How Often Should Litterbox Be Cleaned Out?

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Bunman

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Location
, Connecticut, USA
My buns now get to take turns running in the penabout 2 hours a day. How often should i change the litter? How oftenshould the box be washed out?

The litter dries up overnight so i just sprinkle a layer of freshlitter over it the next day. I would not let it go a long time but i'mwondering what is recommended.

 
Hi Bunman, How often you change thelitter depends on several things. One thing to think about isthe type of litter that you use. I tried outseveral products until I found Woody Pet. BeforeIfound Woody Pet, I dumped and washed both litter boxes everynight. The products that I had been using ( and I triedseveral) just did not absorb well and hold the urine odor incheck.

With the Woody Pet I am able todaily scoop out the coco puffsand the wet areas, add more Woody Pet and let it go atthat. Of course I completely clean them out once ortwice a week. I have 2 rabbits that are on the larger size( 8and 9 lbs ) so urine odor was a problem until I found WoodyPet. A lot of people on this forum use Woody Pet and loveit! You can but it at Tractor Supply Stores , it comes in30lbs bags and sells for about $6.00/bag depending on yourlocation. It is called Woody Pet Professional HorseBedding. The bag also says it can be used for small animalsalso. I usually buy 2 or 3 bags at a time. I bought3 bags in Oct. and I still have one full bag and half of anotherleft. Hope this helps you some. Beckie
 
Thanks, i will consider all that. I don't think we have any tractor supply stores around here tho!

I have been using pine shavings & the urine dries upovernight without noticeable odor. (Pine shavings are not recommendedfor bedding but i think for the very limited exposure in a litter boxthey are not a problem. I already had a huge bag before i read thecriticisms of it online.)
 
You can also buy Woody Pet at Agwaystores. Other farm supply stores might have it. Youcan do an on line search and they can tell you locations and storesthat have it. It really ends up being less expensive than allthe other products in the long run. You also could look inthe yellow pages in your phone book for farm supply stores.Good luck. Beckie
 
I use pine shavings and they are fine. Bunnies don't spend that much time on them anyway, unless they sleep in the litterbox:)

I clean the litterbox every day.
 
My bun recently started sleeping in his litterbox.I bought him a second one and put a small rug in it,which he seems quite happy with.
 
I clean the litterboxes once a week.If they get gross in between that time, I do as you do and sprinkleclean litter on top.
 
I think I might be the only one, but I'm just using newspaper.

A section fits the bottom of the litterbox perfectly and a piece ofpaper towel is placed over top for absorption. On top of thatI lay a bakers cooling rack (less than $1 ea at your discount stores)to keep Willow's feet up off the paper and help prevent wettail:bunnybutt:a pinch of hay encourages a longer stay.

Yes it does have to be changed everyday but it only takes about 30seconds. Pick the box up take the rack off, turn the wholething upside down in a trash bag then reline.

This works well because Willow is notlarge (Polish / dwarfmix I think), and my only rabbit. No litter is spread around or dug at,and I can tell at a glance what her output is like.
 
Theodore has a very large dirt box that he usesas a litter box. It serves two purposes - he loves to dig, plus pottingsoil with compost makes a pretty good litter. It lasts quitea while. He's a dwarf and the box is about 12" x 18", so I don't evennotice it is dirty until after about a week. Then I scoop out what iswet with pee, skim most of the poops off the top, and mix some freshmix in with the remainder.

Then it just goes back into my compost pile.

I also have a box that was originally his litter box, which is linedwith old towels for him to sit in. I do a load of "bunny towels" once aweek. I used to buy the recycled newspaper litter, but it is expensive,creates a lot of waste and needs to be cleaned up quite often (I usedto clean every other day while using that stuff)

You definately don't want to let it go long enough to start seeing mold- this isn't healthy. I usually go by sight and smell - If I notice theammonia smell, I take care of it. Likewise, if it is pretty dirty orfull looking, it gets my attention. There's no hard-and-fast rule,because different bunnies "produce" at different rates.
 
On average, I clean my boxes once a week. However, it's my nose that
tells me when it's time!!! If I can smell it, it goes!!!

I have switched from Woody Pet (it ain't what it used to be!!!) to Agways
brand (America's Choice) Superior horse bedding. I've been using it for 2
weeks and am very pleased with it. Plus, it's cheaper!!!
 
I take out the wet stuff and most poops everyday for Mocha and Loki. Fey and Sprite's boxes can go twodays. I can't imagine letting it go longer- Loki pees in theexact same spot every time, and if I don't scoop it out it gets soppingwet and stinky. Cleaning more often also lets me know ifsomeone isn't going to the bathroom like normal.

Oh, and I use a product similar to Woody Pet.
 
dootsmom wrote:
I have switched from Woody Pet (it ain't what it used to be!!!) to Agways
brand (America's Choice) Superior horse bedding. I've been using it for 2
weeks and am very pleased with it. Plus, it's cheaper!!!
Agway has it's own brand???? I buy my Woody Pet at Agway in Morristown,but have never seen their brand. I'll have to ask before I buy more. Iwas actually going to try Guardian brand. I found a Guardian dealervery close to home, but I haven't checked the price yet.

~Jim
 
Jim....if you are going to the one on Ridgedale Ave, they don't have it. I called today.
Had to go to Washington to get it. I feel it's worth thetrip. Go to the Agway site, punch in your zip code, and callall the stores before you go. Some carry it, some don't!!
 
AmberNBuns wrote:
Theodore has a very large dirt box that he uses as a litterbox. It serves two purposes - he loves to dig, plus potting soil withcompost makes a pretty good litter. It lasts quite a while.He's a dwarf and the box is about 12" x 18", so I don't even notice itis dirty until after about a week. Then I scoop out what is wet withpee, skim most of the poops off the top, and mix some fresh mix in withthe remainder.

Then it just goes back into my compost pile.

Wow - what an amazing idea. I really like that! :)

The rabbits have a wire-bottomed cage, and I use Woody Pet in the droppan. It gets cleaned 1-2 times a week. They also have a dig box/litterbox, that's lined with newspaper. I change it whenever it's dirty.

~Emily and the Fuzzbutts~

 

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