Straw as Litter?

[SteelFlemish]

I’m currently using a grated litter box with no litter.  At first I used hay, but I felt as though I was wasting too much hay.  

I don’t think my bunny likes not having any litter because he poops/pees outside his box until I put a paper towel in the box.  When I clean his urine and put the paper towel in the litter box, he will go directly on top of the paper towel, which leads to a smelly litter box.  I think he begins using his litter box again because of the paper towel being in there & not because of smelling his scent on the paper towel.  If I just remove the paper towel, but not clean out the litter he’ll begin to poop/pee all over his cage again.  

I have been thinking of using straw as litter.  It’s cheaper than hay; however, I would like to know the pros and cons.  I’ve read that straw isn’t absorbent; however, that’s not an issue because I use a pee pad under the grate to absorb the urine.  That’s all of the information I could find on having straw as litter.  

Would straw be okay for the bunny to nibble?   I’m in the habit of dumping the litter box daily due to using hay prior; is the risk of mold similar to hay? 

[Wick & Fable]

Is there a reason you want straw instead of another litter type that’s more absorbent? I assume yes, moldy straw occurs and would be a health hazard.

I use Kaytee paper granules under a litter screen, and I get a huge bag for $10 at the pet store.

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.

[Muchelle]

If you’re using one of those litter boxes with a lifted grate, I suggest you switch it to a regular cat litter box. Metal grates can cause harm to the bun’s feet and cause a condition called pododermatitis, which is a pain to get rid of once the paws have been damaged.

Personally, I line the litter box with paper (I use paper from those sales booklets you get at the supermarket), add 100% natural wood pellets for stoves and then top with a tiny amount of hay. To clean it off then you just have to tip the litter box over a trash bag and detach the paper lining – everything will fall right off in a second. Then just give it a quick wash to remove any leftover pee and you’re set to go With this method I clean out the litter box about once every 3-4 days.

[Bam]

Straw is rarely if ever pesticide-free. That said, lots of people use hay as bedding for their buns. But for a house bunny, I’d choose something less messy and more absorbant. Wood stove pellets are cheap and absorb odors and pee, so you could perhaps skip the puppy pee pad if you use wood stove pellets. Any type that doesnt have any accelerants added is fine.

[SteelFlemish]

I’m not looking for an absorbent litter because I use the pads under the plastic grate. I like the puppy pad/grated litter system because I don’t want him sitting in wet litter (he likes to just hang out in his litter box sometimes) & it’s easy to clean. When I used hay, it seemed like the pee would just fall to the bottom, so even when he decides to sit in his litter, he’s not sitting in wetness.

I never thought of pellets because I thought they would get mushy and he would be sitting in the mush. Is it still relatively dry after being soiled?

[Azerane]

Most of the pee falls through as you have stated, so while some of the pellets on top do of course get a little wet, most of the moisture is underneath. I use wood pellets for my pair with a sifting tray, I have to change the tray daily because they obviously pee and poop a lot, for my single bun it was much more clean for longer. The benefit of wood pellets is that the urine doesn’t smell. With hay as litter it starts to smell and as mentioned it can start to go mouldy if not changed regularly. You don’t need many pellets in the top tray, just enough to cover it, if you put too many pellets in the top tray it will prevent the urine falling through and then it will get mushy on top.

[SteelFlemish]

Okay, I will try the pellets instead. Thanks for all the advice!

[Azerane]

No problem If you try it and don’t like it you can always change back or try something else anyway, it’s not the end of the world

[Author]

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