Best Litter Materials?

[Bunman]

I know this has been discussed (altho i could not find anything with the Search), but i'd like to know some recommended litter brands. Daisy will be out more now that i have a tarp to cover the rug, so i don't want to keep using pine shavings. Thanks in advance.

 

[rubysmom]

I like Yesterday's News Unscented cat litter. Don't buy their small animal bedding because it is the same thing just three times the cost in a smaller bag! I am currently using Cell-Sorb Plus, which is similar to YN except it absorbs a lot better. The pieces are less "pellet-like" and more like thick, chunky strips of compressed recycled paper. It absorbs really, really well and controls the odor. It does tend to be a little more expensive though. Plus it is compostable and made out of recycled material (yay for the environment!).

 

[JimD]

Hi Bunman!

I've used most of the products out there.
Wood pellet litter is my choice hands down. I use Woody Pet and there are several other brands available depending on your location. TSC stores carry it in most areas. I buy mine at Agway at $4.79 for a 30 lb bag.

~Jim

JimD wrote:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=3589&forum_id=1&highlight=guardian

There's several brands of wood pellets out there. Here's a list that Pet_Bunny and I compiled:

ABM (Advanced Bedding Management)
Dragon Mountian
Dry Den
Dry Stall
Equi-Litter
EquineFresh
Feline Pine
Gentle Touch Products
Guardian Horse Bedding
J.P. McCrumb Woodshavings
Kaytee
Kentucky Komfort
Lone Star Bedding
Magnum Horse Products
Norstar Pellet Bedding
Pine Stall Horse Bedding
Pinnacle Pine Horse Bedding
Woody Pet
Agway (their own brand)

Did I mention that I still only pay $4.79 for Woody Pet....AND they give me any ripped bags for free??

~Jim

:bunnydance:

 

[Bunman]

Thanks for that. As far as what NOT to get, should i just avoid anything made from pine or clay?

 

[JimD]

Stay away from both.

Pine and cedar have aromatic oil that are suspected of causing respiratory problems.

Clay can emit dust that is also suspected of causing respiratory problems.
Clay based and/or clumping litter can be dangerous if the bun ingests it, too.

I've used kiln dried aspen before with no apparent ill effect on the little furries. It's probably the cheapest, but not the most effective as far as absorbency and odor elimination.

~Jim

 

[canela_2004]

I use Yesterday's News Cat Litter. It is awesome!!!!!!! Kahlua has been peeing in her litter box exclusively since the day after i put it in her cage and there is absolutely NO smell at all. I do scoop out the wet stuff daily and change it out every two days. Definitely dont buy the rabbit stuff, it is 3 times more expensive than the cat stuff and is the same.

 

[Bunman]

Cat litter with clay is not recommended:

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabcare.html#litterwar

 

[manda]

i am very partial to woody pet. you cant go wrong! its sooo cheap and so great

 

[JimD]

canela_2004 wrote:

I use Yesterday's News Cat Litter. It is awesome!!!!!!! Kahlua has been peeing in her litter box exclusively since the day after i put it in her cage and there is absolutely NO smell at all. I do scoop out the wet stuff daily and change it out every two days. Definitely dont buy the rabbit stuff, it is 3 times more expensive than the cat stuff and is the same.

Bunman wrote:

Cat litter with clay is not recommended:

Yesterdays News is a paper based litter and can be used safely for the bunnies. They have different packaging to sell it as cat litter and rabbit litter.....only difference is that the rabbit product is priced higher. Go figure...huh.

Just like Feline Pine is way more expensive that Woody Pet, but basically the same stuff.

~Jim

 

[Nes]

World's best cat litter is the BEST!!!!!!
It's expensive for a little bag but it lasts SO long - I have two very messy kittens but a bag will last three weeks b/c it expands do much!!

Rabbies love it too - it's corn based so it's safe I usually buy them rabbit specific litters but when I run out, they get the cat's stuff and it's just as good.

nes.

 

[JimD]

Nes wrote:

World's best cat litter is the BEST!!!!!!
It's expensive for a little bag but it lasts SO long - I have two very messy kittens but a bag will last three weeks b/c it expands do much!!

Rabbies love it too - it's corn based so it's safe I usually buy them rabbit specific litters but when I run out, they get the cat's stuff and it's just as good.

nes.

Buy me that stuff goes for over $1.00 a pound....ON SALE!
$35 for a 34 lb bag at Petco.

The thing that might keep some owners from using it is that it's made from whole kernel corn. Corn hulls have been known to cause GI blockage in some cases.

~Jim

 

[Bunman]

We have an Agway here so i'll check that.

 

[Runestonez]

After joining the forum and reading JimD's posts I have invested in our first bag of Woody Pet! YAY!

We were using Yesterdays News...but honestly the amount I go thru at $12.99 a bag! :shock: Ouch! I tried folding layers of newspaper in the bottom and covering them with hay! Bad Idea!! Yuck is all I have to say! We decided against the corn litter just because of the possiblity of GI issues. So far my 2 favs are Yesterdays News(good if you only have a couple of rabbits! But gets expensive when buying in volume!) and I have no complaints about Woody Pet! IMOH- I think Woody Pet is the best so far for controlling odor! Better than Yesterdays News as far as I concerned! And the fact that I can get it right down the street for $5.80 a bag(Canada), saves me the trouble of driving all over to buy litter!! Two thumbs up for Woody Pet!!!

 

[JimD]

Bunman wrote:

We have an Agway here so i'll check that.

If they don't carry Woody Pet, ask if they carry the Agway brand of wood pellet litter/bedding.

 

[maherwoman]

I've been buying HUGE bags of wood pellet horse bedding from the feed and tack place near us. It's only $6 for a 30liter bag. I'm not sure why they measure it in litres, and I haven't been successful in finding a converter to convert that into lbs, but there ya go!

Here's a site to the brand we wind up buying:
http://www.drystall.com/best_pine.html

That site says a 40lb bag. All I can say is, it's HUGE and only about 3/4 of it fits into a large Home Depot bucket. Here's a picture:

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

maherwoman wrote:

It's only $6 for a 30liter bag. I'm not sure why they measure it in litres

They measure it in litres because it's a volume, not a weight. Weight can varybut the bags have a consistent volume in them.

 

[maherwoman]

Ah, ok...lol...thanks!

 

[stephiemarie78]

Im using CareFresh, It usally last about 2 days.

 

[JimD]

maherwoman wrote:

I've been buying HUGE bags of wood pellet horse bedding from the feed and tack place near us. It's only $6 for a 30liter bag. I'm not sure why they measure it in litres, and I haven't been successful in finding a converter to convert that into lbs, but there ya go!

Here's a site to the brand we wind up buying:
http://www.drystall.com/best_pine.html

That site says a 40lb bag. All I can say is, it's HUGE and only about 3/4 of it fits into a large Home Depot bucket. Here's a picture:

I'm so glad you posted this picture!!

A while ago there was a major concern with the declining quality and increasing cost of Woody Pet.
With some research I found that several of the manufacturers now make a product that they refer to as "crumble". Guardian was the first one that informed me.
In your pic is a representation of what the old Woody Pet looked like. Now it's more broken up. A lot of buyers had an issue with this and decided to switch to something else.
Contrary to others, I found the new product different, but not lacking in performance. With the full pellet version I found myself throwing away a lot of the stuff still in pellet form. With the crumble it seems to absorb quicker, and it's somewhat easier to "pan-for-poops" and skim out the poops with a slotted spoon as there aren't so many pellets to get picked up too.

As for the price going up, it must just be the stores that are bought from. My agway has been charging $4.79 for the last 2 years and they indicate that they don't have plans on raising the price.

I don't know if the difference can be seen in this pic, but....

Just my:twocents

:bunnybutt:

 

[naturestee]

I actually like the "crumble" type stuff better. It covers the bottom of the litterbox better because the particles are smaller. That's what ABM is like. Now I'm using Marth because I moved and that store is closer too me. It has those big pellets that I don't like as much, plus it doesn't seem to absorb urine or deter odors quite as well as ABM. When I run out I'm going to see if I can find a different wood pellet brand near me.

Nes, does that corncob stuff actually absorb much? I was always told not to use it because it wasn't much more absorbant than ye olde average wood shavings.