Litter digging ( would pellet litter be better )

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

Hey, I’m back!
So cinnamon my Netherland dwarf is digging out of the litter box. This is causing Ollie my polish dwarf and cinnamons paws to get yellow stained. Also they don’t go in the litter box when the litter has been dogged out. They go where the litter is. Which can be frustrating when the pee soaks through to the rug. I have been looking at other bedding to see if there is a way to stop this. I have found paper pellets and wood stove pellets. The thing is Ollie eats everything. He eats the bedding I currently have which is oxbow natural paper bedding. He has had gi statis once before and I don’t want that again. I was thinking maybe tractor supply bedding wood stove but I heard they changed that. Also would that be safe for him to eat a lot. Last but not least cinnimon is prone to sore hocks, so I don’t want that to be an issue. Thanks in advance!

 

( current pets, Ollie and cinnimon bunnies, daisy dog and s’mores a hammy ) ( past pets, lucky 🍀 Guinea pig 💓💔, coco and cuddles hammys 🌹, more to be unnamed 🌹💕💓💔♥️💗 )

[LBJ10]

From my experience, pelleted litter is EXTREMELY fun to dig in. The only thing that worked was a litter screen from the BB store. It sits directly on top of the litter, so you can use whatever you want and it minimizes rubbing on their feet. Adding a layer of hay on top helps too.

[Wick & Fable]

A litter screen would definitely be beneficial in preventing litter digging and eating, in addition to address concerns for sore hocks. As mentioned, the BB store sells screens that you can try! I use plastic knitting mesh as a screen (though you need to cut it right so the edges are accessible for chewing too):

 

… Also, it could be beneficial to consider redirecting the digging energy elsewhere (i.e., can you make somewhere else more tempting to dig?). I used to tie fleece or kraft wrapping paper to pen/grid walls for my rabbit to pull/dig at: https://www.reddit.com/r/Rabbits/comments/p8bwbb/fleece_digging_corner/

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.

[BZOO]

If you try the wood pellets, get the ones for horse bedding.

Wood stove pellets may contain additives.  So, if you end up with those, carefully read the label to be sure it is just wood.

[DanaNM]

I third that screens are the way to go for digging!

. . . 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.  

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

My thing with the screens is when I tried them it caused cinnimon to have sore hocks. I have tried to redirect the digging with forage mats, sea grass mats, Timothy mats, and oxbow digging mat. This bunny is just impossible 😣

[DanaNM]

what about getting a  deeper litter box so that when she does dig it doesn’t make such a mess?

For a while I was using a concrete mixing tub (they sell them at hardware stores) as a litter box and it was deep enough that they couldnt push the litter out even when they dug around. Some people also use those covered cat boxes but I always worry about urine smells building up in those.

. . . 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]

What kind of screen did you try? I never had problems with the BB screen because it is in direct contact with the litter. The screen doesn’t put pressure on the feet like an elevated grate would. Perhaps the plastic knitting mesh would work better?

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

I have a deep litter box she pushes the bedding up in to pile and then digs it out, lot of effort is put into this so she gets an A for effort. I have even tried separating the hay. Buying a 100 something litter box didn’t help either, it separated the hay from bedding in hopes she doesn’t dig without piles already being there. The litter screens I have tried were metal and plastic the metal was rounded and the plastic wasn’t but I don’t understand how the cover touches the bedding wouldn’t it be a mess?

[LBJ10]

It was never a mess. The screen just sat directly on top of the bedding. Pee would go through, but poops stayed on top. I would just flip it over and let the poop fall into the box. I did this every now and then until I was ready to clean the box. You could add a layer of hay on top if you wanted. I didn’t do that, but I never had a problem with their feet rubbing. The hay was in a hay box/feeder next to the litter box instead.

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

Oh, I see. Yeah, I think I will try that ( if it fits I got to check ). Thank you guys so much!

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