# Less messy litter



## Liung (Oct 30, 2018)

So after a LOT of work I’ve made an epic condo for my buns in our new apartment. Previously Lahi and Delilah had to stay with my parents since my fiancé and I were living in a one-room basement apartment that wasn’t okay with pets. Furthermore, he has a strong asthmatic allergic reaction that fur, so I resolved that when we got a place with a spare room I’d make that the bunny room so their fur and smell would be mostly contained and they’d still have plenty of room to themselves. 




The plan is to eventually allow them to occasionally run around the entire apartment but have their permanent residence stay in the room. To that end! I’ve tried to design everything to be as contained and mess free as possible. Their previous enclosure at my parent’s house had them constantly tracking shavings out of the litter box and cage all over the enclosure, and quickly out into the main area. 





(That is not actually how bad it got, Delilah managed to squeeze behind the mirror, tear a hole in the bag of shavings, drag it out everywhere and proceeded to look exceedingly proud of herself for “helping”. But I had to vacuum the entire area about once a week because wood shavings got literally everywhere. 

So when designing the condo I said “I’m going to minimize the amount of shavings I have to use. Litter in litter boxes only, no bedding areas”, and put the litter boxes at the bottom of the enclosure with the thought that gravity would help keep the shavings contained. I also designed hay boxes to go right next to the litter boxes, to keep the hay contained. Instead of a hay rack where it falls all over the floor, it falls into the litter box! Everything is contained!




And within the enclosure, it is. But what I didn’t foresee: that the litter cupboards would be the most convenient way for them to come in and out of the condo. Basically those doors are never shut, and my floor looked like this:




I just came back from a three day trip and without me cleaning the room meticulously every day, there were shavings everywhere, poop scattered all over the floor, and a very strong smell. And I’ve watched, the buns rarely poop outside the litter. But as they jump out of the cupboard to the floor, somehow their feet flick poop into the air to follow them out. It’s truly bizarre. 

And meticulously cleaning the floor everyday isn’t easy. I don’t feel comfortable vacuuming every day and potentially stressing Lahi out with the noise, but sweeping carpet doesn’t work well. I can’t put any kind of grid/grate on the litter, because he’s got sore hocks. Maybe a lipped litter would work better but I sort of screwed myself by designing the litter cupboard to the measurements of the litter boxes. 

Is there a litter that is less horrifically messy than wood shavings? Right now I do a layer of aspen wood shavings covered by a layer of orchard grass hay with the intention of preventing the shavings from doing its spreading thing, but the buns seem to prefer the orchard grass over the timothy in the hay box and eat through it in a day.

I work at a pet store so I’m in a unique position of being able to have most anything made by a company ordered in for me, and I’m willing to try something new. 

I’ve seen people talk about wood pellets but always I’ve only seen pine pellets, and pine = softwood = bad (though someone assured me that the pellets don’t have the aroma the shavings do). Would something like this work?




Aspen pellets, $16.49 CAD for 18.5 lbs

Alternatively, any other suggestions? I’m working both day shifts and night shifts on top of managing a severe circadian rhythm disorder, trying to keep the room clean and ensure my fiancé doesn’t have an allergy attack feels like it’s taking up so much of my time and energy, I’m really hoping someone has a better way.


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## Popsicles (Oct 30, 2018)

Yeah shavings are the absolute messiest and I hate them for that reason! Never again. I use paper pellets, specifically back2nature, but I know there’s also yesterday’s news and other brands. And the wood pellets that a lot of members on here use are simply the wood stove pellets you can buy in hardware stores etc. As long as the wood is untreated and no scents added etc it should be safe for bunnies! 
The added bonus is that paper and wood pellets are way better at absorbing smells than shavings and so your room should also smell much fresher!


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## samoth (Oct 30, 2018)

Not sure about Canada, but here in Michigan we have Tractor Supply Company stores that carry wood pellets. I believe they're untreated pine intended for horses.

Has your fiance tried any OTC allergy drugs? Allergy-induced asthma isn't super common with rabbits. Has he been tested for rabbit dander? Might it be the type(s) of hay causing the reaction?


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## Liung (Oct 31, 2018)

I definitely think I’m going to try the wood pellets. They don’t seem to me to be comfortable for buns to sit in but since moving into the condo they don’t seem to prefer hanging out in the litter boxes anyway. And I am SO SICK of trying to pick tiny wood shavings out of the carpet. 

My fiancé’s allergy is to all fur, and it’s more contact-based—he has to actually touch or be touched by fur. Or actually it is probably the dander/saliva, since he reacts to hypoallergenic dogs like poodles the same. 

He pets a dog and he breaks out in hives, he enters a house with cats and his throat tightens and he has trouble breathing. Delilah hops on the couch between us and after petting her for a while his eyes are streaming and his nose is running. 

My mum has an asthma-type allergy to the saliva in the fur, but it’s slow and it takes a couple days in the same space with an animal before she has trouble breathing. And her allergy is to feathers as well. His allergy is much faster and more severe, but doesn’t happen unless he either touches an animal or it’s an animal like a rabbit or cat that has drifty, airborne fur. 

However it also seems like he can develop a tolerance to individual animals. His dad’s dog Bubba only provokes mild itchiness if he pets him, and the two of us were staying with some friends who had two cats every weekend for a couple months, and now we can visit them and he doesn’t even need to take allergy meds to prevent his throat from completely closing up. So fingers crossed that happens with the buns too! 

Usually when we know we’re going somewhere that will have a lot of fur (especially cat fur!) he’ll take some Reactin, and then as long as he doesn’t actually pet the animal he’s fine. But he’s against taking medication long-term. Our current arrangement of having the spare room be the bunny room means he hasn’t had too many problems in the months since we moved in, but I notice him getting congested if he’s in the bunny room for more than a few minutes. As it is I’m looking into air purifiers to see if that can help. 

I don’t know if he’s allergic to hay or shavings, but since he’s already dealing with breathing problems with their fur I want to make absolutely sure the litter smell isn’t making it worse. 

Also, it was a pretty big concession of him to be okay with sharing a living space with them when he risks his throat closing up, so I really don’t want him to have cause to complain about something like smell or mess.


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## Blue eyes (Oct 31, 2018)

The best way to maintain a litter box that has either the wood pellets or the compressed paper pellets is to top it with hay. The hay gives them something soft to lay on (instead of just the pellets) and it has the added benefit of keeping odor down in the pellet layer (and not wafting up into the air).

Here's a full, used, about-to-be-cleaned-out litter box that has wood pellets at the bottom and has had hay added to it twice per day for a week (1 rabbit). You can see how the hay gets tamped down and while this one has plenty of poo (hence the need to clean it!) it can be lain in without bunny being directly on the wood (or paper) pellets.


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## Mariam+Theo (Oct 31, 2018)

Don't use the pine shavings! They are too messy and (I read somewhere) that the smell can cause cancer. I would try the paper or wood pellets as other people suggested. Don't use timothy hay to line the litter box. Use straw, if you use timothy hay it will be wasted. Timothy hay is too expensive to be wasted.
BTW- AWESOME condo!


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## JBun (Oct 31, 2018)

MYBUNNYTHEO said:


> Don't use the pine shavings! They are too messy and (I read somewhere) that the smell can cause cancer. I would try the paper or wood pellets as other people suggested. Don't use timothy hay to line the litter box. Use straw, if you use timothy hay it will be wasted. Timothy hay is too expensive to be wasted.
> BTW- AWESOME condo!



It depends. If you buy timothy hay by the bale at a feed store, it's pretty cheap. I throw out loads of timothy hay that my rabbits have wasted. It's just part of having rabbits, and I don't mind because it's not very expensive.


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## Blue eyes (Oct 31, 2018)

MYBUNNYTHEO said:


> Don't use timothy hay to line the litter box. Use straw, if you use timothy hay it will be wasted. Timothy hay is too expensive to be wasted.



Timothy hay is just fine -- preferred actually -- to put on top of the pellets. The reason for this is that it encourages the rabbit to go in the box to eat the hay. Rabbits may eat straw which has zero nutritional value. Eating straw may discourage them from eating hay but we want our rabbits to eat LOTS of hay!

A bale of timothy (or any other grass hay -- mine get bermuda grass hay) is quite cheap and lasts a long time. A bale of hay can last last two rabbits for 8 months but only costs about $17. (probably cheaper in other areas) And that is with me adding generous amounts to the box twice per day.


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## samoth (Oct 31, 2018)

> I definitely think I’m going to try the wood pellets. They don’t seem to me to be comfortable for buns to sit in but since moving into the condo they don’t seem to prefer hanging out in the litter boxes anyway. And I am SO SICK of trying to pick tiny wood shavings out of the carpet.



I recommend going the route Blue Eyes posted. That seems to work well. The wood pellets will disintigrate after being soiled, so having a layer of bedding and hay keeps the pellet mess at the bottom of the litter box.

My rabbits didn't like sitting on plain pellets at all, but they're just fine wtih what Blue Eyes posted.



> However it also seems like he can develop a tolerance to individual animals. His dad’s dog Bubba only provokes mild itchiness if he pets him, and the two of us were staying with some friends who had two cats every weekend for a couple months, and now we can visit them and he doesn’t even need to take allergy meds to prevent his throat from completely closing up. So fingers crossed that happens with the buns too!



Age can also help. I had horrible allergy-induced asthma as a kid and couldn't be around anything with fur or feathers . I was also allergic to dust, pollen, and pretty much everything outside. However, it lessened in my late teens to the point where it was almost gone in my 20s. Now in my 30s I have house rabbits and no issues whatsoever with them.



> Usually when we know we’re going somewhere that will have a lot of fur (especially cat fur!) he’ll take some Reactin, and then as long as he doesn’t actually pet the animal he’s fine. But he’s against taking medication long-term. Our current arrangement of having the spare room be the bunny room means he hasn’t had too many problems in the months since we moved in, but I notice him getting congested if he’s in the bunny room for more than a few minutes. As it is I’m looking into air purifiers to see if that can help.
> 
> I don’t know if he’s allergic to hay or shavings, but since he’s already dealing with breathing problems with their fur I want to make absolutely sure the litter smell isn’t making it worse.
> 
> Also, it was a pretty big concession of him to be okay with sharing a living space with them when he risks his throat closing up, so I really don’t want him to have cause to complain about something like smell or mess.



Certain types of hay can be much easier on allergies. Timothy's usually one of the worst, and orchard one of the better tolerated for those with allergies/asthma.

I was thinking that if an allergy panel was available (and free through insurance), it might be worthwhile for him to see what his body reacts to the most and work from there. When I was a kid, this involved a paint roller full of needles... but was helpful for my parents to target the biggest trigger for my allergies.

I wish you guys the best of luck! And that condo is fantastic


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## Liung (Nov 1, 2018)

This is what I woke up to this morning. Oh, Delilah. What a horrific mess. 

Right now I’m using aspen shavings with orchard grass on top—they have Timothy hay in their hay box but I find it’s very stabby, and the last thing I want is for a piece of hay to stab Lahi in his sore hocks. Only, they seem to prefer eating hay out of the litter, rather than from the hay box, so it doesn’t last that long. As long as the hay is on top it keeps the shavings mostly contained, but once it’s gone...

All the hay you see in this mess is Timothy hay that’s been pulled or fallen out of the box. Is Timothy hay significantly healthier for them? If it’s not going to make a huge difference I feel like I should switch full-time to orchard grass. They seem to prefer it anyway and it’s not messy like this.


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## Blue eyes (Nov 1, 2018)

Orchard grass is just fine. Timothy isn't necessary. As long as it is some type of grass hay (not legume). 

If they eat the hay from the litter box anyway, then you could remove the hay box if it is making a mess. 

As I mentioned earlier, the pellets (as opposed to shavings) aren't going to spill out like shavings. You can see in my photo above that even after a week, everything in that box is contained. I'll see if I can find a photo of the cage too after that amount of time to show extent of "mess."


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## Blue eyes (Nov 1, 2018)

Found a photo showing the cage after a week's worth of mess...



They have their cage door open all day every day. The cardboard they were chewing on seems to have made as much mess as the hay. (Some of the hay 'spill' may be from me too when I refresh the hay and it doesn't all make it in the box.)


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## Liung (Nov 1, 2018)

@Blue eyes but what about the pine? Softwood = phenols = bad for them. The wood pellets I found in the catalogue are aspen and I’ve ordered them, but I’ve found cat litter that’s pine pellets, and I’m wary about that. I haven’t found any hardware stores that sell the wood stove pellets people keep mentioning.


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## Blue eyes (Nov 1, 2018)

Pine pellets are safe. The process used to compress them removes the phenols. Same with kiln-dried pine shavings. The kiln-drying renders them safe. (I just find all shavings annoyingly messy.)


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## Liung (Nov 18, 2018)

Used the aspen pellets for the first time last night. About an inch layer, covered them with the last of my shavings for familiarity purposes, topped it off with orchard grass hay. Woke up to this:




DELILAH WHYYYYYY

It looks worse than it is because the aspen pellets are only a slightly lighter shade of brown than their poop. That is not ALL poop. But it is still a tremendous mess.


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## Liung (Nov 18, 2018)

Thankfully they are actually easier to sweep up from the carpet than the shavings. So that’s a success at least.


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## JBun (Nov 18, 2018)

Try a screen over the pellets. A soft screen should be ok for sore hocks, especially with a layer of hay over it. I made mine from pet window screening and it completely solved the digging problem. You can see in the picture below that it's just the plastic pet screening for windows, then I secured plastic panel edging around it. If you're interested in making one I can repost the instructions here, including photos.

I also provide a dig box full of crumpled up newspaper as an alternative, so they can still use their natural instinct of digging, with very little mess as it's contained to mostly the box.


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## Liung (Nov 18, 2018)

I have a bunch of shredded paper that I put underneath a bin that they’ve been enjoying rummaging through, it makes a mess that gets strewn around everywhere but I’m a little nervous that if I put the bin upright they’ll decide it’s a new litter box. I use paper as their litter after surgery to make sure particles don’t get in the incision, so they’re familiar with paper as litter material. 

Pet window screening? Can’t say I’ve heard of it. The picture is showing as a broken link for me. 

Delilah LOVES to dig in the litter box and the amount of hoops I had to jump through last time to keep the mess contained were extreme and not really repeatable this time.


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## JBun (Nov 18, 2018)

See if the photo is showing up now.

If you're in the UK here is the pet screen that I used.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001VCC4DW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## Liung (Nov 19, 2018)

Oh, so that just looks like an ordinary window screen to me. Is there something about it that makes it a “pet” screen?


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## Liung (Nov 19, 2018)

Also the problem with Delilah’s digging is that it’s a stereotypic holdover from her previous owner. She digs because it makes a lot of noise and was used to get attention from people who otherwise ignored her, even if that attention was negative. So she digs in the litterbox, but also on solid walls. When she had cage bars she’d dig and rattle at them—which was definitely not an attempt at escaping because she’d be furiously rattling the bars of the cage that she was standing next to the open door of, OUTSIDE of the cage. She digs when she’s bored and wants attention, not because she feels the need to dig. So giving her appropriate alternatives doesn’t really do anything, because using the appropriate alternatives doesn’t get her any attention!


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## JBun (Nov 19, 2018)

It's the type of mesh you use that's different. It's a plastic mesh instead of the usual fiberglass, and it's designed to resist damage from pets clawing at it. The edging that I used is a plastic/vinyl edging, normally used for the edges of wall paneling here in the US. I'm not sure if you would have the same thing there.

If you're interested in trying it here's the tutorial on how I made it, or you could just try the screen itself without the edging, but the edging does give it structure so it can't be moved around or edges chewed on by buns. Let me know if the photos don't show up.

(Copied from another thread)
You will need a roll or piece of the correct size needed, of the pet mesh/screen. It's not normal fiberglass window screen, but is a thicker plastic screening made to resist pet damage. I got mine at walmart, amazon has it, as will home improvement stores.




This is the white plastic edging, which I got at Lowe's home improvement. I used the smallest width, which is what you want. There are a few different colors: white, beige, and possibly gray and black if you can find them in the smaller size.
http://www.lowes.com/pd/Sequentia-0...ainscot-Panel-Cap-Wall-Panel-Moulding/4768311

You will need heavy duty scissors to cut the plastic edging, or I used tin snips. If you use the zip ties to attach the edging, you will need something to punch holes in the edging to run the zip ties through. I used a leather punch.

First is taking measurements for the screen size you will need. Make sure to take measurements with the litter in the litter box as this can sometimes affect the size of the screen that you will need. I try and get the screen as close to the edges of the litter box as possible. Too small and it will shift around, too big and it won't fit right.

Once you have the measurements, unroll the screening and mark your measurements out, I used a silver permanent marker so it would show up on the black screening. Cut out your piece of screen. Lay it in the litter box on top of the litter to make sure you got the measurements right.

Next double check your screen measurements by remeasuring it, then use those measurements for your edging pieces. Measure and mark the edging, then make a 90 degree cut. Put each piece along the edge of the screen to make sure your measurements were correct, then with all edges in place, lay the screen into the litter box to make sure the fit is right. You want to make sure it fits before you attach the edges permanently.

Next is assembly. There are two ways I've used. First is the easiest by using zip ties to attach the edging to the screen. You want the smallest 4 inch ties so they fit easily in the holes in the screen. The down fall of this method is that hay and urine collects in the edging channel and you need to use a jet of water to get it out. This lead me to the second method of using 100% silicone caulk to attach the edging to the screen. I got mine at walmart, and make sure you don't get the mildew resistant kind. You want the 100% silicone caulk. I like this method the best as it seals up that channel in the edging so no urine or debris can collect in it, but the downfall is it is somewhat difficult to do and can be messy.

Here is a picture of heavy duty scissors, tin snips, leather punch, and cut edging pieces for both a caulked screen(with the lower lip of the edging cut off so urine doesn't collect on it) and a zip tied screen. You can see how the two zip tied edging pieces assemble at the corner so that the holes on each piece line up to put a zip tie through.





First the zip tie method. I measured and marked where I wanted the holes, then punched holes with the leather punch. Punch the holes for the corner with the two pieces put together so that the holes will line up for putting the zip tie through. Next slide the screen into the channel in the plastic edging. Make sure the screen goes all the way into the back of the channel. Then pass the zip tie through the hole and the screen and secure the zip tie, with the attachment part of the zip tie on the bottom of the screen. Then cut the excess tail of the zip tie off. An alternative to punching holes if you don't have a tool to do it, is to trim the bottom lip of the edging off so that the bottom and top are even, then you wouldn't need to punch holes in it.

Finished zip tied screen.




With the caulk method, I first trimmed off the bottom lip of the edging so that both the bottom and top were even. Next lay out some newspaper as a work surface and set your screen piece and edging pieces on it. Have several sheets of paper towels handy for cleaning up excess caulk. If using a new tube of caulk, make sure to cut the end off at a 45 degree angle and make the cut as close to the tip as possible so that the opening is as small as possible. I used a thick piece of wire to pierce the seal on the inside of the caulk(pierce it several times), or buy a tube of caulk that doesn't require a caulk gun to dispense the caulk.

Place the tip of the caulk into the edging gap. I pushed it in so that the edging spread apart some, to make sure all of the caulk went in there. Then slowly draw the caulk gun down the length of the piece as you squeeze the caulk in.









Once there is caulk all along the gap of the edging piece, wipe off any excess with your finger, then slip the edging piece onto the correct side of the screen, very carefully so you don't mess up the caulk too much and make sure the screen sets all the way to the back of the edging channel. Then carefully slip zip ties through the screen an inch or so from the ends(and a zip tie or two in the middle if a large screen) to help secure the edging while it dries. I like to do the long side edging first, then the top and bottom.





Carefully wipe away any caulk that may have squeezed out of the gap when the edging was attached to the screen. Do the same for the rest of the edges. When done carefully check over the screen for any caulk messes to wipe off. Be careful not to let the screen flex too much as the caulk is still wet. Then lay your screen on a clean piece of newspaper to dry in a well ventilated area. I left it for a week to make sure it was completely dried and cured. Once the caulk is completely dried you can cut the zip ties off and remove them from the screen.





Finished caulked screen.




If trying to decide which attachment method to use, the caulk method is the best one as it keeps the screen the cleanest with no gaps for debris and urine to build up in, and so is the easiest when having to wash the screen. But it is a bit tricky getting that caulk into the gap when assembling, without making a huge mess. So if you aren't used to doing caulk jobs. I would suggest not attempting it without a little practice, and being prepared for a bit of a mess with the caulk. I've done a fair bit of caulking jobs, and I found this can be a bit frustrating when that caulk tip keeps slipping out of the gap as you are caulking it.

If you have enough edging, you could start with a screen that is zip tied, then if you think you would like the caulked screen you could give it a try. This way you would also have an extra screen for when you take the other one out for cleaning.

Good luck and if anything isn't clear just let me know and I'll try and clarify.


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## Joyce Guardado (Nov 21, 2018)

Popsicles said:


> Yeah shavings are the absolute messiest and I hate them for that reason! Never again. I use paper pellets, specifically back2nature, but I know there’s also yesterday’s news and other brands. And the wood pellets that a lot of members on here use are simply the wood stove pellets you can buy in hardware stores etc. As long as the wood is untreated and no scents added etc it should be safe for bunnies!
> The added bonus is that paper and wood pellets are way better at absorbing smells than shavings and so your room should also smell much fresher!


I use old newspapers in the bottom of litter with fresh hay on top
If changed everyday there is no smell and it’s a quick process for 3 bunnies I get over half a bale of hay a month at a cost of $10
Newspapers are free from stores who have leftovers that didn’t sell


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## Popsicles (Nov 21, 2018)

I’m not sure why you quoted my post as I didn’t mention newspaper at all, but it’s all about finding what works for you and your bunnies, so sounds like you’ve got a good setup for you!


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## Liung (Nov 23, 2018)

Wow @JBun definitely that’s so nice and detailed! For now it seems that Delilah isn’t digging the litter out as long as the door is closed, but once I’m no longer under the strain of Lahi’s lump removal I’ll have to look into doing that. I kinda half heartedly tried a screen before by using fine-mesh chicken wire with a layer of shavings overtop to protect their feet, with the thought that while I couldn’t stop Delilah from tossing litter everywhere I could limit how much of it she could toss. I was always too worried about Lahi’s sore hocks to leave it bare. 

This was an addition to a home-made enclosed litter box with a swinging door, previous attempts to keep her digging contained. She always foils me!

Hopefully she won’t find something devious to get around the pet screen


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## Liung (Nov 23, 2018)

@Blue eyes @Popsicles the aspen wood pellets are working great, I like how obviously compostable they are, breaking down into something that already looks like it could belong spread over a garden. And while I can smell the wood pellets a fair bit, it’s not necessarily a bad smell and it’s actually stronger than any pee smell. I’m now going on a full purge of wood shavings, MAY THEY NEVER STICK TO MY SOCKS AGAIN!!

Is you’re suuuuuuure pine pellets are okay, I’ll likely buy some Feline Fresh pellets from my store next time, they’re a better cost per weight than the aspen.


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## JBun (Nov 23, 2018)

I've used pine pellets for years, and they've been great. Feline pine is a good option, but if you want a cheaper one and are near a feed store, the ones used for horses can be used too and are a few dollars cheaper. I've found not all wood pellets are equal. Some just seem to absorb the urine and odor better than others.


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## Liung (Nov 23, 2018)

But you’re sure the pine pellets don’t have the same phenol issue as pine shavings? I was using pine shavings for years without issues before I found out that it could cause some. 

When I explain it to other people I tell them “phenols are that woodsy aroma we love from cedar wood”. I opened the bag of aspen pellets and got a blast of wood scent, and that’s hardwood!

But yeah since I work at a pet health food store, being able to buy the Feline Fresh right there is nice and convenient. And I get a 20% employee discount. And if I’m really lucky I might get straight-up free bags from the distributor rep—unsurprisingly an employee being able to say “this is what I use for my pets so I can personally tell you how great it is” sells well, so companies will often offer to give pet store employees free food. Not sure about litter, though. 

Anidis wouldn’t give me free rabbit food :’( the rep was over the moon happy to hear I feed them Versele Laga and got me to switch from their Cuni Nature variety to Cuni Complete, but because they’re a distant Scandinavian company she couldn’t negotiate any staff feeding for me. She promised that she’d give me any bags that customers returned that were open, but I have little to no hope of that happening, the food’s bloody amazing both for nutrition panel and how much buns love it. 

Alternatively I also work at a research facility and could buy bulk bags of bedding cob from them wholesale, and that would definitely be suuuuuper cheap but... bunnies =/= corn. Also it would possibly make almost as much of a mess as shavings.


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## Maxi (Nov 24, 2018)

Hello,

Thanks to all for all the detailed information. I had never researched the base on which phenol could be a cause for an allergy to a processed wood product, but I remember how carpenters I worked with years ago would smell very strange to me, and it usually caused me some nausea.

At the beginning of Maxi's stay in the house we had bought some pellets for the litter bottom of his cage. They smelled so much that I left them out under sunshine which only slightly improved the projection of the smell. I think that the process with which wood is used to produce a closed-cell shape such as pellets is harmful to the trees the wood is produced from. I never used those pellets. I used some shavings, only for a very brief period, but soon I discovered I could exchange the pellets with litter material for cats I could buy from the nearby store. The material is small stone-like particles, it is heavy, so far has not hurt Maxi's paws and cannot be taken out of the litter tray in great amounts; just some small stones become air-born by Maxi jumping out of the tray.

The condo is amazing, Liung. I saw a cabinet made for small pets at a pet-store, but as I cannot transport it myself, and cannot fit it through the doors, I decided to design, too, my own, when the time comes. I will share some sketches of what I decided to do, later. I based the design on the shape, orientation and details of the room where Maxi lives, but also will try to fit the base of a fabricated cage, or a whole cage. My reason for disliking the fabricated cages was that the sides were all metal, the base was only plastic, and the overall feel to my sense did not bring about too much assurance of its longevity and value; even the wooden cages look not safe, and not stable enough to me. One of the reasons I liked your condo was because everything looked very solid, and safe.

Early in Maxi's life I realized that the Rabbit, or Maxi, was a very intelligent animal, just, perhaps, all other types of animals are, and it cannot live in an unsafe, unstable environment, materially or psychologically. Maxi has made me very intelligent in order to withstand his mental attacks, for which he usually soon feels guilty, which reminded me of him being like my late father was, angry only in moments and as sparks, but never hateful, and never, for long!

I so love this Rabbit Maxi!

Regards,
Sonya and Maxi


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## Jessamine (Nov 26, 2018)

I use the brand of aspen pellets you posted! They hold the smell and seem to work really well.


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## Liung (Dec 5, 2018)

Oh my god it’s been over a week now, the litter box is so full but there is NO SMELL and NO MESS. 

WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE. I’m recommending it to all my bunny customers. One tried it and then decided against continuing since she felt it wasn’t a soft enough bedding for her buns... but THATS WHAT THE HAY ON TOP IS FOR

SHOUT IT TO THE WORLD ABANDON WOOD SHAVINGS SWITCH TO PELLETS EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL.


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