Eating Carefresh Bedding…

[bmt87]

 So Lola is a 4-month old Holland Lop…and her new FAVORITE activity is eating her Carefresh Bedding.  I have started just lining her cage with Yesterday’s News and only putting the Carefresh in her litter box…but she still eats it.  For some reason, she prefers to pee on the ‘soft’ bedding so I don’t want to completely get rid of the Carefresh… She would love if I lined her whole cage with it but everytime I try she seems to forget her potty training and her cage needs cleaned the next day…

I’ve also tried the new Kaytee Clean and Cozy bedding…she doesn’t seem to eat that BUT it is an absolute nightmare and I don’t recommend buying it unless you want to pick up little tiny slivers of white bedding CONSTANTLY all over your house.  

[LBJ10]

Having soft bedding all over the cage just tells her that it is all one litter box. It’s recommended that you only have litter in the litter box, leave the bottom of the cage completely bare. Is she actually eating the bedding or is she just chewing and spitting it out? The concern here is that it could cause a blockage. So it might be better to switch to a litter that is less appetizing.

[bmt87]

I just read this to my boyfriend and said ‘I told you so!’ I had been trying to just keep the bottom of her cage bare and he told me I was being cruel and needed to cover the whole thing! Is it okay to have a small doormat-type carpet down all over her cage? Or will that cause confusion too?

She seems to be actually eating it. The problem lies in the fact that she really only likes to pee in the soft bedding…

Thanks SO SO SO SO much for this info! And for the fact that I could prove the bf wrong!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’ve tried the Carefresh with my Mini-Rex and had to take it away because he thought it was a snack. I use shredded paper bedding. Have you tried that?

Is it okay to have a small doormat-type carpet down all over her cage?

You have to be very careful with carpet because a lot of bunnies like to chew on it and it’s very dangerous as it can create a blockage. I use Snoozie mats in my bun’s cages. These are soft, fur-like mats made to put in dog kennels and they come in different sizes. Again, though, with anything like this, you have to monitor carefully at first to make sure bunny is not chewing it. My Mini-Rex can’t have these because he chews them up too. He gets shredded paper as bedding and YN pellets in his litter box.

[bmt87]

UPDATE: woke up this morning with the full intention on taking all the Carefresh out of her cage as a precaution, only to find that Lola had already done it for me….in the form of consuming well over 3/4ths of it which I am guessing is around 2 cups-ish.

She seems to be doing fine – wasn’t as excited about spinach as she normally is – but she is pooping normally and munching on some hay. Probably canceling my plans for the day to keep a close eye on her.

Is it true if you give them some citrus it helps break thing up in their stomach? (I’m talking like half a segment of an orange…not the whole thing.)

Why are they so smart but SO stupid at the same time?

PS – currently binkying ALL over the place so it doesn’t seem to be impacting her rotten-ness thus far.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I would definitely keep a very close eye on her. That is an awful lot to consume. Make sure she is drinking and has lots of hay. Offer lots of wet, leafy greens. I’ve never heard that about citrus.

If she stops eating/pooping or acting sluggish you will have to call the vet asap. Keep us updated.

[bmt87]

Yep – will do. Like I said, she is acting completely fine and her stomach doesn’t feel “full”…usually I can tell when she has ate a ton because she gets so “fat” and you can just feel her little tummy.

She just binkyed into a cabinet and seems to be more shaken up by that (shaking my head – this is what I deal with for the cute face!?).

I have a doctor to call just in case — what a great first meeting that will be!

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Wow you really need to watch her close. Carefresh expands when wet, which can cause serious blockage/gi stasis and can be fatal.

[Lazee]

I have 3 and as long as I don’t have any fluffy stuff (this includs blankets) out side their litter boxes ( I use cell sorb) they use the box all the time.

[bmt87]

she’s pooping A LOT of the normal round hard pellets, chewing all her toys, and running around….the website says it’s made from recycled cardboard and paper… i’m hoping it’s just passing. i’ll keep you all updated though!

[bmt87]

 update: Lola is fine….and she has moved on to consuming the Yesterday’s News bedding…  I swear she is fed what she is supposed to be fed with a constant supply of hay (that she can even roll around in and lay in! that’s how much there is!).  Anyone EVER had this problem?

[KytKattin]

Sounds like you need something to keep her completely away from the bedding. She is like one of those “my strange addiction” people that have to consume something weird. lol. Thankfully Binky Bunny might have the perfect solution in store! It is basically a cover that goes and sits on top of the litter. You can check them out and see if they might be a solution for you here: http://store.binkybunny.com/litter-box-screen-binkybunny-p111.aspx

You can also buy one that comes with a litterbox as well here: http://store.binkybunny.com/litter-box-and-screen-kit-p113.aspx

[Monkeybun]

How much out of cage time does she get? She may be consuming it out of boredom as well.

Definitely try a litter screen, it will keep her from eating the litter.

[bmt87]

She is out of the cage the entire evening when we are home…probably ~6 hours. She has plenty of stuff to play with while we are gone (shelters, things to chew on, cardboard boxes filled with hay, etc) that we switch out regularly so she doesn’t get bored of any one thing. The funny thing is….she has a litter box outside her cage that she uses even better than the one in the cage and EVERYTIME she goes over to use it she also takes a hefty bite out of the litter. She just sits there nibbling Yesterday’s News (now…since we’ve switched out the Carefresh) pellets like it’s no big deal until she gets yelled at or someone slaps their hand on a table to get her scared enough to stop. I can’t figure it out but I’m nervous it’s going to make her eventually really, really sick.

@KytKattin – strange addiction INDEED.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Have you tried using something like wood stove pellets and covering that with hay? Most buns like to eat when they do their business, it might help. She wont eat the gross hay, they naturally pick through and only eat good hay.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Also, if you line her cage with litter, she’s going to think its a litter box. She doesn’t understand the different litters or the concept of only peeing in the corner of your choice. What kind of cage does she have? Pet store cages are too small for any rabbit for most any period of time.

[bmt87]

I actually haven’t tried wood pellets… that might be the next option. I’ve tried covering it and all she does it goes to her hay box and uses that instead.

I’m no longer lining her cage with litter (although I feel bad because she looks so sad it’s all gone).

For right now she just has one of the pet store bought cages – she’s still pretty small and we are already in the works of designing her a nice NIC condo but thought it better to wait until after she was spayed to make the complete conversion. Currently – she is out of her cage from usually 3pm until around 10pm and in the morning for an hour when I’m getting ready.

[Stickerbunny]

Use a litter screen, if she doesn’t like the litter screen on her feet you can cover it with a small amount of hay. It’ll stop her eating the litter. It took a few days for my buns to adjust to having a litter screen, but they got used to it. If you don’t want to order the one from BBs store, or want one faster than the mail can go, you can get hardware cloth at any hardware store and make your own – just be sure to file the sharp ends down and fold them over until you can run your hand across it and not hit any sharp ends.

I give Stickers a blanket because she likes to lay on something, fleece is safe if they nibble a little, though if your bun tries to ingest it a lot you want to remove it.

[bmt87]

Thanks so much everyone for your help! Time to correct my (weird) bunny!

[Deleted User]

My bunny is eating his Carefresh bedding like its food, too! I figured it out when he started eating less of his salad as normal. I just covered the bedding in his poop box with hay and orchard grass, but please let me know what litter Lola won’t eat and I would like to try it with my Reno. Thanks!

[Sarita]

Reno Beno, this post is over 1 year old – please DO NOT respond to OLD POSTS.

[Author]

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