Litter ?

[Tami]

Hello Everybunny :o))

We seem to be having a hard time with odor, especially with the silly clown/trouble maker Frosty, the Angora *sigh*  That little piglet just downright stinks !  LOL !  He is scheduled to be altered this Friday (he was 7 mos. old on the 7th of this month) so I’m hoping his litter habits will improve and he’ll start using the litter box we had special made for him instead of letting everything just “fall between the cracks” of his cage bottom.

I’d like to know the best litter for odor control.  We are currently using wood stove pellets and Arm & Hammer Super Scoop cat litter (the Super Scoop isn’t touching him as it’s on the plastic tray underneath the cage bottom and then we put newspaper over top of that) & we had some Yesterday’s News, but we’ve been out of that for a couple weeks…….can’t get it around here so we have to travel about 35-40 mins. to Petco, but haven’t had the time to go lately :o(

I’ve seen some of the Aspen bedding (I think that’s what it’s called) that looks like cedar or pine bedding/chips but it is odorless and I remember someone mentioning that, but don’t know how it does with odor control ?  We change litter every day because of the smell & would like to be able to cut it back to every other day, if at all possible……sure would save on labor & give us more time to spend interacting with our bunns !

Any suggestions ?

Thanks a bunn-ch !

 

[Beka27]

i use the pressed paper pellets and i’ve never had a problem with them… but i don’t know how they control odor b/c Meadow doesn’t seem to smell at all.  i’ll let someone with multiple buns answer this for you…   i’ve even gone a few days without changing the litter and there was no odor.

[Tami]

Pressed paper, like the Yesterdays News you mean ? 

Our crappy little W*lm*rt store doesn’t have much of a selection and it’s so very frustrating !  They have a lot of those clay type litters, which I wish they would just quit making altogether because of toxicity issues, & the fact they just don’t work doesn’t help either

Lucky you, not having the odor issues !  That stinky Frosty o’ mine…….he sure knows how to get us to spend money !  LMAO !  and has no remorse whatsoever in doing so, hehehe

Thanks for the reply, Beka :o))

[Beka27]

yes, the yesterday’s news, but i use an off-brand one that is available in giant 50 lb bags.  same exact thing but cheaper.  i gotta save money somehow.  i spend so much on food and toys. 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

This might be a little controvertial, but what about trying a product called ‘bi-odour’. It really works, a little on the expensive side; Claims to be all natural and safe and I’ve never had a problem with it…Rupert my new bunny was so stinky you could smell when you walked in the apartment. It almost works the first time you use it. You just put a little pump in each water bottle refill. Anyways if it’s stinky its worth a go!

[Beka27]

i have heard of that.  i’ve never used it.  i used to use the water bottle vitamins, but Meadow is getting the best possible diet, so i stopped b/c i’m thinking they’re not necessary.  i would definitely wait on that until after the neuter and see if the odor is not better.  also ask the vet for her opinion on the drops.

[babybunsmum]

i recently switched to yesterdays news & love it.  i wonder if there’s a cheaper brand available near me?  hmmm.  must check that out.  i don’t smell a thing until i have to dump the used stuff & it gets upturned in the garabage bag.

funny that rupert was really stinky… so was pinky.  mind you her smelliness has tapered already so i think it was mostly from territorial marking at first and from over-producing cecals with her diet change from the shelter. 

[Cadbury]

I use Oxbow’s Eco Straw litter. It’s a little pricey, but I’ve had absolutely no problems with odor.

[Beka27]

just babybunsmum, i smell nothing until i turn it into the garbage.  i have even sat next to the litterbox, a couple feet away and played with Meadow and still smell nothing even if it hadn’t been emptied for two days.

[Sage Cat]

I use “Back 2 Nature”. It is just like Yesterdays News. I get a 35 liter bag – it’s big – from the shelter for $22.

No smell issue at all.

I have only had to “change the litter” once, after a week. I just scoop out the poops and the wet litter and add some fresh litter to the box.

The people at the shelter told me that rabbits can “omit a scent” until they get comefertable at a new place. Kind of like how a dog kennel smells. could that be what is going on?

I bet the “alteration” will help.

[JK]

I have never had an odor problem.  Edson never smells but then I keep his cage very clean and dump his litter daily because he pees a lot.  I use stove pellets and there is absolutely no smell.

[Bunnies4ever]

I don’t have an odor problem either. I have two lops that use a large litterbox. I alternate between carefresh and the wood pellets. I change the box every two days. Hopefully, once your bun is fixed, that might help the problem. I know some owners have buns that are more smelly than others. Don’t know why though. It could be their diet too.

[JK]

You know I wonder if the little man needs his anal glands cleaned?!  They can get mighty stinky and they should be cleaned monthly!  It’s yucky – I take Edson to the rescue for nail trims and THAT!

[Scarlet_Rose]

I use Aspen Supreme no smell, but it is a little pricier. A mix of it 1/2 & 1/2 with a paper pellets works effectively as well.

[KatnipCrzy]

Litter- I use wood stove pellets and have no odor issues at all.  So wood stove pellets do work very well.

What I am wondering- is if you have one of the same issues that I had when I first started litter training.  Are  you using a grated cage AND a litterbox?  I was and that really seemed to confuse my young bunny- even though most of the floor grate is covered and only a small portion is grated.  She prefered to use the grated floor.  I had to decide what I wanted to train her to- and I decided to leave the small portion uncpvered and remove the litterpan.  I like that the urine and poop falls thru the grate and her water bottle is also grated underneath- so no moisture can drip onto her cage floor and keep it wet.  All moisture and 99% of poops pass thru grate into plastic tray which I clean every 2-3 days.  I would clean more frequently if she came into contact with litter- but she can not.

If you want to train him to litterpan- cover grated floor completely.

Also I wonder if your bunny is a bit smellier due to being a hormonal teenager boy bunny.  I know that un-neutered male cat pee is POTENT- but neutered male cat pee is still yucky- but not worse than any other cat.  Neutereing could very well help- but it may take a few weeks for the hormones to clear his system.

[KatnipCrzy]

I would not recommend the aspen “chips”- they will only stick in your bunnies long fur.  The Aspen Supreme that other bunny owners refer to, I believe is pelleted like woodstove pellets.  (????).  I have seen it in the store- but the bag is not clear- so I could only feel the litter thru the bag.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Yes, Aspen Supreme is pelleted and not shavings. : ) I know don’t you wish they would put a clear window in all the bags so you can see it?

[Tami]

Thanks so much for all the great suggestions !  We went to W*lm*rt for a few items, one of them being dog food.  While we were back in that section of the store I happened to look in the litter section and lo & behold they had 3 bags of Yesterday’s News on the shelf !!!!  I couldn’t believe it !!  I never seen it there before !

Needless to say we took all 3 bags and are hoping that it wasn’t just a fluke having this brand of litter on the shelf !  Seems every time I get to using something on a regular basis, it ends up disappearing on me, never to be seen again :o(

Anyway, we’ll see how that goes……..

As for anal glands…….we had Frosty and Bali altered on Friday (they’re both doing great, btw !) & asked the vets if they would please clean their anal glands.  They said, “They don’t get cleaned”.  What a bunch of morons !  So, looks like I’ll have to do them myself…..only problem is……I don’t know how to do it :o(

Is there a site that has pictures or a good explanation of how this is done ? 

Sure wish we didn’t have such sub-standard veterinarians around here !  It would make our lives a LOT easier *sigh*

[JK]

Yeah look under Bunny Info above – then Monthly Maintenance – there’s a lovely picture of how to do it!

[Tami]

Oh thank you so much, knowltons ! 

I’ll take a look at it right now :o))

[Annie Fann]

I use Yesterday’s News. never notice a smell unless I’m behind on changing the litter. as babybunsmum says you only smell it when you dump it. then you realize how well the litter traps the smell! and the moisture! it sucks up all the pee real well. I’ve gone longer than two days and its fine (and i have two rabbits). I posted my question about litter in the forum. any thoughts? thanks

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