Best litter options

[Pat22eguin]

I’ve been using wood stove pellets since it’s what the previous owners had when we adopted him. They do work at some extent, but my rabbit hates going in his box when it’s been changed. Another thing is that the litter boxes really smell bad after one days use. So now I’m trying to find out what you wonderful people use and what you think is best as far as odor control, comfort and first and foremost the bunny’s health.

Thank you!

[Hazel]

Lots of people use horse stall pellets (same thing as wood stove pellets), I like them, I haven’t had a problem with odor. My bun doesn’t like stepping on them either though. I used to put a thin layer of hay on top which worked fine, now I’m using a litter screen.

If you decide to change litters, make sure to stay away from pine shavings. 🙂

Is your bun fixed? If not, that could explain the odor.

[Pat22eguin]

Ok thanks.

He’s not fixed yet, I booked an appointment the day after we adopted him and the appointment wait was 3 months! I can tell the difference between his poo/pee smell vs his hormonal now lol Which seems like a weird thing to say lol

What kind of screen are you using? The pellets are under the screen?

[Hazel]

No worries, as a bunny owner you’ll learn everything there is to know about pee and poo, and more! 😉

I made my litter screen out of a small sheet of plastic mesh that can be found in the arts and crafts section, it’s for knitting/embroidering. They’re easy to cut into the perfect shape to fit your litter box, just make sure you get one that’s big enough, they come in different sizes. Yes, the pellets go under the screen.

You can also buy metal screens in the Binky Bunny store. 🙂

[Pat22eguin]

Great, thanks for the information!

Have a nice day

[DanaNM]

Oh yeah he most likely stinks because he’s not neutered. A nice fluffy hay layer should encourage him to use it.

I used to use carefresh, but I think pine pellets have better odor control.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Pat22eguin]

Ok thanks, that’s good to know!

[Susanne]

I use puppy pee pads with the recycled newspaper in the corners, then try to keep the hay on one side, though one of mine just pees all over the hay. I end up replacing it all the time which gets expensive but easy/ doesn’t smell too bad and better than when she wouldn’t pee in the box. I thought the pine helped more with smell but they didn’t do as well with a thick layer of litter or the pine. The screen sounds like a good idea. I agree with the others the smell you reference is more hormone related than the litter and should greatly improve after the surgery 🙂

[LBJ10]

I use Yesterday’s News, but I’ve also used wood stove pellets in the past. I have a BB store litter screen and it works great.

[Pat22eguin]

Oh all these options are great! I tried the screen that Hazel suggested and it works so good! He has zero hesitation getting into his box now and its so much easier to clean out the pellets. I’ll experiment between paper litter and pellets for absorption and odor control. As for the smell, I can tell when he’s excited and running around he has a smell, but does his pee or poo smell stronger because he hasn’t been nurtured?

 

Thanks again for all the help guys! I really appreciate it

[Hazel]

Glad it works for you! 🙂

When they hit puberty they start to mark their territory, that’s why their output smells stronger at times. It will go away once he’s neutered.

[Deleted User]

That’s good that it works!

Personally, I would not recommend screens at all because the cecotropes fall in, making it unable for the rabbits to eat. Also, since rabbits spend quite a bit of time in their litter box, they could develop sore hocks from standing on the screen.

I have an alternative idea. Using a layer of wood stove pellets on the bottom, and then about 2 inches of carefresh on top worked for me best before my rabbit was spayed. She was very stinky and territorial before she was fixed, and using the combination worked very well than just one on its own.

[Pat22eguin]

Thank you, I will take that into account

[Hazel]

@ajuniceubunnies Are you perhaps thinking of the kind of hardware cloth that would be in an outside hutch? Those certainly are bad for rabbits and cause sore hocks. The holes in it are wide enough to allow poo to fall through. The plastic screen I recommended is different, the holes are only two millimeters wide, no poop can fall through. Rabbits usually eat their cecotropes straight from the source anyway, if there are excess cecotropes found in the litter box I would assume they’re eating too rich of a diet. The plastic screen is quite soft and pliable so it shouldn’t cause sore hocks. My bun is a Rex mix so he’s a bit predisposed to get sore hocks and the screen isn’t causing him any problems. 🙂

[Deleted User]

@hazel no, I’m not. I’m talking what you recommended. My friend used those before for her mini lop, and it caused a severe case of sore hocks. She bought the screen from the local hobby shop, and it’s similar to what you’re describing. Despite the holes being close together (they were about 3mm apart, just checked online website for the store), it does let poop fall through and cause sore hocks long-term. It caused no problem for the first 3 or years, but after 4 years, the rabbit was about 7.5 years old, it started causing sore hocks. It might be a mix of the age too, which he was more prone to sore hocks, but he developed a severe case of it. He wasn’t neutered by the way, since they thought that he was neutered when given, but when he had to be put down they were told that he had no surgeries. Not to mention that when they stand on the screen, the poops get pushed through the holes anyway. Since that incident, she’s found that using bedding works a lot better for this purpose because it’s much easier to clean and poses less risks.

[DanaNM]

Just to add my experience, I’ve used a variety of screens (knitting mesh more recently, as well as metal ones, both homemade and the kind BB sells) with no issues. Wire flooring or mesh flooring tends to be an issue when it’s all a bun has to stand on (such as in a wire floored hutch). I usually put a layer of hay over the top but not always. If poop is small enough to fall though that seems like an issue with the poop, or with keeping the box clean. The screen should be flush with the bedding underneath, there isn’t a gap.

My buns all tend to eat their cecals straight from the source as well, so no issues with that.

Rex rabbits are prone to sore hocks though. Plus with aging rabbits move around less and will sit differently if they start getting arthritic, so extra attention and care is needed.

I’m glad your friend found something that worked for her bunny, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that “all screens are bad”, as many of us here have used them successfully with no issues.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Pat22eguin]

Yeah I agree, I don’t see a physical possibility for those poops to go through the plastic holes. And he also eats his cecals from the source. I just wonder how many days the bedding can have pee in it before changing it. Does everyone play it by ear or is it something to do once a week?

[DanaNM]

It depends on how big the box is, and whether your bun tends to pee in one corner or more dispersed. When I just had a solo bun, I would clean the box every other day. But if it looks like one spot is getting very saturated, you could scoop out the wet spots daily. Un-neutered bunny pee stinks more, so I would prob go for every day to keep odor down. The screen makes it a lot easier to scoop out the wet spots, as the bedding doesn’t get all mixed in with the hay.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

I’ve been using litter screens for years with no issues. The screen sits directly on top of the litter so there isn’t pressure on the feet like there would be if it was a wire floor cage.

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