easily once a day.

Could you make something similar, or use a garden wire planter to hold the hay just above the tray?

i can't find a good hay rack, so i just put a pile of hay in the litter tray, he spreads the hay everywhere, so it's super hard to spot clean,
Andy will try to avoid going in the litter box if theirs hay he can reach out side of the litter box, and he prefers to sit on top of his hay and eat it (if it's in a hay rack with a gap at the top [where you put the hay in])

http://m.lowes.com/pd/40-lb-Wood-Pellets/3506840

Would these be safe to use?

JBun said:

There are tons of different brands of wood pellets and what is available varies in each area. I just get a plain pine pellet making sure there are no additives listed on the bags, particularly an added accelerant.

If you are still concerned about getting the wrong wood stove pellets, you can get some equine bedding pellets at a feed store instead, or Feline Pine pellets at a pet store(which will be a bit more expensive than the wood stove pellets or equine bedding pellets).

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Today I was checking the websites of the stores where I buy my wood stove pellets to see if they have them in yet (since they don't sell them year round here). I just finished my last bag from last season. I found two brands where they actually print "safe for pet bedding" on the label. They usually list the ingredients on the bag and will mention if they are "natural" or "organic" or "no fillers or additives". The good pellets contain nothing but wood, they are made of pressed wood fibers. You can find softwood or hardwood pellets. I use the hardwood because they don't contain the aromatic oils that pine etc. do.

dpbunnies said:

I've not read all the replies - but I used to have to change my girls litter tray twice a day - fully empty it and replace everything.

The amount of hay and litter that would be wasted was incredible.

I've since got one of these:

I don't waste anywhere near as much and can spot clean the tray easily once a day.

Could you make something similar, or use a garden wire planter to hold the hay just above the tray?

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If you can find a dollar store that has cc/metal storage cubes, they can be bent into shape or tied together with zip ties to make a hay rack. Dollar store cubes are smaller, made with thinner wire and have larger spaces between the wires than the ones people use to build cages with. If you're not familiar with CC cubes, here's an example: https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.3-pack-storage-cube.1000141561.html?autoSuggest=pip

Here's a comparison photo of the "real" cube vs. the dollar store version:

katiecrna said:

http://m.lowes.com/pd/40-lb-Wood-Pellets/3506840

Would these be safe to use?

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I can't tell because the site doesn't give any info on the ingredients. Generally you want to look for words like "natural" or "no additives" or "contains wood only" etc. Some bags actually say "safe for pet bedding". I saw several brands on Walmart's US website, but because I'm in Canada I can't see details. Here's the brand I use, it's a Canadian brand but if you scroll down you'll see the description, it should help you as a guide:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/softwood-pellets-0642778p.html#srp

i just got some, I don't think andy likes them that much, he peed right next to his litter box 2x in one day, their not as cozy as his nice soft carfresh (more like little pebbles XD)
should i mix them in with carfresh and gradually introduce them? they also take a bit to actually absorb the pee (i did the water test) (they do break though )
if i hand them directly to andy he does nibble them

BlackMiniRex said:

i just got some, I don't think andy likes them that much, he peed right next to his litter box 2x in one day, their not as cozy as his nice soft carfresh (more like little pebbles XD)
should i mix them in with carfresh and gradually introduce them? they also take a bit to actually absorb the pee (i did the water test) (they do break though )
if i hand them directly to andy he does nibble them

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Try a layer of hay over it. It will help keep it soft on his feet and encourage him to be in there to eat the hay.

It can take a bit for the urine to be absorbed, but if you have a thick enough layer of pellets(like 1-1.5 inches) then it shouldn't be a problem as the urine will drain down to the bottom to be gradually absorbed.

Some pellets aren't as good at absorbing as others, so you may find you have to switch brands if these don't absorb the urine very well.

BlackMiniRex said:

i just got some, I don't think andy likes them that much, he peed right next to his litter box 2x in one day, their not as cozy as his nice soft carfresh (more like little pebbles XD)
should i mix them in with carfresh and gradually introduce them? they also take a bit to actually absorb the pee (i did the water test) (they do break though )
if i hand them directly to andy he does nibble them

Click to expand...

^ Yup! Definitely try adding hay. Cover the pellets with hay. Then daily (or twice per day) add more hay.