Litter is so confusing!

[ilovetoeatchocolate]

Okay I have been doing reading on litter and I find it very confusing. Some websites recommend this, while others recommend that! There is an article from www.rabbit.org that even has a list of features for each litter. Absorbancy, safety, compostability etc. etc. I would just like a straight up answer. What litter should I use! I have never owned a bunny so I have no experience but I have tons of books that I am reading and am willing to learn. Please give me your tips and advice. I have a large high back corner litter box.



Shannon

 

[Michaela]

Different things suit different people and bunnies, so perhaps it's best to try out a few and see which is your favourite.

Personally, I use a wood based pellet cat litter, and I have never had a problem with it at all. It's clean, absorbs the smell, easy to clean, affordable.. Most people use either that, or paper based cat litter, they are the two best, in my opinion.

Although, I do think mid-sized cat litter trays are better than the corner litter trays, they are a bit small, and bunnies may kick litter out of the front. But they work ok for smaller buns I think.

 

[osprey]

Hi Shannon,

Information overload has set in! I have used almost every type of litter, so I can give you a rundown on the ones that I prefer. It is a personal choice, and I am sure people will disagree with some of my choices, but here are my favorites. The most important things for me in a litter are odor control, must be safe for bunnies to nibble on, and must be compostable.

Aspen Supreme by Green Pet - this is a pelleted litter made from aspen saw dust. Safe for bunnies, and has a wonderful woody smell to it. This is the best litter that I have used in cutting down ammonia smell.

Cat Country/Critter Country - This one is made from pelleted wheat straw. The cat and small animal products are the same, you can use them interchangeably. Good odor control, composts well.

Wood stove pellets/barn dry pellets - These are larger than the usual litter pellets and are made from pine sawdust. Very inexpensive, lots of our foster sites use this litter for that reason. Can be hard to find, I get it at a feed store.

Yesterday's News - made from recycled newsprint, this one does a pretty good job with odor control. It can get soggy if the box is not cleaned frequently enough.

So there you have it. When I am counseling new bunny caregivers I always recommend either the Aspen Supreme or the Cat Country, as these are easy to find in our area. Good luck!

 

[Little Bay Poo]

I don't have too much experience with litters but I have used four different types so far.

Carefresh: This stuff is expensive so we only use it for the litterbox

Kaytee Wood Pellets: Used this a while ago, but it got used up too fast and was too expensive so we stopped using it.

Yesterday's News: This is in the kitty litter section. I had read on here that Yesterday's News was supposed to be cheap. It's cheaper than Carefresh but I don't think it's cheap enough for us to buy it again. I had also seen pictures online of staples and nails found in the Yesterday's News, so we put this litter in the bottom of the cage (we have wire floor cages with drop pans so the bunnies don't come in contact with this litter)

Wood Stove Pellets: Recently got this at the Tractor Supply Company. It was $5 for a 40 pound bag! We put this in the drop pan underneath the wire floors and it seems to work fine. I'm not sure how good it would be to get in direct contact with the bunny because it had a lot of crumbled bits (basically the consistency of wood dust). I think SnowyShiloh's bunny had some trouble with a runny nose related to wood stove pellets. Maybe some other members can tell you more about this product because I don't know too much about it.

 

[Spring]

Personally, I love the wood pellets. I buy 40lb bags for around $4 at the feed store, it's for horse stalls. Quite easy to find and very effective. Easy to clean, absorbs great! This is my number one option because it's cheap, effective, easy to use and GREAT at absorbing moisture and smell!

Really, it's a question of preference and what's available in your area. You should avoid any pine/cedar shavings as they may be dangerous, corn cob bedding that can cause blockages if ingested and clumping cat litter that is dangerous if swallowed. Other that that, just see what you like best! For me, it's the wood pellets - would recommend it to anyone.

 

[Flick]

Here's a video discussing rabbit safe litter.

[ame]http://youtube.com/watch?v=JTT7Dr_pPbc[/ame]

I've used CareFresh, Woody Pet, and Yesterday's News. We've settled on CareFresh because my husband thinks the pelleted litter would hurt Pixel's feet. Feline Pine is also considered safe, but I haven't used it. The problem with clay litters is the dust. If a rabbit inhales it (especially the self-clumping kind) it can lump together in the digestive tract, forming an unpassable lump.

I agree with you. It is confusing and frustrating.