sawdust diet??????

Hi everyone, wondering if you could shed some light for me...

My little daisy rabbit is 7 1/2 weeks old and we were wondering if it is normal for her to eat the sawdust she poos and wees in, we cant seem to stop her doing this especially at night when we are sleeping, today she had a bit of the runs and is now pooping fine,

can you recommend a good litter tray material?

please advise

thanks

I use megazorb topped with hay in litter trays.

thanks becca,

so is it normal for her to eat the sawdust? have you had experience with you little buns?

Kaz

i just use newspaper and hay in summer winter if it gets really cold newspaper straw then thick layer of hay, for my outdoor buns,
i know a few people use megazorb for then hay for indoor buns less mess,
i personally dont use sawdust due to the dust not being really good for them plus its loadsssss of mess, you can always ask neighbours for there old newspapers or raid recycle bags which i have been known to do

has she got things to chew like willow sticks etc the shaving are not really good for them to eat

daisymoo said:

thanks becca,

so is it normal for her to eat the sawdust? have you had experience with you little buns?

Kaz

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IMO sawdust is too dusty even when it is dust extracted.You would be better with megazorb or shredded paper

im slightly worried now, im not sure she will digest it properly now, we are going to take it out and put hay there until we can get hold of some of the right bits!

her belly is bloated, but i think i am just worrying now, we are going to get her checked over asap just to check her tummy is ok!

thanks for all your advice,

Sometimes ingestion of fibrous material - wood, paper etc is a sign of a bun craving fibre in their diet. Rabbits of all ages should have access to unlimited amounts of hay daily.
Sawdust/shavings has been 'associated' in some research with respiratory and liver disease. Like others I would personally use just newspaper or newspaper and a bunny safe litter like megazorb or carefresh in litter trays and/or hutch with plenty of soft fresh hay on top!

I would recommend Carefresh as an alternative bedding.
Sawdust is not really a good bedding. Megazorb is better but still not good if they starte eating it. Carefresh is supposed to be less harmful for them to eat but it can be quite expensive if you have a lot of buns.

poop boxes/hay bins

daisymoo said:

Hi everyone, wondering if you could shed some light for me...

My little daisy rabbit is 7 1/2 weeks old and we were wondering if it is normal for her to eat the sawdust she poos and wees in, we cant seem to stop her doing this especially at night when we are sleeping, today she had a bit of the runs and is now pooping fine,

can you recommend a good litter tray material?

please advise

thanks

Click to expand...

i use timothy/orchard grasses in hay bins and poop boxes,/.shavings of the scented variety.ie.pine,cedar are deadly to rabbits health,,i use aspen in the hamster cage,,so eating the shaviongs/no/just switch to hay,..sincerely james waller

I use Eco-Straw, which is available from the Hay Experts. Admittedly, it is pretty expensive in comparison with other litters, but is made from compressed Wheat Grass, so does not cause any problems if eaten. The wheat grass is compressed into pellets, so it doesn't make too much mess of the hutch if the rabbit decides to dig/kick, plus it's really absorbent.

This is a good choice for us, but we only have the one bun at the moment; imagine it would get pretty pricey for more than one :?

Would be interested in hearing from anyone else who has tried this litter.

wheat grass-(good) pellets-too soft

Wigs said:

I use Eco-Straw, which is available from the Hay Experts. Admittedly, it is pretty expensive in comparison with other litters, but is made from compressed Wheat Grass, so does not cause any problems if eaten. The wheat grass is compressed into pellets, so it doesn't make too much mess of the hutch if the rabbit decides to dig/kick, plus it's really absorbent.

This is a good choice for us, but we only have the one bun at the moment; imagine it would get pretty pricey for more than one :?

Would be interested in hearing from anyone else who has tried this litter.

Click to expand...

diet and health/ok/when their little bellys fill up with pellets--they generally quit chewing,, by design--their darling little teeth constantly grow-requiring constant chewing,ie fruit tree branches/twigs,,grasses(hay)-i- buy bales of either timothy/orchard grass(hay)-store in large containers,,use in their hay bin and poop boxes,,,over time the lack of chewing catches up and causes lots of trips to the exotic specialist..,sincerely james waller

Oh yep - sorry should have been clearer! Our little one only very occasionally eats when in her litter tray (think she must be pretty unusual in this respect!). I have always in the past put hay in her litter tray, but did stop when I started using this product. As you say, I have no doubt that it would be a good idea to continue using hay, and I will again start putting a supply in her litter tray. And yes, agree with all the other posters that as you have a rabbit that is prone to eating large amounts of litter, if you did want to use this product, then it should definitely be used as a base layer, with a big pile of hay to munch on whilst in her tray. (...I just feel a little easier knowing that if she is going to eat the occasional litter pellet, that since Eco Straw is a plant product, it will not do her any harm).

Fear not, our bun does have a hay rack full of Timothy hay everyday which she consumes without fail (plus loads in her bed and a big box of hay for when she is inside). She also has plenty of chew toys: willow balls/tunnel/chew sticks/gnaw stone, which she readily destroys with her little teeth plus a good diet of fresh veg alongside dried herbs and fruit leaves and branches, I definitely would not want to risk her dental health!