Seeking opinions on pine bedding in litter box

[Elizabeth]

Hello,

I just finished my last bag of pine bedding that I use for my rabbit’s litter box. I currently put pine bedding on the bottom and fresh hay on top. I read somewhere that bedding isn’t ideal for rabbits. Is this true? Should I use a different base for her litter box? I wanted to get some opinions before buying another bag. 

[MountainBuns]

Yes, I’ve read that pine bedding isn’t the best as it may cause respiratory problems, maybe try a paper bedding and/or wood pellets.

[Sirius&Luna]

pine shavings can cause respiratory problems, but compressed pine pellets are fine

[Elizabeth]

Got it – thanks! Also what do you think of using cat litter as a base? Is that safe?

[MountainBuns]

I’ve read that cat litter is a big no, There’s probably a brand of cat litter that you can use with no problem but, better safe than sorry!

[Sirius&Luna]

So non-clumping cat litter is fine – thats the kind of wood pellets that sort of disintegrate when peed on. But clumping cat litter is bad, because it could cause a blockage if they eat a bit.

[Elizabeth]

I found Oxbow pelleted wheat straw litter that is safe for rabbits. I might try this – it looks safe and I trust the brand. Any objections?

[Elizabeth]

Or perhaps CareFresh Paper Bedding, which is a lot cheaper .

[MountainBuns]

The Oxbow one should be fine, so is the Carefresh, but the Oxbow is way more liquid resistant and controls odor better, So I recommend it over paper bedding

[kurottabun]

Wood litter is more absorbent and controls odour better. You would only need to change it if the bunny likes to ingest the litter – then again that applies to all types of litter (paper, wood etc) since it’s always not ideal if bunnies ingest anything other than what is meant to be food for them.

Wood litter is usually also the cheapest option if you can get it in bulk. That said, you could always buy a smaller bag of another litter type and compare the price vs performance, then decide which you like best

[MountainBuns]

Could not have said it better, kurrota bun, lol

[Author]

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