# Rabbit litter advice/covered litter pan



## Cloe-trash (Nov 27, 2017)

So I'm going to be making Briar a litter pan screen so that I can use proper litter. I had switched to just layering hay because she had previously dug out anything I used.

Now I've got a plan to make the screen out of pet screen like I'd seen in a thread on here, but the way I'm going to do it ill make it so it can slide in and out of the pan so theres not room for her to pull at the edges or take it out.

I was wondering since she won't have access to the litter if it was safe to use clumping clay litter? I want something to help with the smell because her pen is in my room


----------



## Chamarith (Nov 27, 2017)

Hay is a good litter because bunnies like to snack while they use their toilet, but I switched to Aspen shavings 4 years ago. I order 4 cubic feet bales online, $15 delivered. I use a jumbo litter pan inside a house that I made for her. Even bunnies deserve privacy.&#9787;&#9786; Every time I go to her room I cover her "mess" with new shavings. Every 3-4 days she gets a fresh litter pan. For convenience I keep a tall kitchen trash bin full of shavings.
Cat litter is a bad idea.
FYI, white vinegar cleans a litter pan in 4-5 minutes, and makes it look new. I always have 2 litter pans for quick change. I hope this helps.&#9787;&#9786;


----------



## Blue eyes (Nov 27, 2017)

With the right litter and a routine for maintenance, a litter pan won't smell. 

With the litter pan in your room, the absolutely best litter for odor control is the wood pellets -- either wood stove pellets or horse bedding pellets. Top the pellets with hay twice per day and _there will be no smell!_ With one rabbit, that set up (in a large enough pan) can last up to a week without any odor.

If you opt for a screen over the litter, it doesn't need to slide in and out. That will not only be difficult to create, but unnecessary. A grate over the litter that is fit inside a plastic pan can't be pulled up by the rabbit because the rabbit would be sitting on top of it, weighting it down. 

I'll see if I can find the photo of such a pan. In the meantime, check *here* to see how a litter pan can be set up to be odor free by using the wood pellets (these are not shavings). The pellets have the added bonus of being very cheap. Shaving (as opposed to pellets) needs to be changed more often because they simply don't absorb the odor as well.

For persistent diggers, this set up can work with the wood pellets too.


----------



## Blue eyes (Nov 27, 2017)

You could alternatively try something like this OR use the plastic grates that cover those long light fixtures.


----------



## Cloe-trash (Nov 27, 2017)

Yeah if shavings and hay will work then I'm not as worried about making it so secure

I just wanted to make sure if I needed to use something she couldn't accidentally nibble on that she would be safe

Thank you guys for the help! I ordered a pretty big litter tray and some plastic pet screen


----------



## Blue eyes (Nov 27, 2017)

Cloe-trash said:


> Yeah if shavings and hay will work



Bear in mind that the _pellets_ (wood pellets) absorb odor much better than _shavings_. And the pellets become heavier and dense when wet so are much less likely to be dug out.


----------



## Chamarith (Nov 28, 2017)

Please know that my comment is not in any way meant to be disrespectful, but your suggestion of using plastic is a bad idea. Plastics contain harmful ingredients and should never be ingested if at all possible.
The way I do my litter pans is so simple that I cannot understand this issue. Aspen shavings are oil free and very soft for your bunny's feet. Covering the dirty spots is very easy, and in 3-4 days I pull the pan out of her toilet house, and slide a clean tray into it. I then rinse the pan with a hand held shower in a bath tub, and pour in about a cup of white vinegar. In 5 minutes the pan is shiny clean. Rinse it with water and it is ready for the next change.
My bunny has been my sole companion for 5 years since my wife died. Giving her the absolute best home is more important than my convenience, but I am an old retired widower that has no obligations. &#9787;&#9786;




Blue eyes said:


> You could alternatively try something like this OR use the plastic grates that cover those long light fixtures.


----------



## Chamarith (Nov 28, 2017)

I have no idea what wood pellets are, but they sound hard and uncomfortable on soft bunny feet. The hay should solve the problem and bunnies do love to eat and mess at the same time. I have a hay manger in my bunny's "toilet house" that I built for her. My free roaming bunny is totally spoiled, but she is the only living and loving thing in my life, and she doesn't chew the furniture or carpet.&#9787;&#9786;


----------



## Chamarith (Nov 28, 2017)

Something to remember about shavings is to never use pine or cedar because the oils contained in the shavings can cause respiratory problems. Aspen shavings are soft, absorbent and odor masking. I order 4 cubic feet bails online for $15 {$14.99} with free shipping for orders over $19. If you want to know where PM me. This seller is great and is in WI, USA. They also sell Oxbow products at the lowest price allowed by Oxbow.&#9787;&#9786;


----------



## Blue eyes (Nov 28, 2017)

Chamarith said:


> Please know that my comment is not in any way meant to be disrespectful, but your suggestion of using plastic is a bad idea. Plastics contain harmful ingredients and should never be ingested if at all possible.
> &#9786;



The plastic grate of which I speak (but do not use myself) is very thick and cannot be chewed or ingested by a rabbit. 

The wood pellets are quite popular with many RO members. It is here on the forum that I found out about them. I've used many other litters since the early '80s and nothing compares, in my opinion. Since they are topped with hay, there is no issue with them being uncomfortable for bunny. 

When I had two rabbits, a 40 lb bag of wood pellets would last 2-3 months. Cost is $7 but others apparently get them even cheaper where they live. (Not such high demand for wood stove pellets here in the desert  )

You are correct, Chamarith, that aspen shavings are safe. Cedar is harmful and pine is only safe if kiln-dried. I'm not big on how the shavings can get tracked out of the litter box or get stuck in fur (especially of the longer-haired rabbits). Some people prefer the shavings, so one should use whatever they are most comfortable with.


----------



## Chamarith (Nov 29, 2017)

Thanks for your comments. I keep a new lithium ion Dustbuster on top on her "toilet house".
It runs at full power for 20 minutes and has very strong suction. Every time I see litter outside the litter box I clean it up. I am a very fastidious person that likes neat, clean and pretty. Poop balls never get tracked out because I cover her messes with fresh litter after she uses her toilet, and change the litter box every 3-4 days.
BTW, her "toilet house" is a house I built which contains a jumbo litter box and a hay manger on the back wall. She is only 4kg, but likes to move around while in her toilet.
I know that I am radical, but she is the only living and loving thing in my life. Besides, at my age I can get away with being eccentric. hahaha


----------



## Cloe-trash (Dec 4, 2017)

Pine pellets have been kiln dried so they don't contain the toxic gunk from them, and I have set up a plastic screen to go on her litterbox which will then have hay over it. When I get everything set up I'll probably post a picture of her pen since it will finally be finished <3 Im going to scrub the floor with vinegar and put in her new litterbox tonight I hope


----------



## Cloe-trash (Dec 5, 2017)

It's a little bare because I need to wash her favourite blanket but here is her pen with her new litterbox


----------



## JBun (Dec 5, 2017)

It was probably my post on using pet screening that you saw. I really like having them in my litter boxes. It stops the digging mess, keeps the hay and poop separated from the litter so I can just sweep out the soiled hay and poop if I need to before a litter change is necessary, and my rabbits never chew on it or mess with it at all. So it's something that works well for me and my rabbits.

I will suggest never ever use clumping litter with rabbits unless they have absolutely no chance of access to it or coming in contact with it. It really is very dangerous to them if it ever gets ingested. I know of one man's rabbit that ended up dying from ingesting it and it causing a bowel obstruction. So just best to avoid using it completely. I use wood pellets too, and they seem to work better than any other rabbit safe litter in my opinion. I've used the paper bedding that I felt didn't absorb well and was smelly and soggy. I've used aspen and pine shavings and felt they didn't absorb urine or smell well either, plus tended to get tracked everywhere. Wood pellets topped with hay has been the best litter set up for my rabbits, for controlling odor and urine absorption.


----------



## Cloe-trash (Dec 6, 2017)

JBun said:


> It was probably my post on using pet screening that you saw. I really like having them in my litter boxes. It stops the digging mess, keeps the hay and poop separated from the litter so I can just sweep out the soiled hay and poop if I need to before a litter change is necessary, and my rabbits never chew on it or mess with it at all. So it's something that works well for me and my rabbits.




I believe it was yours! the tutorial helped a lot

And I am veryy happy to report that the new setup is perfect for her. No mess anywhere else in her pen. 

Got a plain plastic litter pan, feline pine pellets, the screen, and over that some hay with the bale set up by the bars so she can pull it through. It's her favourite way to eat it honestly because she'll pull several strands through in the process of getting one and ignore all the others that fall haha.And she ends up putting new hay in for me 

Thank you all for your help!


----------



## Bill Jesse (Dec 21, 2017)

My indoor hutches are 4 feet long. For the floor I used leftover engineered flooring slats which are washable and scratch-proof. On that I put wood pellets and cover the pellets with newspaper. Then I cover it all with thick layers of hay. I change the papers and hay daily.
For the litter box I have a cat litter box. I fill it with pellets halfway and then bought some damaged plastic grating that is used to cover light fixtures. They are usually 2x4 feet but damaged ones are useless so I get them for next to nothing. I cut them to fit the boxes and put hay on top.
They come off easily, the hay can be dumped, the poop and damp wood pellets cooped out with a trowel. The grate can be hosed off and dried. I have a farmer who comes by each week to take away the soiled hay which contains the poop.


----------

