Wood shavings safe???

Love your rabbit
Shop deals on ebay
shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
L

Luv My Bunnies

Member
Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Location
, Washington, USA
Reading up on info...and I'm now wondering if wood shavings are safe?.... My bunnies have a 4level wood home with ramps and chicken cage door with a wood frame that my husband built each one of them:) the levels are wood covered in the grass like rug...looks like fake grass.at the bottoms of their homes they have a pan letterbox and fill the bottom of it in wood shavings and change it every other day.they mostly always run down there,go potty,then go back up....so long story but I'm wondering if the shavings I put in there is safe????can anyone help.thx:wink:big wink:
 
I've always read that cedar and pine shavings are not good because they can cause respiratory problems and liver disease.

Have you tried using wood pellets in the litter box? That seems to work well for me and they're cheap.


 
I have not....I'll give it a try though:) i've already lost my 10yr old bunny bout a nth ago&i want all my others to be safe....I dnt wanna lose any more.it was hard enough with him.thx
 
The wood pellets that she is talking about are the kind that you use for a pellet stove. They're usually 5-7 dollars for a 40lb bag. However, make sure they say HARDWOOD, as soft woods like pine and cedar are toxic, and also make sure they don't have any lighter fluid in them already (it would advertise if it did, which makes it easy to tell).

I used to use them in my rat litter boxes before my new girl decided she was too cool for the litter box. Now I use aspen shavings (Aspen is a hardwood and safe to use). You have to change them at least twice a week because when they break down, it turns to dust which might cause some sneezy bunnies!
 
The 40 lb. wood pellets I get are fine with me. And I have used it for the last 8 years.
The brand called Firemaster (Product of Canada) is listed as Wood Pellets and Pet Bedding is 100% softwood, no additives, no chemicals, and clean burning.
It does have a pine smell, but if it is too strong for your taste, you can leave it out (to air out), and the odour will dissipate.
Because they are kiln dried and pressed into pellets, the oils and creosote are eliminated.
 
O.... So the Aspen is safe???can I get that at petco? Or where would I buy that at? Hearing different things,like pellets...then not pine&ceder...then pine pellets ok ...so I'm a bit confussed:)just wana gt the best for them.I'm using the wood shavings right now that I got told was fine from the feed store...it has a horse on the bag.
 
While I recommended the wood pellets, I have not always used them. Before that I used Yesterdays News unscented litter. It actually looks just like the wood pellets. It's just made from recycled paper (hence it's name).

That also works very well if you just want to avoid the wood controversy. Yesterdays News (unscented only!) costs a bit more. That is why I switched to the wood pellets.

Either way, I prefer the pelleted-types of litter because they are not so loose and fluffy and messy. The shavings seem to track everywhere.
 
Luv My Bunnies wrote:
O.... So the Aspen is safe?
...then pine pellets ok ...
Click to expand...

Aspen is a hardwood so it is safe.

Imagine Pellets and Shavings as two different things. Wood Pellets are small cylindrical chopped up tubes. Wood Shavings are flaky flat pieces like Corn Flakes.

Wood pellets made with softwood is fine. This is what I use. I have not seen any hardwood wood pellets (but it is possible they are available).

Wood shavings with Cedar is definitely a no.
I would stay away from Pine Wood Shavings too. (But some people use them).
Aspen wood shaving is fine.

As Blue Eyes said, there are other products such as Yesterdays News and other types of litter that can be used. However this topic is about wood, and I use wood pellets.
 
Blue eyes wrote:
While I recommended the wood pellets, I have not always used them. Before that I used Yesterdays News unscented litter. It actually looks just like the wood pellets. It's just made from recycled paper (hence it's name).

That also works very well if you just want to avoid the wood controversy. Yesterdays News (unscented only!) costs a bit more. That is why I switched to the wood pellets.

Either way, I prefer the pelleted-types of litter because they are not so loose and fluffy and messy. The shavings seem to track everywhere.
Click to expand...
Did you like yesterdays news? I used it too but I felt it did not get rid of the urine smell like the wood pellets do. Personally I love the smell of wood and sawdust and that's exactly what the pine pellets smell like to me even when wet. Love that the wood pellets remove that urine smell.
 
melbaby80 wrote:
Did you like yesterdays news? I used it too but I felt it did not get rid of the urine smell like the wood pellets do. Personally I love the smell of wood and sawdust and that's exactly what the pine pellets smell like to me even when wet. Love that the wood pellets remove that urine smell.
Click to expand...


Actually, I thought it did just fine absorbing the urine smell. I put it in rather thick, though - maybe 2" deep.

I didn't originally expect the wood pellets to do as well as Yesterdays News but was a bit surprisedwhen it did.Now that I'm thinking about it, I've been using quite a bit less of the wood pellets. I don't put in nearly as much and it still absorbs the odor.

I'm really pleased with the pellets -- for odor absorbing AND for price!

(I have to get my wood pellets from a feed store (they use them for horse stalls?) because wood pellet stoves are rather a rarity here in HOT Phoenix so hardware stores don't carry them. They cost about $8 for 40 lbs - still cheaper than Yesterday News.)

 
Though I am obviously in the minority here, I would avoid using pine or cedar in any form. How it is cut or compressed (to my knowledge) does not affect how the oils in it react with the ammonia in urine that make it toxic.

The Hardwood Stove Pellets (which are just like the pine wood pellets described, but make with hardwoods) are safe.

Also, you can get pelleted aspen, which is probably the safest way to go. c:
 
Nelsons_Mom wrote:
Though I am obviously in the minority here, I would avoid using pine or cedar in any form. How it is cut or compressed (to my knowledge) does not affect how the oils in it react with the ammonia in urine that make it toxic.

The Hardwood Stove Pellets (which are just like the pine wood pellets described, but make with hardwoods) are safe.

Also, you can get pelleted aspen, which is probably the safest way to go. c:
Click to expand...
Agreed

I used Aspen shavings for years. You can buy it for about $10 for a 4cu.ft. bale at petco/petsmart.

Hardwood only. If its an evergreen tree, I would stay far far away.

And if they cant tell you what kind of tree the product is from, I would stay even farther away.
 
I got premium hardwood pellet fuel but it says not for human or animal consumption. Rt now she uses yesterdays news so do u think this kind is safe ? I. Don't think its treated . If the rabbit eats a little would it still be okay
 
Hi Blue Eyes, since you mentioned Phoenix, I am having that pellet-finding problem...

I am trying to find the wood pellets in East Valley (I am in Chandler), any leads? Or even where you get them on your side of town? Thank you!

Jen, & Lulu
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top