Pine Pellet Litter and Pine Wood?

[Moonlightbunny66]

Hello. I am getting two new bunnies in a couple weeks. I’d like to know if horse stall pine pellets are safe to use. I’d also like to know if untreated pine wood is safe to use to make their pens. I have done a bit of research online. Some people say to avoid pine and others say it’s fine as long as it’s not the shavings. I want to save some money and avoid buying Carefresh bedding for the litter boxes. Building their pens will also save money instead of buying two x pens. If pine is no good, any suggestions for  inexpensive pens and litter? Any help is appreciated, thank you!

[Louiethebunny]

As long as the pine pellets don’t contain accelerants like the ones for grilling/smoking, they are safe. The safe kind is usually advertised as horse-stall pellets. I’ve read that untreated pine is safe for a homemade cage. You are correct that pine shavings are unsafe to use as litter, good luck!

[Moonlightbunny66]

Thank you so much! I think I will try to find horse stall pellets then. I’m just nervous about the wood for the pens. I want my bunnies to be healthy and happy.

[DanaNM]

Pine pellets/ horse stall pellets are fine and awesome, hah! I should be a spokesperson for pine pellets at this point, recommend them to everyone who asks about litter on this forum.

Untreated pine lumber is also fine to use for pens, but actually I think building something out of wood might end up being more expensive than x-pens. If you buy them online vs. at a pet store, x-pens are pretty cheap these days (~$35-40). I built my buns a condo out of NIC cube grids, which I like because you can reconfigure them however you want if you need to rearrange things. For example, if you ever plan to bond your bunnies, you can build two smaller cube condos to start, then recombine them into a larger one once they are bonded.

 

. . . 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.  

[Moonlightbunny66]

Thank you! I actually live in Canada so the currency difference makes the x pens about $57 for one 60 x 60 x 30 inches. Which would be over $100 to buy two pens. And that’s for only 30 inches of height. I’d also be nervous it won’t get here on time before I pick up the bunnies because of the slow mail due to the virus. I’ve looked into the NIC cube grids and I do like them but it would also be over $100 to build two pens with them.

[Moonlightbunny66]

I’ve gotten those prices off of Amazon by the way. ^

[DanaNM]

Gotcha, I guess my experience with buying lumber and other materials is it always ends up being more expensive than I expect it to be! Getting two large cages built for $100 seems a bit like a steal in my mind. Hardware cloth (which is what’s typically used for the walls in hutches etc.) is not exactly cheap and is kind of a pain to work with. The other thing to consider is you will want to protect the wood somehow from urine and other spills so it doesn’t get gross over time.

I’ve seen some cool ideas online of people converting old dressers and cabinets into rabbit condos. If you are fairly handy that might be a neat option too.

 

. . . 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.  

[Moonlightbunny66]

I decided to buy two x pens so I won’t stress so much. And because I found two used on amazon, one was $37 and the other was $38! Says they have cosmetic imperfections but as long as they keep the bunnies in it’s okay. 🙂 It was about $84 total I think, including tax. Not bad! Just need to get the bunnies some supplies now. I’ll probably go shopping next week. I’m excited!

[Louiethebunny]

Yay! Chewy has a lot of options for a fairly good price, and I actually got some things like a carrier and heavy ceramic water bowls from a Facebook group in my area that trades, sells, and gives away all kinds of items. We were pretty thrifty, but Louie is still very spoiled 😀

[DanaNM]

Thats great!

. . . 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.  

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