Litter box setup with fleece?

[ceremonie]

Hi everyone. One month today since I adopted my bunnies \( ^-^)/

They did finally get names, which are Yuzu (mostly called Yuyu - based on the fact that he likes to stand up with his front paws looking like a little UU in the air ;v; ) and Tapioca (because he is like a little round bubble tea pearl haha)


I have a typical litter tray setup: under-bed storage boxes (32L) with paper-pellet litter (so far tried Bio-Catolet and Breeder Celect). Hay was previously just a pile in one end but I have been trying hay racks this week since Yuzu seems to prefer peeing outside the litter tray (still in a designated corner, right next to it) and I wondered if he just didn't like it to be where the hay was - but it's making no difference so far :lol:

Anyway, I have been wondering at how comfy this can be for them... even though I know this is similar to a lot of people's setups, I feel like the paper pellets are not exactly soft, and when they jump out of the tray, they slide as they kick off since the bottom is slippy plastic and the pellets just slide into the corners leaving a blank spot in the middle. Does this not happen to others...? ^^"

Having seen how popular fleece systems (with absorbent layers beneath) are with guinea pig people, I've been wondering why similar setups aren't a thing among rabbits? I know lots of people use fleece as general area flooring, but I haven't seen it in litter trays.

What I am imagining is a layer of absorbent litter at the bottom as normal (or potentially other washable layer), but then a fleece layer over it, on top of which would be the hay (and the bunny ). The pee would pass through the fleece into the absorbent layer and the poops would stay on top.

In my head, this would make it way comfier for them to stand on and give better traction to jump in and out, and in addition make spot cleaning much easier/more economical by being able to shake poops off the fleece and scoop only wet patches of litter without it all mixed up with the droppings and hay. In my head, this would amount to less waste of hay and litter pellets and a fresher tray in between full cleans.


My question is, am I missing something, or can anyone see a problem with this? If anyone has tried a similar setup, did it work?


Potential issues I can think of:

• if your rabbits are fleece chewers/diggers. So far mine are almost totally not (tiny exploratory digs/nibbles, but then they have left it alone completely)
• if it might cause confusion about where they're allowed to go, since it is less different from other soft fabrics/surfaces? But as demonstrated by Yuzu, what is most important is where they decide they want to go regardless :lol: The one area he has picked is actually the one wipeable, least-absorbent area, which is why I'm not sure that absorbency of the area is too much of a factor :') )

Let me know what you think.

 

[joey&boo]

I dunno - rabbit pee is the worst, so stinky. I don't want to handle it or put in my washing machine more than necessary to be honest. I think litter will prob stick to the material. Guinea pigs must have nicer wee or wee less? :lol:

I find the slipping thing doesn't happen so much if there is a good amount of both litter & hay

Meanwhile my boy Eddy says can he please move in with you. He loves peeing on fleece

 

[Shimmer]

I use large litter trays with a layer of hemp bedding under a layer of hay. Hemp isn't particularly absobent but it is soft and easy to spot clean. Hay keeps it in place and encourages the rabbits to sit there. It doesn't have to be a particularly thick layer of hay, just enough to keep the bottom layer in place. You could also use newspaper under hay - that makes it easier to roll everything up together for cleaning out. I compost the hay & hemp and bin the soggy paper.

Paper litter - some brands contain baking soda as an odour neutraliser. I avoid those as they could cause skin irritation or problems if ingested or groomed from fur, as it is quite alkaline. The ones you listed seem to be OK and I use them as substrate for my smaller furries.

 

[ceremonie]

I dunno - rabbit pee is the worst, so stinky. I don't want to handle it or put in my washing machine more than necessary to be honest. I think litter will prob stick to the material. Guinea pigs must have nicer wee or wee less? :lol:

Haha, that's a fair point. I feel like it would result in me handling it less than currently, since I try to scoop soiled areas rather than replacing the whole thing every time (completely cleaning out every couple of days). I don't really mind washing it personally; somehow that feels like less of an unpleasant task to me? :lol:

I find the slipping thing doesn't happen so much if there is a good amount of both litter & hay

Yeah, I've made the layer deeper but I feel like I am going through litter so quickly (including compared to other people's cost breakdowns that I've seen) and end up throwing out so much clean/dry stuff.

Meanwhile my boy Eddy says can he please move in with you. He loves peeing on fleece

:lol: Sorry Eddy, two is enough for me just now

 

[Omi]

I agree with j&b, I wouldn't like the urine to soak into the fleece. I actually think you would also find it unacceptable once you'd tried it a couple of times

I think the answer is deeper hay. Yes, it means that some of it will be wasted, but I would still find that preferable.

We actually use a controversial system here. My OH has made tray inserts out of an outer wooden frame and weldmesh. I don't use any paper pellets. The urine goes through and sits underneath the weldmesh tray, which sits about an inch above the floor of the tray. On top is a very thick layer of hay. It's controversial because it's considered that the weldmesh might catch the rabbits' feet, but having had this method for several years it's never been the case as the rabbits are not in contact with the weldmesh. The bunnies poop and urinate only in one corner of the tray and so the remainder of the tray is just dry hay. Even without the weldmesh tray, I still think that your answer to a suitable jumping off area is deeper hay.

I love your names

 

[ceremonie]

I use large litter trays with a layer of hemp bedding under a layer of hay. Hemp isn't particularly absobent but it is soft and easy to spot clean. Hay keeps it in place and encourages the rabbits to sit there. It doesn't have to be a particularly thick layer of hay, just enough to keep the bottom layer in place. You could also use newspaper under hay - that makes it easier to roll everything up together for cleaning out. I compost the hay & hemp and bin the soggy paper.

Oh, I haven't heard of that type - I will look into it
Newspaper sounds like a good idea to make it less slippy! Unfortunately I don't buy papers... but I could see if I can source some from someone else who does.

Paper litter - some brands contain baking soda as an odour neutraliser. I avoid those as they could cause skin irritation or problems if ingested or groomed from fur, as it is quite alkaline. The ones you listed seem to be OK and I use them as substrate for my smaller furries.

Yes, I'd heard about that. I picked these ones based on advice on other bunny resources, and they do seem very plain/simple composition-wise. <3 Breeder Celect seems to be identical to Back2Nature, also (same maker, almost exactly the same packaging... not even sure why they're branded differently).

 

[ceremonie]

I agree with j&b, I wouldn't like the urine to soak into the fleece. I actually think you would also find it unacceptable once you'd tried it a couple of times

I think the answer is deeper hay. Yes, it means that some of it will be wasted, but I would still find that preferable.

True; I previously just put the pile at one side, and they dig through it/spread it out a little bit, but I guess if it covered the whole tray from the start that would help. I just worry that it makes it hard to tell how soiled it is :S but I suppose as long as it's changed on a schedule that's probably ok.

I love your names

Thank you They were not at the top of my list — a bit cutesier than my favourites — but my partner's naming taste seems to be different to mine so it took us a while to pick ^^

 

[SarahP]

I use fleece with guinea pigs (with washable incontinence pads underneath to absorb it and keep them relatively dry on top). It's a bit of a nightmare but, since piggies wee everywhere, I can't afford to be putting litter in a big cage (nor can I get rid of the huge amount of waste).

But, apart from the obvious thing with a lot of washing, one thing that is very different with fleece is that all of the poos remain on the top, unlike in litter, where some of it naturally goes down into it. The poos have to be cleared up really frequently. So that's the reason I don't think it's at all practical in a bunny litter tray - their poos are big and the bunnies would potentially get very mucky.

 

[Shimmer]

I ask around for newspaper donations. I never buy any. It helps if you have a regular supplier - either a friend or two who buy papers, or a local eg church or community hall where people can bring them from whatever activity they attend there. People are more used to recycling now, although fewer people actually buy newspapers.

 

[ceremonie]

But, apart from the obvious thing with a lot of washing, one thing that is very different with fleece is that all of the poos remain on the top, unlike in litter, where some of it naturally goes down into it. The poos have to be cleared up really frequently. So that's the reason I don't think it's at all practical in a bunny litter tray - their poos are big and the bunnies would potentially get very mucky.

That's true, and another potential problem I forgot to list. I feel like they currently end up standing in piles of poos anyway, since particularly Yuzu does them mostly all in one area so they stay in place, especially over dry litter since it's pretty solid... but maybe deeper hay/covering the whole tray with it would also help that.

 

[ceremonie]

I ask around for newspaper donations. I never buy any. It helps if you have a regular supplier - either a friend or two who buy papers, or a local eg church or community hall where people can bring them from whatever activity they attend there. People are more used to recycling now, although fewer people actually buy newspapers.

I might first of all see if any of my neighbours buy them, but community hall etc. is a good suggestion too. Thanks