litter bedding

[eyorelop]

I was thinking of trying either carefresh or green aspen and was wondering if anyone has tried these and what are your likes or dislikes.  It is hard to compare prices bc carefresh comes in liters and I am looking at green aspne in 20 lb bag.

[Elrohwen]

I’ve used carefresh with my gerbils, though not with my rabbits. I found it very dusty back then – after a few days there would be a fine layer of paper dust on the cage and the table where the cage sat. That was my main issue with it.

I looked up green aspen, since I haven’t heard of it, and it seems to be aspen pellets. Any reason you decided against pine pellets – either wood stove or horse stall pellets? These are much cheaper and easier to get and will do the same thing. They’re very effective. Even though they’re made from pine, they are safe for buns because of the way the pine is processed – the kiln drying gets rid of the harmful chemicals. A 40lb bag costs about $4-7.

I loved using Yesterday’s News as well – you can buy the cat version (same thing, bigger bag) for about $12 for a 20lb bag (I think 20lb). I switched to wood stove pellets because they’re so much cheaper and work just as well.

[bunnymum16]

carefresh is great if you have 1 bunny.if you have more than 1,its not cost effective.theyre good at absorbing pee but its kinda dusty.its really soft too so bunnies would like it.i just recently tried feline pine and i love it!i just changed my bunny’s litter this morning(after 4 days) and it doesnt stink at all.it absorbed it really good.you can try that if you want.make sure you get the original though not the clumping one.20 lb bag costs $12.

[eyorelop]

I am not familar with pine pellets or wood stove. Probably wouldn’t had tried pine pellets just bc of name did not know how it is processed. Not heard of feline pine either. Where do you buy these?

[Elrohwen]

Wood stove pellets can be purchased at any tractor supply store. I get mine at Agway. They’re more common in the winter (which is approaching, so they might be in stock again), but in the summer months you can often find pelleted pine horse stall bedding which is exactly the same thing and about the same price. I have also seen wood stove pellets made of hardwoods instead of pine (my store seems to carry these more often) and these work fine too. Make sure there are no accelerants, though honestly I have never seen any that do have accelerants (which makes sense, since you want them to burn slowly in a stove). They should just be plain wood.

Feline Pine is the same stuff, but can be purchased in a pet store (though it’s more money per pound) if you don’t have access to a tractor supply type store.

If you decide to get them, make sure to just use a very thin layer in the bottom of the litter box. They expand quite a bit and break down when wet, so you don’t need to use much at all – just enough to barely cover the bottom of the litter box. I like to put a piece of paper towel or newspaper under the litter to make it easier to peel up the soiled litter and throw away.

[stacyblue]

I buy feline pine at walmart windixie and target just look in the cat litter section it will be with the other alternitive litters like yesterdays news .I love feline pine not just for my rabbit but for my cat also it absorbs really well and there is no icky smell lingering about plus for cats its much safer for them like bunnys they groom and lick their feet and that clay stuff gets stuck in thier gut and can be very dangerous.I liked yesterdyas news also but found that feline pine was cheaper 20 pounds for 10 dollers .I would like to try wood stove pellets but I have been un able to find them so far  but winter is closing in so i may resume my search again after hearing all the good things about it and its cheapness

[Monkeybun]

I use carefresh for all 3 of my bunnies. It does get pricey, but it is what they like.

[eyorelop]

ok i would like to try feline pine but the shelter told me not to use any cedar or pine, wonder if they meant shavings. To put my mind at ease it is completely safe for bunnies bc of the process is what your saying?

[Elrohwen]

I’m sure the shelter meant shavings – pelleted pine is 100% safe for bunnies because of how it is processed. The kiln drying bakes out the harmful phenols in the wood – the shavings are not processed in this way, which is why they are still harmful. Many many bun owners on this site use and recommend pelleted pine as litter.

You might want to look into Equine Pine as well – it comes in larger bags and is the same thing as Feline Pine.

[bunnymum16]

Posted By Elrohwen on 09/07/2010 12:19 PM
If you decide to get them, make sure to just use a very thin layer in the bottom of the litter box. They expand quite a bit and break down when wet, so you don’t need to use much at all – just enough to barely cover the bottom of the litter box. I like to put a piece of paper towel or newspaper under the litter to make it easier to peel up the soiled litter and throw away.

i wish i knew that before i put the litter cuz i put like more than 2 inches of feline pine cuz Chance pees a lot and 4 days after,the litterbox was so full and heavy.oops!

[Elrohwen]

I put a tiny thin layer in and with two bunnies it still weighs a ton after 4 days! Haha. That stuff gets heavy!

[eyorelop]

I found out a feed store near me carries the Equine pine pellets $5.99 for a 40 lb bag. I went to Petco to get Feline Pine and it was on sale on line but not in store – stupid. So I didn’t get it. So I am going to try the Equine pine instead.

[Elrohwen]

Go for it! I think you’ll really like it. So much cheaper than the litter you can get in pet stores too – you’ll save tons of money.

[Andi]

I tried Carefresh as a litter and i couldn’t stand the smell. It works well for my gerbils or hamsters, but was even to stinky for me when I used it for one of my Degus. I think if you are cleaning it everyday the smell wouldn’t be to bad, I may just be sensitive to the smell though, who knows.
I once tried pine shavings when i ran out of wood stove pellets, uugghh never again.

[Author]

Messages