PLEASE recommend unpelleted litter types

[Ruffles&Daisy]

Daisy just won’t go in her box, It’s got to be the litter, right??  I only use pellet litter, YN or FP.  I just now opened a new bag of FP and there is no way she will go near it.  Please, recommend some different types of litters to put in her box, I’m so frustrated.  I’m taking them to the vet today to get their nails done and to give her an exam.  Any questions I should ask the vet about her bad bad litterbox behavior??

TIA

[RabbitPam]

Definitely tell your vet to see what she recommends.

Meanwhile, the softest is Carefresh. Original CF is the least expensive, the white is more but is better if you have allergies. I ended up needing that for my mini rex’s tender feet.

Then you can try Aspen shavings. I didn’t think shavings were OK until Sarita told me that Aspen, only, is fine since it’s a safe wood. It’s a better pellet than the pine pellets too, so that’s one more pellet type to try.

[Sarita]

I really like the Aspen Shavings for unpelleted – they control odor well and they are affordable.

If she’s not a digger you might also try non-clumping clay cat litter (just the plain old fashioned kind) with some straw on top. It’s not the best option but it might work.

Also are you putting hay in her box to entice her in there?

You might also consider a different type of litter box – what type are you using now?

[Ruffles&Daisy]

I have a big box which they hop into, I know she can hop into it, she might be being just lazy. I only have litter in the bottom, then I hang TWO types of hay in there, one in a rack and one in a ball. I also have a triangular ferret box that I will put in there on occasion just to see if it’s the box. I’m more than happy to get them a new box if you think that might solve the problem. Maybe I’ll try the aspen shavings, does the carefresh absorb urine? It seems like it would just get wet and soggy. On a positive note, she’s so cute. I clapped at her real loud and said litterbox, while she was peeing. So once I cleaned up her mess, she flopped for me. Ding-bat bunny…. She’s lucky she’s cute.

[Ruffles&Daisy]

Oh and I just now put in the little triangle box with a piece of paper towel on the bottom. If she goes in there, then I know it’s either the box or the litter, or both. It’s like determining an allergy.

[Sarita]

That’s a clever idea, let us know how it works.

It sounds like they have plenty of litter boxes to choose from too.

[Ruffles&Daisy]

Well we just got back from the vet and she says it sounds like a behavioral thing. So I’m trying different litters. I bought some carefresh and something called sunseed freshworld bedding. Funny thing though, she went in the box with just the papertowel. I guess she hates the litter. The vet also said to make their cage really small to force her to use the box and then increase their living space gradually. Good news though, I got their nails clipped for free. One last thing, she also said Feline Pine isn’t great for rabbits even though it’s pelleted. The fumes and oils are bad for them.

[MooBunnay]

It possible that your vet knows more than I do about litters – but from what I have heard, Feline Pine is OK because the pellets are baked which gets all the fumes and oils out of them. Fumes and oils are definitely an issue with pine shavings, and other pine products, but from what I have heard up to this point, the baked pelleted litters like woodstove pellets, Feline Pine, and Equine Fresh are OK.

Have you considered covering the bottom of the litterbox with hay? I found that my bunnies tend to poop right after eating, so the fact that I put the hay right in the litterbox seems to help them be in the right place at the right time

[Ruffles&Daisy]

Yeah, I don’t know about the FP thing. She said that even with FP, some rabbits have shown elevated numbers (I forgot if she said liver or what). I guess it doesn’t matter to me anyhow, since Daisy won’t use it. So today I woke up to a lot of poo but no urine, so we might be on to something. I think I’m going to make the cage small today like she said, and really try to force her in the box. She mentioned that since the cage is so large, she may not feel compelled to use the box since she can lounge far away from where she did her business.

[Author]

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