Litter type

Question
Hi-
We had bought carefresh, but it was too $$$ and we went through it too fast.  We have three bunz, including a new zealand breed (big poops!)
We have been getting Yesterday's News, but it is expensive still, like 15$ for a 20 lb bag I think?  They go through like a bag a week.
I thought I remembered you saying that you used Feline Pine or some sort of cat litter, but when I checked it out at a pet store I was aprehensive due to the ingredients.  I also could have been not rememebering correctly.
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-----Question-----
What type of litter do you use?

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Hi Theresa,

there are several litters that can work well for rabbits, and owners.

If cost is paramount or you have a large number of rabbits, wood stove fuel pellets are great.  They are essentially compressed sawdust.  They break down easily when wet, and it is easy to tell what litter needs to be removed and replaced.  Dust is minor and not airborne.  These pellets are safe for rabbits as they are not made from wood that is treated with chemicals (like copper or arsenic).  It is about $5 for a 40-pound bag.

Another great product is Yesterday's News recylced paper pellets.  They too are easy to tell when they have been used and need to be removed and replaced.  Very safe.  However it is more expensive - but it is best to get their biggest bag possible - a 40 lb bag goes for anywhere from $10-12 dollars.  Often they have coupons that will give you up to $1.50 off.

A third option that is good for rabbits is Carefresh pet bedding litter.  This is recycled paper, but in clumps rather than pellets.  The main issues with these are that pets may eat them more in this form, cost, and you will probably go through them faster than pellets.  It also is a little more dusty than pellets.  Cost is higher for this than wood stove fuel pellets and you get less than either other option.

Currently I use the wood stove fuel pellets.  None of my rabbits has sat there and tried to eat them.  They didn't seem to have any problems being switched over.  What I did was make roughly a 50-50 mix of Yesterday's News pellets and wood stove fuel pellets to see if there would be rejection issues, and there were none.  So now I am mostly wood stove fuel pellets and a little Yesterdays' News that I am using up.  Eventually it will all be wood fuel pellets.

Lee

Answer
Hi Theresa,

I have never recommended cat litter products.  Too dusty and dangerous. I have stated in the past basically to avoid them.

THe wood stove fuel pellets are probably your best bet.  They are safe, inexpensive (you can get 2-3 bags for 1 Yesterdays News bag, same size bag) and the natural hardwood sawdust actually helps with odor a bit.  Especially with 3 rabbits, this is a good litter material for you.

Lee