Question from a new member

[minnieservis]

Hi, I’m a new member and have a question.

I just got my new bunny yesterday and  I’m going to try and litter box train her.

I read that bunnies will play in their litter box and hang out in it and that’s what she’s been doing.

But the litter that came with the box is called Soft-Sorbent and it has lavender in it.

I noticed last night she would eat a piece of it once in a while.

I don’t know if this is bad for her or not.

I took out the litter for now just to be safe.

But I figuired they wouldn’t give it to rabbits if it could harm them right?

If anyone has any information or advice I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

[Beka27]

wlcome here. congrats on your new bun! i would never just assume that something you got at a petstore is safe. many times they sell things that are not good for them (like seed and yogurt treats) and other things that are not necessary. if you are unsure, you did the right thing by removing it. i’m not familiar with that kind of litter. i have heard members say their buns would eat the carefresh litter, but i’m not sure if this onei s similar. HRS has a list of safe litters… http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html#litter go down to 8.4

you might also put a nice layer of hay over the litter that way she can munch on that instead. that should also help with the littertraining, altho she might not “get it” until after she is spayed.

[JK]

I have never heard of that litter.  Pet companies sell LOTS of things that are bad for our animals so don’t assume that particular litter is ok. Maybe someone else here is familiar with it and can advise you. I would definitely stick to the recommended ones like Yesterday’s News, Apen Supreme, wood stove pellets, Carefresh, Cat Country or Critter Country.  There may be a couple others. Welcome to this site! 

[Beka27]

i use an off-brand pressed paper pellet. it’s very absorbent. it’s not the best for odor control, but since my rabbit is spayed, there is very little urine smell anyways.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hi and welcome to the board!   I’m so glad you’ve paid us a visit with your rabbit question and hope you continue to do so as we love to help!

I too agree that you did the right thing by taking the litter out because of the uncertainty of its safety.  The brand you are using is marketed by Kaytee, the description reads that it is made from wood fibers that are not suitable for paper production (http://www.kaytee.com/products/mammals/?pid=00861&aid=all&pcid=4).  If my  memory serves me correctly, pine is usually used for paper production and I am not sure how much processing the “wood fibers” go through before they are pelletized and cannot vouch for their safety.  Normally pine and cedar shavings emit phenols which can cause liver and kidney damage and the dust irritates the eyes and upper respiratory tract of rabbits. I have read about the lavender and the product description states that they are “real, aromatic lavender flowers.”  Lavender flowers are O.K. for your rabbit and in fact chamomile and lavender flowers are my two rabbits favorites, however the manufacturer does not state that the lavender flowers are organically grown and no pesticides were used.  To be on the safe side I would not use it.  If you really liked the lavender flowers you can add your own organic ones to known safe litters like Care Fresh, Aspen Supreme, Yesterday’s News, wood stove pellets without accelerant and certain horse stall litter as well.  For odor control I use the Aspen Supreme and it also works pretty well in a 50/50 mixture with Yesterday’s News (YN).  I hope this helps and I didn’t overload you with information.

 

[Deleted User]

Well, the litter that I use is called pets preferance. I know for sure that it doesn’t hurt him and I have another kind(same brand) for his hutch litter. It’s a softer texture for his bedding in his cage and a tottally different texture for both his litter-boxes. You might want to ask a vet about some liters that could harm your bun. But just stick to the unscented ones and recycled papers

[Beka27]

thanks for finding that info Scarlet Rose! you must be a Google expert… lol!

[Deleted User]

LoL =) =)

[babybunsmum]

great advice… welcome here & congrats on your new bun bun.  do you have pics to share? 

[skunklionshow]

We are photo hounds here, so you must post pics ASAP!  I believe I rec’d a sample of the same litter and tried it out.  My experience was that it wasn’t as good as my blend of aspen and carefresh.  I did not have an issue w/ them eating it, so I believe that I mixed it into my regular box preferences.

[minnieservis]

I just wanted to thank everyone for the great advice. It was so helpful! I’m very happy to be a part of this site now!!!

Also, I’m trying to think of a name for my bunny. I feel bad I haven’t named her yet. I was told she is probably a girl but just to be safe I would prefer a gender neutral name. Thanks for any ideas!!!

16326490371.jpg

[Beka27]

she is so cute. how about Casey? or Rory?

what kind of bedding are you using? i can’t tell from your pic, but i do know that wood shavings are not good b/c they emit phenols (sp?) that are dangerous. when you figure out what litter you’re going to use, you will want to only put litter in the box, not in the rest of the cage. it is too confusing for littertraining to have the litter everywhere.

[babybunsmum]

what a sweet bun bun!  thanks for the pic

as for names…. what kind of personality is shining thru so far?  you could go with ‘rebel’ if bun is a chewer or ‘zippy’ if bun runs a lot for example.  i like beka’s names too!   or oreo

[minnieservis]

Her personality is just awesome. She likes to be petted and cuddled and when she gets excited she hops around her cage. She likes to roll around too. She is just so adorable and I wanna find her a unique  name that fits her.

[skunklionshow]

Baby Bun:  I was thinking Oreo b/c that’s what my previous Oreo looked like.

I find that either people give pets people names or characteristic names.  Me, I’m  people name person myself.  I LOVE Rory!  Or even Frannie or Zooey for the JD Salinger book.  I used to love JD Salinger.

Where in Jersey are you?  I’m across the DE in Philly.  PS LOVE THE PICTURE!

[Author]

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