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Forum HABITATS AND TOYS Litter

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    • CharleyBunn
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        How often do you all change your litter? And for how many buns? 

        What is your favorite type of litter? What litters do you all find best to avoid odor? 

        Thanks


      • Hazel
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          Horse stall pellets or wood stove pellets (same thing) are the best I know of. You can get 40lbs for about $6. They do a great job with the smell in my opinion. Just a heads up, if you get wood stove pellets make sure there’s no accelerant in it. You can find them at home improvement stores, or places like Tractor Supply.


        • sleepy538
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            i use carefresh. it’s $14/bag and a bag lasts between a month and two…i never really paid that much attention! i have one bunny, but two litterboxes. i clean each box every 3 days.


          • peppypoo
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              In addition to the options above, recycled paper pellets like Yesterday’s News (unscented, non-clumping) are also a popular choice. I personally use Feline Pine/wood stove pellets/horse stall pellets (they’re all essentially the same thing) and dump out the litter ever 2-3 days, although I do shuffle it a little and add new litter in between.


            • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                I scoop out the soiled litter everyday and dump it once a week. I have 1 bunny who uses it. I use yesterdays news unscented it is my favorite!


              • CharleyBunn
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                  Thanks for the responses! When I first got my bun I used just newspaper and hay. But as he’s growing so quickly, so are his potties lol. So we went from a round tall corner litter box to a kitty litter box. I was using a small animal litter pan liner> covered w/ a layer of newspaper > then a layer of aspen shavings> finally topped w/ a layer of hay. But yesterday for the first time Charley started shredding a bit of the newspaper which revealed the litter liner. He chewed a tiny corner of it up so I removed it immediately. It is mainly just paper, but is intended for use underneath grids and not safe to eat. Now I’ve just been using newspaper>aspen shavings>hay.

                  I have been changing his litter every day or 2. I was changing it every 3-4 days w/ the liner. It’s really important Charley doesn’t start to stink because that was the 1 vice my fiance had about getting a rabbit. I try to clean his cage as often as possible without causing him to feel the need to re mark his territory and wind up going even more. So far he’s using his litter box wonderfully. I don’t have any problem changing his litter daily, or even morning and night. I would just need to have bulk litter and hay in order to do so (I can already find the hay in large bales very cheap from a local farmer). I can get the aspen shavings in bulk, but didn’t want to overlook anything else that may work better.

                  I had read about the wood pellets. I was worried Charley may try to eat on them since they’re pellets and he’s a baby. Are they safe, do the buns just ignore them since they don’t smell of hay? I don’t know if I’ll like the care fresh- it could get expensive changing it as often as I do. Does the carefresh or yesterday’s news work well w/ smell, or is just like shredded paper/toilet paper material? If something were to work really well then I wouldn’t have to wind up changing it as often. Has anyone ever used that natural scented kaytee litter that has rose petals or lavendar in it that the buns can actually munch on? I dont think you can buy it in very big packages, but if it worked well it may be worth trying. Im just anticipating the older Charley gets w/ even larger potties, that I’ll wind up changing it daily- since he’s still so young and I basically already am. I grew up w/ dogs, so changing a litter pan a couple of times a day isn’t a big deal compared to taking a dog out several times a day. I just don’t want to run out of litter or hay lol.


                • sleepy538
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                    carefresh is definitely on the expensive side as litter, but i love it. it contains smell VERY well.


                  • Hazel
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                      I don’t have personal experience with bunnies and the wood pellets (we’re using it as kitty litter) but I don’t think I’ve ever read about anyone on here having problems with their bunny eating the pellets. They might nibble on them every once in a while, but since it’s really just pressed sawdust it wouldn’t be much different than them chewing on a wooden toy. Of course you don’t want them to eat huge amounts of it but like I said, I’ve never heard of that happening.


                    • Sarita
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                        He won’t chew them – they can tell the wood stove pellets are not food. They are larger than their pelleted food and they sure don’t smell like food.


                      • Michele823
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                          I have a very small litter pan for 2 bunnies 7 pounds each I got it at petco or petsmart it came with a grate that sits over the top of it, it’s shaped to fit in the corner of their cage. At first I just got it because it was very similar to the little pan they used at the shelter and I had plans of getting them a bigger one and more then one once they got settled but I never had to. I use carefresh natural and I dump the whole pan once a day sometimes twice. Since there is a grate over it, they don’t eat the litter, make a mess, their paws stay clean, and they don’t get poopy butt! I don’t use a liner although the pan gets dirty and I have to wash it out once a week. I’ve never noticed a smell with the carefresh even with 2 bunnies but the pan if not washed out will start to smell. This works for me and my bunnies they have never once had a single accident outside of their litter pan, I leave blankets pillows all over my floor and they freely go on my bed and they have never once pee’d or poop’d on anything a few marking poo’s on the floor after I vacuum but never on the pillows or blankets. People have told me they need a bigger pan or more pans but until they have an accident I’m sticking with my one small pan. It’s more work for me but I’d rather change their litter pan twice a day then have to clean up kicked out litter, poopy butt, or an accident outside their cage!


                        • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                            The yesterdays news is really good on odor. I can’t ever smell my rabbits urine or poop. I did use horse pellets. The problem I had is my bedroom started to smell like pine and I couldn’t take the smell. I buy a 30 lb bag at petco for 16.99 and it last me 6 weeks. I just recently started to add shredded newspaper to it so It will last a little bit longer. I buy in bulk when I have a coupon and when its onsale. I just bought 4 30lbs bags which should last me about 7 months.


                          • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                            • Malp_15
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                                I have the same litter box as Kamdyn, although mine cost $12! And I have a high backed one, that is a bit smaller.

                                With both buns (3lbs each) and 2 litter boxes, I dump and clean them every 3 days. I don’t start smelling anything bad, until they’re left about 5 days (I’m a bad mom if I’m sick). I use horse stall pellets, a 40lb bag lasts me 2+ months.


                              • CharleyBunn
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                                  Thanks for all the responses!

                                  I’ve never seen the wood pellets in person, (so stupid) but I imagined tiny little pellets identical to feed pellets & I wasn’t sure if they swelled up when they got wet or what lol. Good to hear they are safe and it won’t hurt him even if he does nibble on them. It sounds like a good litter. I like that you can buy it in bulk and that it’s inexpensive. I can already tell that I am becoming ocd about changing his litter lol. I would probably buy the horse stall kind. I know some of the wood stove kind have added accelerant, so I’ll be careful to watch for that if I ever buy that kind.

                                  The carefresh sounds nice too. I like that it’s soft and everyone said it does control the odor really well. Im not so sure about the price though. But I would like to try it still because if I like it, I may not have to change litter as often and then I might not have to buy as much as Im expecting.

                                  I think I may try both and see which I prefer and how Charley seems to like them. I really haven’t had any problems w/ the aspen, I was just curious if there was something better out there. I haven’t noticed any odor, but then again I am changing it quite often. I can get it extremely inexpensive because a local business sells it in bulk to the feed store. The only negative thing is that it tends to get scattered just a bit when he hops out of his litter box. Then it finds it way on his blanket, sometimes I find some in his water bowl, sometimes I’ll find a random piece sticking to my clothes lol.

                                  I also use the blue cat/kitty litter box (the same as kamdyn). Mine isn’t a high back, but I was highly considering getting one for when Charley grows larger just to be safe. I bought the high back round corner litter box first, but we use it in the corner in our kitchen for when hes got free reign and playing. So far so good. I also wipe them both down w/ Super Pet clean cage deodorizer w/ every change.


                                • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                                    I disenfect my litterbox once a week with white vinegar and water. You can put it in a spray bottle. That is alot cheaper than the expensive ones in pet stores. If you belong to sams club or costco white vinegar is alot cheaper there.


                                  • CharleyBunn
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                                      Good Idea, I am a member of Sams- so I’ll get a huge thing of the white vinegar from there. I usually have some on hand so there may be some back in the pantry. I use a mixture of white vinegar & dawn to kill spiders in the summer time (we had a black widow problem) & it’s also a great bathtub and grout cleaner (thanks pinterest lol). It’s really child/pet safe. Dawns also good as a pet shampoo because it is gentle and it kills fleas (it’s what is used to clean animals who get stuck in oil spills).

                                      I’ll probably refill the Super Pet deodorizer w/ the vinegar water mix once it runs out. I found a huge bottle of the Super pet spray for about 2 dollars on sale at the feed store, otherwise I probably would have never tried it. I’ve read some good things on here about natures miracle too. And I saw some type of small animal cage deodorizer/cleaner spray and wipes at walmart. i think it was hartz brand. it says its safe to spray directly into the bedding to refresh or pre treat bedding w/ it. I dont use bedding, but thought about pre treating litter w/ it. I can’t spray anything into the litter box to refresh though because I lay his hay in it & wouldn’t want it to get on his hay and him eat it.

                                      I think I’ll probably scrub his littler pan down once a week and set it outside in the sun. If it needed a really good cleaning like once a month, Im sure it’s ok to spray it w/ a water and bleach solution as long as you rinsed it and washed it off well. Bleach breaks down w/ water very easily and rinses well. I used it to clean my childs high chair tray and toys, so I wouldn’t worry about using it to clean a litter pan.


                                    • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                                        Thanks on the white vinegar and daw mixture for grout and the bath tub i will def have to try that!


                                      • CharleyBunn
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                                          No problem. It works really well to clean with. You mix 1 part vinegar 1 part dawn. I always use the original blue dawn. Ive tried other brands and didnt like it as well, but it still worked. You’re suppossed to warm the vinegar in the microwave first then mix in the dawn in a gentle swirly motion as not to cause it to suds up. It does mix better if the vinegar is warm but its not a must,. Just give it a little swirl everytime before use to mix it back up and spray. Let it set a short while. When you go to scrub or rinse it off it leaves things looking brand new.


                                        • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                                            When you spray it in the bathtub do you just let it on or do you have to scrub it?


                                          • CharleyBunn
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                                              I spray it all over and concentrate on the grout & corners. I let it set for for however (5 minutes < ) long, I usually go clean something else then come back. Before rinsing it, I'll take a wet brush and just scrub it lightly. If you spray it on, let it set a bit and then give it a good scrub it realllllllly cleans well. You don't have to scrub it, but it probably makes a difference. Just spraying and rinsing would probably prevent any soap scum or mildew from happening again after 1 good cleaning, so it would still be effective.


                                            • zoologist
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                                                Posted By CharleyBunn on 01/16/2013 08:35 PM

                                                 Has anyone ever used that natural scented kaytee litter that has rose petals or lavendar in it that the buns can actually munch on? I dont think you can buy it in very big packages, but if it worked well it may be worth trying.


                                                I use that stuff with my hedgehog. it does contain smell VERY well, and I ended up changing my hedgehog’s cage every other week as opposed to every week. The only draw back is that it’s pretty expensive ($25 a bag), and it’s going to be WAY too expensive for bunny litter boxes that you’re changing every day. 

                                                I scored a large bag of shredded paper from my college before winter break. It was free, and it absorbs liquid really well so it’s awesome bedding. I still change the litter box every two days or it starts to stink something fierce. I have a corner litter box with a grate over it so I will put down a layer of silica cat litter and then cover it with a layer of shredded paper and then the grate. the cat litter absorbs pee and dries it out so the box is less messy. I know that this is an unconventional method but I *know* my rabbit and trust him enough to use the cat litter. I would not recommend this to anyone without watching their rabbits litter habits for a couple of weeks. 

                                                I can’t use carefresh because Finn thinks it’s nice for sleeping on. I also have pelleted paper that I use but it doesn’t really clump and it becomes stinky quickly. I tried using world’s best cat litter and blue buffalo cat litter because they clump, and it worked really well with the grated box, but my cats started using it as their own 


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                                            Forum HABITATS AND TOYS Litter