A Litterbox Question

[BethM]

So this is for people who use the plastic craft mesh stuff in their litterboxes......

I picked up a couple pieces of this awhile back, then decided my bunnies would probably chew on it and just shoved it in the closet. So today, I cleaned the litterboxes, and randomly decided to use the mesh. I got it out, cut it to size, and put it on the litter. Sprinkled some small hay bits on top, they're used to some hay in the box.

The question is, has anyone had problems with their bunnies chewing on the mesh? Amelia and Tobi both enjoy chewing things as their favorite hobby. I am a bit concerned that they might chew the mesh, and maybe swallow small pieces of it.

So far, Tobi has only used her box once tonight. Amelia and Nick have used theirs. Once, Amelia got in and was sniffing the mesh like she was trying to figure out what it was, then started a thing she does where she pushes the hay in the box around with her front feet. I don't think she would be able to get the mesh with her teeth, but I think she might be able to get at the edge with her paws. (She also loves digging in the litterbox. Ew.) I cut it so it fits fairly well, but she might be able to get the edge with her nails.

Should I take the mesh out for now, and put it back in when I can keep an eye on her? Just take my chances and hope she doesn't eat it?

Thanks!

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Every bunny is different. Pebbles still has the original ones (3 years?). She has chew on some of the other screens from other litter boxes, but that is more of a taste test.

Bebe would not touch her clear plastic screens that I use for her litter boxes. Some times she would flip it out, but never chewed on it. But when I use the white plastic screens, she would rip those apart.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Penelope chews them. She has gone through 2 now. I haven't had issues with the other buns and the mesh.

I would keep and eye on it to see if she chews on it. If she does, take it away, if not, leave it there.

 

[BethM]

Ok, thanks!
I might take them out for tonight, then put them back in when I can watch the bunnies.
Nick doesn't seem to care much about chewing, it's the girls I'm concerned about. Amelia, especially, since she loves digging in the box.
I don't want them ingesting the plastic. (But if they'll leave the screens alone, I would like to use them. Even just being in there a few hours, I can tell the boxes would be easier to keep clean with them. Husband is supposed to clean litterboxes, but he doesn't always do it as often as it needs to be done.) They seem to be using the boxes fine, and I really like how they give the bunnies a bit more traction when they're jumping out.

Maybe I will try keeping a fair amount of small hay bits on top of the screen to disguise it a bit. I've always got lots of small pieces they don't like to eat, which usually goes on top of the litter anyway.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Yep, first time we used it for Snuf, he chewed it. So, I quit using it at that time. Since, just layering the litter pan with less litter, changing it more often. He gets mad at the new litter on his feetsies. So, I filled it in less than normal and definately keep some fresh poops to put in the new litter. This helped a bit.

 

[Fuzzy]

Elly is a chewer. She'll chew her litterbox, cage, paper, baseboards, the door to my room :grumpy:. But she has never chewed on the litterscreen before and she's been using them for almost a year.

 

[SOOOSKA]

Winston is our only Bunny that chews them now and then. He doesn't swallow the plastic though.

I just love using them, it makes the cleanup so much easier.

Susan

 

[BethM]

Well, I put the mesh screen into Nick and Amelia's litterbox this weekend, so I could supervise them for awhile, and see how they react to it. Nick doesn't seem to notice anything different. I did catch Amelia digging around (I put some hay "crumbs" on top of the screen for them), and she did seem confused as to what was going on. She didn't try to chew it, though.(At least not yet!)

Tobi got a new smaller litterbox over the weekend, I am giving her one litter change to get used to it before adding her screen. (She used to have problems with peeing over the edge, so she had a HUGE litter box. She seems much better, so I thought going back to the smaller box would be good for her, giving her more pen space and saving litter.)

I really like how the screen makes it easy to scoop out the poops, and soiled hay. It is also nice to scoop out only the wet litter, which saves litter. (Amelia loved to dig around in the litter box, mixing the used and unused litter together.) However. It has always been my husband's job to clean the litter box. (I do all the other bunny chores.) But I wanted something cleaner, because he didn't feel it was necessary to clean the boxes more than twice a week. This worked ok for Tobi, but was not ok for the other two bunnies. (Last time, I had to TELL him to clean the litterbox, it was full to the top with soiled litter, poops, and hay that had fallen in. Literally, full to the top. Disgusting.)

Jason now seems to think that "scooping" is not the same as cleaning the box, and it is now my responsibility. The only thing he now does for them is giving them hay (and he often neglects to refill their basket in the evenings).

:X:X:X

I do need to find a different box for Nick and Amelia. They like to be in it together, so they've always had a large under-the-bed sweater box. This box has some ridges along the bottom, so it's hard to scoop the litter out of the very bottom. This weekend I will try to find a box with a flat bottom for them. Since it's my job now, I want to make it as easy on myself as possible.

 

[Kyla]

Last night I found those mesh things at Michael's craft store, and I cut 2 of them too small at first, luckily I got 4, and put it in right away. Diggs used it, and seems to not mind it! When it was fresh, he dug at it and bit at it a little, but now he just uses it. Yay, he hates when I change his litter to fresh stuff, he goes right in and digs it out and it goes everywhere. If he's really mad he can kick it out of his cage! other than the initial biting he hasnt done any more than that... I am a bit worried he will get bored and try it, but since it's dirty I dont think he'll touch it.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Just make sure he isn't eating it! (Anyone that has this.)

That is the most important thing with this type of covering. They tend to want to eat it.

 

[BethM]

So far, so good. I have seen Amelia digging around in there, but it seems like she doesn't realize the mesh isn't the real bottom of the box. I cut the mesh so it fits fairy tightly around the edges. Nick doesn't care, either way.

This weekend, I am going to try to find a new box for them, with a smooth bottom, to make it easier to scoop the soiled litter out.

The one thing I've noticed.....Since both bunnies seem to use the same corner to do their business, the poos on top of the mesh seem to get wet and squishy. I am scooping every day, but overnight and when I'm at work, the ginormous pile of poos gets pretty gross.

I have noticed an overall reduced odor, being able to remove the waste daily.