Good litter options

I have been using critter care bedding as litter for my young rabbit and he seems to like it but what should I be using he seems to sleep in his litter box I don’t know if it’s because it’s softer than the rest of his pin but I don’t want to confuse him and put bedding everywhere

Many rabbits like to lounge in their litter box. No worries. I top litter with hay. Not only does that keep them off of urine-soaked litter, it also makes the litter itself last longer. I put fresh hay on top a couple times per day.

Lounging in the box is totally normal... and it's definitely confusing to a young bunn if you put bedding everywhere. By the way, a way cheaper (and more effective) option than carefresh is pelleted wood bedding (you can buy it at feed stores/livestock supply stores). I get mine at Tractor Supply - Equine Pelletized Bedding, $6 for 40 lbs. With moderately sized litter boxes, I only need to change it about once a week for my pair and I can push it to nearly two weeks for my two solo bunns. Great odor control and it naturally sucks the pee down to the bottom. One bag lasts me around a month with four rabbits.

Imbrium said:

One bag lasts me around a month with four rabbits.

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That matches my figurings as well. I went through one bag in just over 2 months with 2 rabbits.

Blue eyes said:

That matches my figurings as well. I went through one bag in just over 2 months with 2 rabbits.

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I'm doing something wrong then. I use a bag every 3-4 weeks with my two.

I use aspen shavings in the litter box because it is easier for me to see when I need to clean it out. Just personally I have used the paper bedding but it dyed my rabbits feet green so I used it up and stopped using it

Alyssa and Bugs♡ said:

I'm doing something wrong then. I use a bag every 3-4 weeks with my two.

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Maybe you're layering the pellets thicker than needed or changing them out more often than needed? Or, if too little hay is added each day, it will smell sooner. I find that if I'm not adding enough hay each day, then it won't last as long.

Alyssa and Bugs♡ said:

I'm doing something wrong then. I use a bag every 3-4 weeks with my two.

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I usually put about 2 inches in the box. They add the hay themselves when ripping it from the mangers.

Blue eyes said:

Maybe you're layering the pellets thicker than needed or changing them out more often than needed? Or, if too little hay is added each day, it will smell sooner. I find that if I'm not adding enough hay each day, then it won't last as long.

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I don't use much each time. I have two storage tote litter boxes and one regular small litter box. I usually use the two storage tote but I used the smaller one in the pen when I had to use the largest one for bonding. I don't base when I clean them out by smell, I do it when it looks like it needs it. They are cleaned out every 3-6 ish days because when I cleaned them out every week or so I found a maggot on Bugs's foot from in the litter box.

I use one large litter box, about 16" x 23." I only put less than an inch in each time (so about half of what Imbrium uses, but then I have to clean it out more often than she does). Either way works.

Maybe it's because you are using more than 1 box.

Imbrium said:

I usually put about 2 inches in the box. They add the hay themselves when ripping it from the mangers.

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The plan was to use a hay rack when they're bonded because Evie seems like the bun who would use it and she would pull out hay that Bugs would eat, but that doesn't seem like it's going to happen.

I use wood pellets as well, I find them reducing odor best. Paper based pellets are ok too, it gives less dust but it will smell sooner.

I go through 10 liter of pellets a week with 2 buns. I have one large cat litter box that I clean out every other day to every 3 days maximum and at 3 days it's already really gross. Either my buns pee and poop a lot or you guys have way bigger lutter boxes or something, haha. My box is 70cm by 56cm.

We use the marathon wood pellets for our sanctuary crew. We top off with more expensive Yesterday's News recycled paper bedding for the elders or special needs' buns and layer with hay. Blue Eyes makes me smile b/c some of our guys do love lounging in their litter pans.

Hubby wants to add more wood pellets to the boxes than I do. The pellets crumble as they get soiled, and we never have a scent associated with used litter pans. I hear you on dust matters, too.

Twice a week major cleaning; more so for our Flemish Boy or larger buns. For our NZW, she has layers of newspaper topped off with a thin sprinkle of pellets. My 90+ friend saves newspapers for us. We have also used paper grocery bags as a liner on the bottom of litter boxes, but paper definitely will get saturated.

Some of our buns have a soft cotton sheet layered over their low-sided litter box with hay layer or sprinkle of pellets. A rescue gal in the network uses cotton diapers; she has special needs' residents also.

'Tis Very Smart not to put bedding everywhere to confuse a bun on their designated 'restroom' space.

Do you have a low-weave carpet pad or a layer of cotton sheets in his pen? Has he got a comfort padding to recline on outside of his litter box? Pet stores will typically show aspen shavings everywhere in a small g/pig sized cage or aquarium. They are giving the wrong idea, and may want your business to buy more shavings when it's truly unneeded.

Never buy paper bedding with odor-control baking soda. Phenols from sodium bicarbonate or ingestion of b/soda bedding have caused deaths.