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using sawdust in vages and littertray , please read

i,ve just realise that i can,t spell , the topic should say in cages , but I suppose you will all have guessed that , pops off to find dictionary or spellchecker . :oops:
 
i,ve just realise that i can,t spell , the topic should say in cages , but I suppose you will all have guessed that , pops off to find dictionary or spellchecker . :oops:
 
Isn't this just referrring to the scented shavings i.e. pine, lemon, lavender etc.? Years ago, one of my gerbils died and I was told that it could have been caused by the pine scented shavings but that regular, unscented ones were fine.
 
luvabun said:
Isn't this just referrring to the scented shavings i.e. pine, lemon, lavender etc.? Years ago, one of my gerbils died and I was told that it could have been caused by the pine scented shavings but that regular, unscented ones were fine.

I think that's right - the article says:

What is it in the wood thatís doing damage? Apparently itís not a result of ingesting but rather inhaling the fumes, which contain phenols, or toxins which pass in the fumes from the lungs to the blood and are finally filtered through the liver.
 
Andi I think wood contains phenols. And this is where I was confused. I forget where but I did check this out because when I first got a bunnie I only knew about some American sites. But there are some places (and I think some books) that say the British and American woods are different. I would be interested, as I am in the problems Gina has has in anything about this and I am not dismissing it. I will happily change litter products if I think its harming my baby but for most of us it is a big change and I think I would want more info as there is contradictions.

Also is this the thing where rabbits in hutches have less ventialtion that rabbits out? Mine are not hutch bound unless we are decorating or doing something that requires the limiting of space. Mine also live in the same room as the cats with wood based cat litter - so of course I am interested in any aspect of this.
 
If wood contains phenols, the nwhat about the wooden toys that you get for rabbits and other critters? Would chewing release them or is it only the action of urine on it? Come on you scientists amongst us :mrgreen:
 
:? :? :?


<----- defo NOT a scientist!! lol


if anyone needs a blonde bimbo gimme a shout!! :lol: :lol:
 
It's crazy really that pet shops sell pine and cedar shavings/sawdust for pets, when really it's no good for them. I keep fancy rats and know that you must never use this type of litter as the harmful phenols cause respiratory infections in rats. Yet despite this, I see pet shops using this in rats cages!
I've lost count of the times I've told these pet shops that what they are doing is wrong. It goes in one ear and out the other :(

I had no idea that rabbits livers could be affected by this, I just assumed it would be their chests at risk, as with the rats.
 
Oh right I didn't know that for rats. Mmmm maybe this is worth a look into. Maybe the megazorb stuffs cooking gets rid of the phenols? Also is this one of those things where if in an unventialted room/hutch its a problem but well ventilated its ok?

Is there any rabbit socs info on this or anything any of the breeders know about this?
 
I have heard of thia a while ago as I was reading up aboput snuffles etc as they say the dust from the woodchip can cause this in some rabbits - I used it for a while for KIp but now use shredded paper as I get a free supply from work and it works really well. they did just chew it to begin with but now that they are used to it being there they just generally give it a chew now and then.

I usually put in a thick layer of newspaper in the bottom as well to soak up the wee and then loads of the paper on top. Kip loves it as she snuggles down in it and makes a nest.

with love

maria
 
The link below may be of interest. The internet has been awash with comments about pine shavings for years!. None of which are based on scientific fact.

The article posted earlier was interesting but even then, as the author admits, not a properly conducted or conclusive test.

I would love to see some research done on this as there are thousands upon thousands of rabbits kept on shavings as bedding or used in litter. I would imagine that thier is more problems with wet litter producing toxic fumes than dry bedding but that is just me adding to the mountain of gossip :)

I guess the most conclusive proof that their is no harm is that we do not see problems on the scale that so many of these "rumours" would suggest given the number of rabbits kept on shavings. That for me is proof enough!

You should also bear in mind that most of these comments are from American HR sources and they only advocate keeping a rabbit as a house rabbit and breeders mainly keep their rabbits on wire - both often, understandably, cannot get to grips with the concept of using shavings for anything other than litter, another general comment I know, but one that I have frequently come across.

Anyway I went out and bought some Megazorb today so I will see how I fair with that!!

[url]http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/1155/Pine.html [/url]
 
I asked two vet nurses today about this (in two practices) and the only one who didn't look blank (and offered to check over anything I find on the net) said that sometimes because of the size of the population things come up in the US that take longer to spot here. She also she they see mostly cats and dogs and not many bunnies and if I was really bothered I should talk to a rabbit specialist (yet when I asked at the other branch last month when deciding to use the same vet for my cats and bunnies I was told they were all equally qualified ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!)


Surely if there is a problem with the sawdust the wooden hutches will be a problem? Yet cos sawdust is chopped up its a larger surface area to weight ratio and so anything volitile will have time to escape?
 
Towsbuns said:
Bob - where did you buy the Megazorb? I couldn't see anywhere near MK on the lists I have seen.

I drove up to a place in Luton which is horse heaven, not sure whether I am going to tell the wife and girls about it yet - shhhhh.....

Does all sorts and has some great hay. Sadly, or fortunately, I arrived without my wallet (dipstick) otherwise I would have stocked up on loads of animal stuff!

It is a bit of a journey out (30 miles) but I am happy to do that one a fortnight or so. Gets me out of the house and I can get other supplies there as well ;-)

I am trying it out so will see how it goes although none of mine use litter trays at the moment as they still in their old breeding hutches so not sure whether it is going to be a fair trial. If it works then I reckon that I can get a feed store in MK to stock it for me if you or others are interested? If not then I am happy to bring back a few bags for you once a fortnight or even a couple just for you to try. They are £ 5.25 a sack. PM for further info.

TC Feeds, Dove House Farm, Dove House Lane, Kensworth (south of Luton, 2 miles off M1) Tel: 01582 872333
 
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