Bunny Care Guide: The Best Litter For Your Bunny
73
One of the more major decisions you have to make when you decide to keep your bunny is one that may at first seem trivial. Surely you just grab some litter, any litter, toss it in the bottom of the cage and have done? Well that's a fine theory, but unfortunately there are problems with it. You see, rabbits have a tendency to put everything they can in their mouths, and many litters may either cause intestinal blockages, or be poisonous to your bunny. Still other litters won't kill your rabbit, but may not be all that good at absorbing and deodorizing that rabbit pee. Here's a wee guide (puns, I crack me up) to rabbit litter.
The Good
Compressed Sawdust Pellets - These are cheap and highly absorbent.
Aspen Bark Litter - Also good, may stick to the undercoat of long haired bunnies and make a huge mess as they tramp it around the house.
Recycled Paper Litters - Good for the environment, absorbent, and good at odor control.
The Bad
Oat and Alfalfa Litter - Might be okay, might also cause a blockage in your bunny.
Newspaper - Will soak up urine, but doesn't control the odor very well. On the plus side, not a bad way to recycle your newspapers.
Deodorizing Litter - If your rabbit eats this, it is poisonous. Can be okay if used under a wire rack and the rabbit never comes in contact with it.
The Ugly
Corn Cob Litter - Sold everywhere, this is completely useless at absorbing rabbit urine, and comes with the added bonus of being potentially lethal.
Pine /Cedar Shavings - Using Pine and Cedar shavings turns your rabbits cage into a virtual gas chamber. When the rabbit's urine comes in contact with these materials, gases are released that can cause liver damage.
The Creative
Some people use old rabbit pellets as litter. This is a great way to use old feed, and it doesn't much matter if the bunny eats it, but it strikes many as a bit wasteful.
Take your time when choosing a litter, and try out various kinds. Depending on the coat of your rabbit, some litters may be more problematic than others, especially if he or she still has his or her fuzzy baby coat. Be aware too, that your rabbit will try to eat the litter if it is possible for it to, and plan accordingly. Blockages and poisoning are no fun, and are sad ways to lose a pet. Fortunately, with a little forethought, they can be eliminated.
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Part of the starter kit the local pet store advised was a litter of pearl shaped pellets made from "100% all natural bentonite". It claims to be a pure, non-toxic inert clay. It absorbs and contains messes well but I got concerned for my bunny after looking up bentonite on wikipedia. Is this really safe to use?
Cat litter is toxic to bunnies. It WOULD be easier, but it would also kill them if they ate it. Bunnies are a real pain when it comes to litters, unfortunately.
I think the best litter, certainly the safest is to use plain grass pellets. They absorb liquid and you know the bunny won't die from eating them.
But how do you know which are soiled?
i have the same thing as sandy its called critter litter its for rabbits ... they say there is not toxic is it safe ???
i have the same thing as sandy its called critter litter its for rabbits ... they say there is not toxic is it safe ???
When we got our rabbit from another owner she was using cedar shavings, so we got a big bag of them. 2 days later I read that they are toxic to rabbit (great and there is a pic of a rabbit on the bag). So I bought Yesterday's News and she wouldn't use it she would poop right next to her litter box so for the past week i have been mixing them and then adding less and less cedar and more and more yesterday's news and it's working now i fill it with yesterday's news and just sprinkle a few pieces of cedar on top of it. So by next week she should be used to the new litter and use it. (Yesterday's New's is recycled newspaper in pellet form and is not harmfull if they eat it, well that's what i have read on all sites i've seen so far with rabbits you never know one site will say it is safe and another will say things are toxic) It's not very expensive and not a all messy. I can't tell where she pee's but you can see the pile of poop in the corner, so i just empty it when i get home from work every day and i don't smell anything!
LyndseyLou says:
16 months ago
What about cat letter? It seems to me like it would be alot easier to keep clean because you can scoop the droppings and messings out.