Rabbits are among the most social pets; they enjoy playing games and love human company. They are adorable and brilliant, just like pet cats. They also love to be neat, and having a potty for their litter is essential. There are several items you should use in a rabbit litter box to ensure your rabbit stays healthy.
Here are several things that go in a rabbit litter box:
1. Paper-Based Rabbit Litter
Paper-based pellet litter for rabbits is composed of recycled and compressed waste paper. These pellets are very effective at absorption, so they are the best for absorbing rabbit urine.
2. Wood Pellets for Rabbit Litter
The most recommended wooden shavings are named aspen. It is relatively good at absorption but not as good as paper-based litter pellets.
3. Carefresh Rabbit Litter
It is the best choice and provides more comfort than all other rabbit-liter bedding. It is made from wood pulp and designed for small animals like rabbits.
4. Compressed Sawdust into Pellets
Sawdust pellets are among the best for the absorption of rabbit urine. If you are on a budget, sawdust pellets are the most economical and safe for your rabbit.
Rabbit Litter Alternatives
Rabbit litter pellets are not the only items one can use in a rabbit litter box. However, it is crucial to ensure your rabbit’s comfort as you try out new options.
Here are some of the rabbit litter alternatives:
1. Shredded Paper
Shredded paper is easy to make at home, as all you need is a paper shredder. However, you will need to use too much or change it often, as it is inefficient at absorbing urine.
2. Hay
Rabbits love to chew most of the time, and hay could be an excellent option to munch on during potty time. It is vital to ensure fresh hay all the time.
3. Pine and Cedar Wood Shavings
These wood shavings have been used over the years and are very common. However, they are thought to contain phenols, a substance harmful to rabbits’ livers.
Do You Put Anything in a Rabbit Litter Tray?
No, you do not put anything in a rabbit litter tray since you must consider the health side effects of the items you use.
Here are some things to never use in a rabbit litter tray:
1. Clay Litter
It is unhealthy to use clay litter, as it clumps up. If a rabbit eats it, it can cause clumping and blockage in the rabbit’s stomach.
2. Scented Litter Pellets
The high smell sense in rabbits makes them very irritable by strong scents. Most of these scents are from unsafe chemicals and can cause respiratory problems in rabbits.
3. Cloth Bedding
Most cloth bedding stores dust and is ineffective at absorbing moisture. It would be best to keep changing the bedding to ensure your rabbit’s comfort.
4. Baking Soda
A commonly asked question is, Can I put baking soda in my rabbit’s litter box? No, you cannot put baking soda in a rabbit’s litter box. This is because baking soda can cause gastrointestinal dilation, which is life-threatening for bunnies.
How Do I Keep My Rabbit Litter Box from Smelling?
To keep your rabbit litter box from smelling, you should clean it every day. It is advisable to soak your rabbit’s litter box in a pet cleaning spray or a combination of vinegar and water. After an hour of soaking, you can scrub and rinse the box.
Rabbits’ urine mainly contains a high concentration of ammonia. Soaking the box will help get rid of the strong smell. Cleaning should be done every day according to your routine. It is advisable to clean the litter box every afternoon, when your rabbit is less active.
Rabbits like clean litter boxes, as they are clean animals. They are sensitive to smell and can get irritated by the strong ammonia smell in their urine. Additionally, rabbits love chewing most of the time, and a clean litter box ensures a healthy environment to continue feeding.
Here are more tips to ensure maximum odor control:
1. Change the Type of Litter
If your rabbit litter box is always smelling despite the number of times you clean it, it’s time to change the type of litter you use. Paper-based pellets are the most recommended for odor absorption.
2. Apply Natural Scent Oils
You can use natural scent oils, such as mint, that are healthy for rabbits to ensure their rooms smell fresh. However, you should be very careful and watch if your rabbit is affected by the smell.
Do Rabbits Need Bedding in the Litter Box?
Yes, rabbits need bedding in the litter box to positively reinforce their use of the box.
Other reasons why bedding in a litter box is important are:
1. Ensures High Clean Standards
A rabbit owner uses bedding to ensure that the smell of urine is absorbed and the rabbit’s living environment is safe.
2. Help the Owner Watch Out for Health Problems with the Rabbits
The routine of cleaning your rabbit’s litter box ensures the owner can see rabbits’ poop, which explains so much about the wellbeing of a bunny.
3. Provides Utmost Comfort to Your Rabbits
For example, using hay as bedding in a litter box makes a bunny happy and enjoy his potty time. It can snack at the same time.
How Do You Prepare a Litter Box for a Rabbit?
To prepare a litter box for a rabbit, you need a big container, approximately 50cm in length by 30 cm in width, for a small rabbit. The height of the container should be 15cm to ensure your rabbit does not urinate on the floor.
If your rabbit has problems hopping into the 15cm height container, you can trim one end to ensure easy access. You can only cut the width, and the low front will be helpful to elderly rabbits or those with mobility issues.
After choosing a litter box, you can place the bedding of your choice or use the recommended paper-based litter pellets and add a little hay on the side for your rabbit to graze on. Ensure maximum comfort for your bunnies.
You can put a tray in a rabbit litter box to ensure the rabbit steps on a clean surface. The tray should be gridded so rabbit droppings can pass through to the litter box. Ensure that the gridded tray is comfortable for the rabbits’ feet.
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