are mesh litter boxes good for rabbits?

[toffeepal]

hello everyone.there are some litter boxes with a plastic net on the top.seems like these mesh litter boxes are easier to clean, as the urine and poops can fall down through the meshes, but as we know rabbits eat some of their own poops to reabsorb some nutrients. idk how mesh litter boxes might affect my rabbit's health. does anyone have any information about it?

 

[John Wick]

Rabbits will eat cecotropes directly from the hole as it comes out -- they typically do not poop it out then eat it off the ground, so there are no concerns of them "missing" any cecotropes as a result of it falling through a grid. Additionally, cecotrope production, in my viewer experience, tends to happen during the day/times rabbits are sleeping so they usually aren't in the litterbox anyways when it comes time to eat them.

Notably, considering the size of rabbit poop relative to the size of their toes, mesh screens on litterboxes are more to separate the soiled litter from hay, rather than poop falling through. A mesh screen that's elevated enough and has large enough holes to allow healthy rabbit poop to reliably fall through is likely not comfortable to stand on (like wire-bottom flooring).

Meshes, for rabbits and set-ups agreeable to their use, can make cleaning easier and also can add another step considering you also need to clean the mesh occasionally. See here for an example of litterbox cleaning with plastic knitting mesh screens:

 

[toffeepal]

Rabbits will eat cecotropes directly from the hole as it comes out -- they typically do not poop it out then eat it off the ground, so there are no concerns of them "missing" any cecotropes as a result of it falling through a grid. Additionally, cecotrope production, in my viewer experience, tends to happen during the day/times rabbits are sleeping so they usually aren't in the litterbox anyways when it comes time to eat them.

Notably, considering the size of rabbit poop relative to the size of their toes, mesh screens on litterboxes are more to separate the soiled litter from hay, rather than poop falling through. A mesh screen that's elevated enough and has large enough holes to allow healthy rabbit poop to reliably fall through is likely not comfortable to stand on (like wire-bottom flooring).

Meshes, for rabbits and set-ups agreeable to their use, can make cleaning easier and also can add another step considering you also need to clean the mesh occasionally. See here for an example of litterbox cleaning with plastic knitting mesh screens:

the point you mentioned is very subtle.yes, i had seen her how she eats it without letting it out but i had doubts that maybe she also needs some of her other poops.

meshes are also good for poops not to be scattered all around the rug when she jumps out of her litterbox, but you are right, most of them won't me comfortable for her to stand on them and eat hays easily.
i'm really confused.
btw, thanks for the video, as i figured, you use newspaper pellets underneath the litter box, then a netted sheet with tiny pores on top of it, right? so the poops will be tangled into hay and won't scatter around?

 

[John Wick]

Rabbits do not need to eat their normal poop-- they only need to eat their cecotropes, which the majority, if not all, are eaten directly from the hole.

I use the mesh for less mess in general.

 

[overhear]

@toffeepal , I'm glad you asked about this because I've also been wondering.

So, how hard on the rabbits feet are these surfaces?

 

[FuzzyBunny ph]

Our litterbox has a plastic mesh flooring and and pullout tray. It does make clean up easier.

I used to have a litterbox without the mesh flooring at it would make my buns dirty. I know it's ideal to use hay as part of their bedding, but I'm from the Philippines so hay is quite expensive here

Here's how our litterbox looks: Log into Facebook

 

[Barbara]

hello everyone.there are some litter boxes with a plastic net on the top.seems like these mesh litter boxes are easier to clean, as the urine and poops can fall down through the meshes, but as we know rabbits eat some of their own poops to reabsorb some nutrients. idk how mesh litter boxes might affect my rabbit's health. does anyone have any information about it?

This is what I use. I have hay hanging above in a ball if he wants some, but most of the time he goes in , goes potty and then gets out. It is so much easier and cleaner.

 

[Blue eyes]

This is what I use. I have hay hanging above in a ball if he wants some, but most of the time he goes in , goes potty and then gets out. It is so much easier and cleaner.

If you are using one of those metal balls to stuff hay in as the sole source of hay, you'll need to add another, easier way for him to get his hay. He should be eating his body size in hay every day. Those balls don't provide a fraction of that. They are good for entertainment but the hay is too difficult to get out to be the primary source for hay.

 

[Blue eyes]

hello everyone.there are some litter boxes with a plastic net on the top.seems like these mesh litter boxes are easier to clean, as the urine and poops can fall down through the meshes, but as we know rabbits eat some of their own poops to reabsorb some nutrients. idk how mesh litter boxes might affect my rabbit's health. does anyone have any information about it?

Generally, the only reason to put a grid on top of litter is if one has a rabbit that likes to dig out their litter/hay and so makes a mess. Otherwise it isn't necessary. It's up to the owner to decide what they find most convenient. Others have explained (above) why they prefer to have a grid.

I myself would view it as just an extra thing to clean that would make more work for me. What could be easier than dumping the contents of the whole box onto a composting pile (or into a trash bag)? Then just rinse out the box and fill it fresh. With one rabbit, this only needs to be done once per week (twice per week for 2 rabbits).

As @John Wick explained, they eat their cecotropes directly from their body. Here is a video showing a rabbit doing just that.

https://youtube.com/shorts/tN8RR4c4d4A?feature=share

 

[overhear]

With one rabbit, this only needs to be done once per week (twice per week for 2 rabbits).

I'm not sure why but my small, single bunny's litter has to be cleaned once or even twice a day! I use wood pellets. At least half of her 18 by 12-inch litter box is generally soaked and full of poop by the end of the day.

 

[Blue eyes]

I'm not sure why but my small, single bunny's litter has to be cleaned once or even twice a day! I use wood pellets. At least half of her 18 by 12-inch litter box is generally soaked and full of poop by the end of the day.

Do you have a photo of her setup? It could be that the box itself is too small. Or it may be something else. Perhaps we can brainstorm and figure it out once a photo is seen.

 

[overhear]

Thanks for the offer, @Blue eyes. Here's her cage. She free-ranges in the living room so the cage stays open all the time now.

 

[Blue eyes]

The litterbox appears to be about the size of a standard dishpan-- quite small. That would explain why it is getting dirty so quickly. I use a sterilite tub from Walmart that measures 16" x 23." I use that size for either 1 rabbit or 2.

Since the cage is open all day now anyway, you could go a couple ways. One would be to remove the top of the current cage and make the entire green plastic tray the litter box. Another option (and probably the more desirable option) would be to just remove the cage altogether (top and bottom) and replace it with one of the plastic tubs (like the one from Wal-mart). In that scenario, the corner where her cage is now simply becomes her "business" area.

Since the plastic tubs are so cheap, I always had two-- but only used one at a time. When cleaning time would come, I'd prepare the spare tub with the wood pellets topped with hay. I'd then just trade out one box for the other. The used one could then be dumped and hosed out. I could then let it air dry since the spare was already in place.

Here's more detail with pics on my website of setting up a litter box.
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/odor-free-home.html

 

[Momma Luvbun]

I personally just lay news paper, a small layer of wood pellets and then hay through the day.
if their boxes came with a mesh bottom, I'd take it out.

 

[overhear]

Thanks so much for your thoughts, @Blue eyes! Eenie has a spay appointment for this week so I'll need to hold off on any changes but I'm keen to make improvements once she's healed.

I would love to ditch the cage altogether. The biggest benefit of the cage is that it helps to keep the hay contained and helps to delineate the bunny's area. That said, it's pretty unsightly and it is really hard to find a litter box that fits well inside it. So I think you're right that a good solution would be to replace her cage with something (maybe some other type of furniture -- or even just a platform with an edge) that could accommodate a larger litter box. I'm just not sure what might fill the bill.

The other reason I'm concerned about getting rid of the cage is that she's started to pee in the cage but outside the litter box once or twice a week. I've tried higher walled boxes and it still happens, so I suspect she might be peeing while she's drinking water occasionally.
aybe this will change after she's been spayed?

Thanks again !

 

[Momma Luvbun]

Have you considered an Ex Pen?
That way you can make the bunny's area pretty much anywhere in your home and they are easy to work with. Then just get a litterbox and place into the corner, having a water bowl nearby.

Any accidents dab up with a couple of squares of toilet tissue, and place it into the litterbox. This trains bunny to pee in the box. .Also put any poops through the day.
To get the rest of the residual "accident" out of carpet, dab with vinegar and a cloth to remove. This will take the scent out of the carpet and prevent future accidents there

 

[overhear]

Have you considered an Ex Pen?
That way you can make the bunny's area pretty much anywhere in your home and they are easy to work with. Then just get a litterbox and place into the corner, having a water bowl nearby.

Any accidents dab up with a couple of squares of toilet tissue, and place it into the litterbox. This trains bunny to pee in the box. .Also put any poops through the day.
To get the rest of the residual "accident" out of carpet, dab with vinegar and a cloth to remove. This will take the scent out of the carpet and prevent future accidents there

Luckily she's never peed outside of the cage!

 

[Momma Luvbun]

Luckily she's never peed outside of the cage!

Gotcha..

My buns live free run in my home so I just have their litterbox set up like I mentioned earlier.
My last girl had to be litterbox trained and that was the advice I was given, so I thought I'd pass it along.
Good luck with your bun bun

 

[overhear]

Gotcha..

My buns live free run in my home so I just have their litterbox set up like I mentioned earlier.
My last girl had to be litterbox trained and that was the advice I was given, so I thought I'd pass it along.
Good luck with your bun bun

Thank you @Momma Luvbun. So much good bunny wisdom here!

 

[Blue eyes]

Hormones could be causing her to pee outside the litter box. Some rabbits forget their litter habits with the onset of hormones.
I'd look to get her a big roomy box sooner than later. Once she's spayed you'll want her to have that larger box so she's not tempted to pee outside of a tiny box.