litter vs. bedding vs. food

[jfryckman84]

I am so confused by all the product available that I am at a loss as to what to do for my Achilles. I just adpoted him and he has these fluffy paper pellets with lavender in his litterbox, but it also says bedding material, and I have heard some people use hay as litter, food, and bedding. What should I use and where. I don't want to give him the impression he can poop and pee and eat everywhere.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Litter to me is what you use in the litter box to absorb pee and odour. I use wood pellets in the litter boxes. I also have hay in the litter boxes to encourage them to go into the box and eat it. Many rabbits like to eat and pee/poop at the same time.
Bedding is what I use in the rest of the cage. I have blankets in the cages. Some people use fleece. If your rabbit is litter trained, you don't need litter in the rest of the cage.
Hay is food for my buns. I do put it above the litter box in a hay rack, but I don't use it as bedding or litter. Some people use hay in outdoor hutches so the rabbits have something to burrow in and nibble on.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Litter in litter box, you could put a hay dispenser on the cage near the box so he may eat and poop as Koor said. I don't recommend any bedding, don't need it, it will make him think he can use the area as a toilet. Get rid of that. Use food bowl/water bowl. Some toys, maybe a hidy house made out of a cardboard box, Snuff loves his! Even filling empty toilet tubes w/ hay is a good toy and also encourages hay eating and mental stimulation.

Is he already litter trained or are you training him? When changing the box, also putting some of his old poos in the clean box will help him get the hint. Any pee accidents outside the box,just wipe up w/ a paper towel and place in the box.

 

[bunnyluv96]

For me, what I like best is CareFresh recycled newspaper product for his litterbox. It doesn't track outside the box and has great absorbency. I put his hay rack attached to the side of his cage so he has to sit in his litterbox to eat his hay lol. That way it intices him in. For bedding, I have a wire cage with a solid plastic floor, so I bought a rug the size of the inside of his cage and use that as bedding. He has a den with an old terry towel in it to snuggle in. And sometimes I use a baby blanket instead of the rug for bedding. It's soft and when it gets soiled I just launder it. Also they are cheap, like 2 dollars each. I don't use hay as bedding or litter, only for him to eat. But I do put it by his litterbox so it intices him to get into it. I know that corn cob bedding is bad for bunnies b/c they will eat it and it can upset thier tummies. And as a note, the unscented wood bedding/litter is awful! It's cheap but gets everywhere on the carpet, throughout the cage, and stuck in bunny's fur! A lot of litters can double as bedding but personally I've found the rug/blankies work wonderful! Also buns like to dig and the rug is carpetish so it works good for that too. Hope this helps!

 

[bunnyluv96]

I heard also that it is best to stay away from strong scented litter/bedding because it upsets bunny's breathing!