Bunnies Eating Litter

[Daisylover]

Yes, I know about wanting to finish up the Care Fresh... Something else I wonder and is a question for a bunny vet....with them eating so much of the Care Fresh litter (essentially, paper)...could they have a vitamin deficiency or something???? I never thought of that until just now. And of course you can put Care Fresh in the bottom of the new litter box with the sifting pan.....and here's why I say that...

My Velvet has started to sneeze like crazy. His nose is all raw and crusty.... the vet said it is allergies. Not much can be done, except put a triple antibiotic on his nose and keep it cleaned up. I don't recall where but I read that clay litters can cause this too since they are dusty and can aggravate bunnies noses. So I'm trying Care Fresh in the sifting pans for a while....(had a little extra money this month!!! . )

[tazz1227]

It seems they want something to "rolls in" and "play in" and the hay isn't hitting it and that grid is work to clean where in when I had the carefresh, I just scooped the plastic bad up and put a new one in. Now I have to get the "pellets" out of the grid. WORK!! What have you gotten me into?

[Daisylover]

Here's the scoop....... I put the sifting part of the litter tray in a garbage bag, dump it, and then with my hand in a second bag (usually the plastic grocery bags we get an abundance of) I rub at the poop pellets (lighly) til they fall off into the garbage bag. If a poop pellet is truly stuck in one of the grids (and they do) I just "PoP" them with my finger...my hand still being in the grocery sack and the pan still being in the garbage bag. I don't find this hard to do at all.

The other secret I have is I dump 1/4-1/2 cup white vinegar in the bottom tray, put the shifting tray back in and gently swish it around....the "swish" and the vinegar removes urine that has dried on the grid. It's like magic.
The vinegar is also a disinfectant and a deodorizes the litter box.

Again with bunnies not liking change, and since they are stubborn, why don't you keep one of the old litter pans next to the new one for the next week then remove the old pan and put the new one in its place. And maybe if they are REALLY stubborn you could put 2 handfuls of Care Fresh on top of the grid for a week or so until they "move" to the new litter boxes completely. It will eventually be worth it! Good Luck!!!

[tazz1227]

GOOD IDEA with the vinegar!!! You are wonderful!!! So what youi are telling me is that I have to go and buy some more Carefresh? Boy I tell you. I told you THEY run the house !! I am the occupant working to pay THEIR bills. I will give them their litter box back...temporarily. Now when i go to Hawaii for 2 weeks in June, who is going to cater to them like I do? The vet wants them to stay there but I think I need to find a "pet sitter" because I don't think they will do good "caged" for 2 weeks. What do you think? Let me know when you get tired of me asking so many questions.

[Daisylover]

I JUST LOVE talking about bunnies and I never get tired of questions, so don't fret. In fact, our bunny sanctuary is giving a free class for new bunny owners on 4/25 and guess who the main speaker is?????

If we were closer I'd volunteer to bunny sit for you!!! But since I'm not....You might see if you have any friends who have older (i.e., reliable) teens going to maybe a local community college and who are still living at home, who would just LOVE to get away from mom and dad for a week or two and see if they could sit with the buns.

The other thing I mentioned to Bunnicula is have you thought (yes, this means spending more $s) about getting portable fencing from the pet store? I bought it to keep Daisy away from a new chest of drawers I had just bought. With this fencing Daisy gets 3/4rds of the bedroom to run loose in when I'm not home. I can also use it when I have enough energy to put the buns in my back yard and I can lug it to my Dad's or into another room of the house when I need to.... in fact I'm thinking of getting another one so I don't have to go up and down the stairs as often (lazy, eh?). I think it's really great pet supply to have. They're priced according to size but they do provide a good size for running around in and I think they are worth it....up here they start at about $60. This way the buns don't need to be caged when you aren't at home. Also, the House Rabbit Soc. is advising new rabbit owners to use this instead of a cage. You had mentioned in another thread that you were looking for a run....well, this could serve as one.

And Care Fresh...yeah...but I tell you I'm only using one bag a month instead of five or six when I put it on top the the clay litter....

[tazz1227]

ok Daisy, the binnies win !! I now know my place in the house. I went an put their old litter box down with some Carefresh and you know what they did? They went to bathroom in the litterbox and did not leave a DROP on the floor !! THEY WIN!! They ate it, rolled in it, and was so happy !! THEY WIN !!!

[Daisylover]

So you have given up on the new litter boxes??? And you didn't try putting a couple of handfuls of Care Fresh in the sifting tray itself????
Well, I know how it goes...sometimes the bunnies are just too stubborn for their own good.
They are in command and we are but their loyal subjects.

[tazz1227]

I did do that and they went in the new one too but they did MORE in the old one. I will slowly integrate them over. I think I was too hasty in taking away what they were used to. But I am learning. Question.....yes another one...I don't think they are eating enough hay. Is there a certain amount or they will eat when they want to or should I take something away so they will not have so many choices and eat the hay?

[Daisylover]

You are right on the nose (no pun intended) about probably trying to switch the litter pans around too quickly...(or change their food too quickly, etc, etc, etc)....Stubborn, Stubborn, Stubborn is their motto.

I too worried about my guys not eating enough hay at first. I can't claim any wonderous miracles on this one... I did cut back a little on their fresh veggies in order to try and force them to eat the hay. As I recall I only got so-so results... and then I felt GUILTY about depriving them of their nourishment, BAD, BAD Mom!!!!!

Really, one day they just started eating it on their own, kinda like Mikey in that old Kellogg commercial. Now they will often eat hay before the veggies....go figure. My Daisy was even worse...he would not eat hay at all....but I kept putting it down every day...it took me 2 years but he's finally eating it.

Wish I had a magic answer on this one but I'm afraid I don't.

OH...I wanted to tell you I'm running an experiment with my sifting litter boxes. I've got 3--one has clay litter, one has 1/2 clay and a covering of Care Fresh,and the other is just Care Fresh. I'm trying to see if those stinkers can REALLY tell the difference. it's a little early to draw conclusions and I'm thinking the location of the box is probably a factor as well....

[tazz1227]

You are so funny!! Let me know how your experiment goes. As far as the hay goes, they BETTER start eating it. You know how expensive it is to just sit there and then you are supposed to put fresh hay everyday...not if they aren't eating it. That is wating money!! I figure as long as they eat their veggies they will be fine. They ALWAYS eat their veggies. And guess what? I wasn't going to jinx it but we are at day 5 with NO CHEWING on ANYTHING!!! No baseboards or carpet!! I am doing backflips!! AND they haven't made any noise at o'dark thirty in the morning. Actually, they are being IDEAL well behave bunnies!! I think I will keep them !!

[Daisylover]

FIVE days without chewing?!?!?!?!! I am VERY impressed.....You must be doing something right! ...That, or they are too full from all the Care Fresh you said they ate earlier in the week!!!

From what I've read chewing is a female thing..trying to get ready to make a nest (even if neutered, you can't fool Mother Nature). Boys chew stuff too, just "supposedly" not as much or often. Maybe your two are finally settling down, now that they are more "mature" and have THEIR place just like they like it! Bunnies just love to do Home Improvements....

Don't get too relaxed though...sooner or later someone is most likely going to start up again...mine seem to go in spurts of destructiveness. Just what you wanted to hear, right? Oh well....gotta love 'em!

[tazz1227]

Well, I went out of town this weekend and left them home alone and guess what? NO CHEWING !! My house was still in order !! I won't get too comfortable though.

[Daisylover]

So what did you do about a pet sitter? And you let them stay loose...they had the run of your whole place??? Now, I AM really impressed!!!

I'm willing to leave my guys alone for a day and a half but after that I get antsy....(besides my family drives me crazy and the "I have to go home and feed the bunnies" excuse works quite well with them!!!)

[tazz1227]

Yes they run loose...they sleep under my bed or in the middle of the hallway looking down the steps...planning their getaway!! I am still looking for a pet sitter but I figure if I buy those disposable litterboxes, whoever comes to feed them can just get the litterbox and drop it in the trash and I will have more already prepared, just like their food. And as long as someone comes and rubs them and feeds them, they will be ok. Now they won't get the care like their mommy gives them but they won't be confined to a cage either.

[Daisylover]

I really like your idea of the disposable litter boxes and getting their meals bagged up ahead of time. I am definitely going to remember that. I have a trip planned for the last week of July and I've been struggling with what to do with the buns. (I'd love to take them with me......)

I'd rather leave them at home, since that's where they are more comfortable (and since they don't like change) but I had problems with my sitter and haven't used her since... I've got a new sitter I've only used for long weekends or I probably could take them to the sanctuary and let the director look after them. It's hard to know what's best. Unfortunately, unlike your good kids, one of mine has a problem with using the litter box consistently to pee in.....leaving her loose might is just too chancy as far as the sitter goes.... Then there's the problem if I lock her up, she'll be lonely, so who will I put in with her.... Well, I guess I have time to think (and worry) about it yet.