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FORUM DIET & CARE Cat wood pellets

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    • Sofia
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        I’ve been looking to switch to wood pellets for a while now, but everytime I go online to see shops, prices etc. I can’t find any for small animals and only find cat ones. Is it okay to use cat pellets? Are there certain ingredients I should be looking out for?


      • Bam
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          You can use equine pine pellets. It’s (obviously) a product for horses. I use wood stove pellets. They’re sold in tractor supply stores and suchlike.

          The pellets should be made of compressed sawdust and nothing else. No accelerants for wood stove pellets, no clumping agents for cat litter. Avoid anything perfumed.

          Cedar shavings should not be used with bunnies because the aromatic oils in cedar irritate their airways. Aspen shavings are good though.

          Wood pellets are heavy, so they’re not really ideal to buy online due to shipping costs. If you can find wood pellets locally, it will save you money. Equine pine is sold in feed stores etc.


        • Sofia
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            Unfortunately, there are literally no equine pellets around here. The only ones I’ve found are at the other end of the country and are bags of literally 5 tonnes of pellets. Are cat pellets totally out of the question, or can I use them if I find one with no accelerants scents etc.


          • Bam
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              Are the contents declared on the bag? If it’s just compressed sawdust they’re fine. It’s clumping cat litter and cedar shavings-cat litter that should be avoided.

              5 tonnes of equine pine ???


            • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                Yes, we use regular wooden cat pellets which we buy at the supermarket, they are unscented. I don’t know in which country you are, but we use these: https://www.ah.nl/producten/product/wi294/ah-kattenbak-houtkorrels

                LOL, I just noticed that it says on the front of the bag: also usable for rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters. Never noticed that until now, and we’ve been using the stuff for years.


              • Poppyhani
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                  My local store told me to use cat wood pellets instead, since she uses them for her rabbit and frankly are just cheaper! Bam is right in that they’re really heavy, so finding them nearby and buying big bags with a car is your best bet for a cheaper experience.

                  Wood pellets are fine as long as they aren’t heavily scented and have no clumping agents. The latter is especially important, because bunnies can get really sick if they eat it. I actually prefer them because they absorb the smell really well, and I don’t know why, but when they pee and the litter turns back into sawdust, it’s just so satisfying to look at. I use these:
                  http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/pets-at-home-wood-pellet-non-clumping-cat-litter-30l


                • Sofia
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                    I live in Ireland, and there’s not too many rabbit friendly products over here. I found this (https://www.woodies.ie/wood-pellet-cat-litter-15l-1080234) in a local store nearby. It says non clumping on the bag and it says that dust is extracted to prevent respiratory problems. You can look at the specifications and see if any if there is anything in therr that’s potentially not good for rabbits, since I don’t have a clue. Also as a side note, how long would a 15l bag last for the average rabbit?


                  • Ellie from The Netherlands
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                      Yes, that looks like great stuff!

                      We have a dwarf bun who uses a rectangular litter box of about 30*40 cm. We only use a small amount of litter each time we fill it, just enough to have a single layer covering the bottom. Then we cover the pellets with a layer of hay for comfort. The pellets swell up when they take up moisture, and if we don’t use a thin layer he’ll end up sitting on a mountain (and peeing over the edges).

                      We change the litter box 3-4 times a week, and a 10 L bag lasts us approx. 5-6 weeks because we use such a small portion each time. It’ll depend on your brand how much moisture it absorbs and how much you’ll need to use to keep things fresh for a day or two.
                      Regarding litterboxes it’s better to change it more often than to use more material so that it’ll last longer. Especially in warm/humid weather flies will lay eggs in the poop, and this can give the rabbit a possibly lethal infection. If you choose a material which absorbs well, it should be an easy chore to change it frequently. Changing often also reduces the typical ammonia-smell, because the urine hasn’t had much time to be broken down by bacteria.

                      I was really happy when we finally trained Breintje to only go in his box, instead of just using the whole cage like he used to do at my BF’s place. Cleaning the whole cage all the time was a real back-breaker for me. Now it’s become a 5 minute chore ^_^ Our material absorbs really well and it’s super easy to scoop out the box. I can literally flip it over into a rubbish bag, and everything flops out. Quick rinse with hot water and an old dishwashing brush. Dry with an old towel, and refill.
                      Nothing works better for getting rid of pee smells than plain old cleaning vinegar. The unscented variety is a rabbit-safe cleaning product and it works great to get any ammonia smells out: the trick is in its acidity which breaks down the alkaline ammonia. I use a spray bottle with undiluted vinegar and gloves to protect my skin. Rinse the box well afterwards, because your rabbit probably won’t like the smell.
                      Cleaning vinegar also works great to clean up “accidents” on carpets, sofas etc, it’s quite textile-friendly. As said, rabbits don’t like the smell, so if you leave bit on they’re not likely to go there again. Always test it out on a piece of fabric which doesn’t directly show. Because of its acidity it’s best to avoid using cleaning vinegar near marble, limestone or unglazed tiles. These materials are very susceptible to acid damage and you may create stains which can last.

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                  FORUM DIET & CARE Cat wood pellets