Best Bunny Tip yet…

[LucyTwoBunz]

Ken just asked me to post that the BEST tip from this forum to date.  Ours is changing to pellets for our bunz potty.  Gulliver started peeing outside of his box & we were looking for help.  We used many of your tips, but Ken generally cleans theirs out and is amazed at how absorbant & smell-free it is!  We are hoping others post their best tips so we can all (hopefully) benefit from them…you are all such a wealth of knowledge & experience!  Daily I am still learning new things & SOOOOO appreciate all your passions……

[Sage Cat]

The Floor Ignore! Lay on the floor, read a book and ignore the buns – before you know it they are climbing all over you!!!

[MarkBun]

Buns with alcohol and mini martial arts weapons don’t mix. I still have a limp…

[Monkeybun]

My #1 tip: Don’t be too slow getting those treats out of the container. Being too slow can lead to threats on your life.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

“To neuter is cuter” -my all time best tip I’ve learned is they must be fixed

That orange pee is not a concern

A bunny not eating or drinking for 12 hours is a big concern

A bunny with lots of exercise and fun toys-is a well behaved bunny

Oh and how to build condos and cages and cool habitats-very good stuff here https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/CoolHabitats/tabid/71/Default.aspx

[wiseleyd]

Litter training tips such as use a large cat box and add hay. Mellow gets it!

[MirBear]

heres one… put litterboxs under/around your antique rocking chairs
and they may be cute but they are NOT cuddly (well some are)

[FluffyBunny]

My #1: Use wood stove pellets!!
Has saved us hundreds of dollars, seriously.

[TARM]

Pine pellet horse bedding is the cheapest and most odor controlling litter I’ve found by far.

[MirBear]

hehe i use wood shavings for my buns…. (we got a ton from a friend when her piggy died… were stocked for life)

[Monkeybun]

Careful what kind of shavings you use… Pine or cedar is NOT good!

[MirBear]

i dont think mine are pine or cedar… but why are they not good’??

[Monkeybun]

They have aromatic oils in them that can cause respiratory issues in buns, which is not good at all. Aspen shavings are the only ones to use if you use wood shavings. Double check!

[MirBear]

my shavings are aspen… would it be better to just not use shavings period?

[Sarita]

Aspen shavings are perfectly fine.

[MirBear]

we have 2 bags of cedar though…. and the aspen are almost finished… what should i do?? my mum thinks its a waste to through them out…

[Monkeybun]

definitely definitely definitely get rid of the cedar! It is BY FAR the worst for the buns! Aspen are totally fine. Just dont use the cedar!

[MirBear]

my mom can be soo clueless… shes going to buy aspen and mix them with the cedar!!! DOES SHE WANT TO PAY FOR VET BILLS?????? it would cost more to pay for vet bills than just buy new shavings!

[Monkeybun]

its not just a vet bill.. it can be deadly.

[MirBear]

[kralspace]

are the bags open Mirbear? maybe the pe tstore would let you swap them for aspen

[MirBear]

my mom didnt get them at the pet store i dont think, arrg! why do they sell shavings if they are bad for bunnies??

[Monkeybun]

Because people like the smell of them. Pet stores dont sell for pets, they sell for people, really. Most pet products are packaged to look good and smell pretty, not for actual usefulness for the animals.

[skibunny8503]

See if there’s a shelter/rescue that has hamsters or whatever uses cedar bedding…then you can donate it and it’s not going to waste

Yup #1 tip I’ve gotten was use pelleted bedding (like wood stove or we use Equine Pine).
NIC cubes are not just for shelfing purposes hehe!
There’s no such thing as too many zip ties.
Sometimes the simplest toys are the most affective…a cardboard box!

[MirBear]

my mom has changed her mind… like always , but this time… its for the worst, shes not even going to buy aspen shaving to mix it with. she said shes not biying more shavings untill the cedar is finished… SHE IS GOING TO KILL MY BUNNIES!!

[skibunny8503]

Oh I wish your mom would listen but she does sound a bit stubborn.  I found this article online really quick: http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/guineapigs/a/woodshavings.htm
Maybe you can show it to her.  Maybe other members have ideas….I’ve never been in that kind situation before.  Can you talk to another relative about it that maybe they can explain it better to your mom?  Sometimes adults will only listen to other adults

[mocha200]

what about feline pine? my 1# tip is to use big cat boxes so they don’t pee over the edge i know someone already said that but its a good tip

[Monkeybun]

Well heck, if thats the case have her talk to one of us lol. I’m an adult

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

mocha – Feline Pine is a lot safer since it is compacted and relatively dust free. I personally use wood stove pellets that are chemical-free. They only cost about $6 for a 40 lb. bag!

[Elrohwen]

Skibunny, cedar isn’t safe for any small animals, so I wouldn’t give it away to a shelter. It’s no better for a hamster than a bun. Perhaps worse because small rodents spend 100% of their time on shavings while a bunny doesn’t spend 100% of its time sitting in a litter box.

Honestly though, a few weeks with cedar in the litter box isn’t going to kill your rabbit. From the link that was posted and other things I’ve read, it’s pretty clear that very few studies have been done and the worst they’ve seen is changes in liver enzymes of lab animals – while a change in liver enzymes long term probably isn’t good, there isn’t any proof that living on cedar is going to kill your bunnies in a short period of time. There is also some information that it causes respiratory issues, but once again, the research hasn’t been done on bunnies with cedar in litter boxes – I certainly wouldn’t assume you’re going to have a bunny with lung problems after a few weeks. I would just use the cedar since it sounds like your mom won’t let you get rid of it, but make sure you get something different next time. I’m sure she would be willing to look into wood stove pellets as they’re only about $5 for 40lbs – much cheaper than any shavings and they work better too.

[jerseygirl]

I agree ^. I think short term use of cedar won’t be such an issue. I wouldn’t even mix it with the aspen, just straight to use it up faster. What might help is to open the bags now and put into a large open tub. Mix it up every few days. This may reduce the aroma a little. If it’s kiln dried cedar, that’s better also. Do you keep litter boxes around the house for the rabbits when they have out time? Maybe just use the cedar in those that they use less. On the plus side, the cedar will keep the bugs away & scent the living area. The smell there will be less intense than if it were contained to the cage.

[Elrohwen]

Jersey, I like your idea about putting the cedar out and letting some of the aromatics dissipate before using it in the litter boxes. I imagine that would help a bit.

[skibunny8503]

Ah ok, I did not know that Elrohwen. So nice that they sell that for pets even though it’s bad for them….. *rolls eyes*

[Bren]

I have to agree, wood pellets in litterbox is the awesome tip!  Perhaps they should have a tip thread..

[Elrohwen]

Posted By skibunny8503 on 02/10/2010 08:46 AM
Ah ok, I did not know that Elrohwen. So nice that they sell that for pets even though it’s bad for them….. *rolls eyes*

 

I know … it’s awful. There’s not much research on what it does to animals, but I have heard of whole litters of baby gerbils dying of random respiratory disease on cedar shavings. It’s circumstantial, but from what I read it’s happened to enough people that it seems the cedar shavings are to blame. I think it’s pretty clear that it is harmful in some way and it’s just much more obvious on babies who don’t have strong immune systems (and of course they’re lower to the ground, so they’re really breathing in the fumes). I really wish stores would stop selling them.

[MirBear]

i know its basicly cruelty.. especially to people who dont even have the chance to ever learn this…

im just changing the boxes alot more often and putting alot more in than normal…. and i through out half a bag when my mom wasnt looking…n1 down 1 to go

[Elrohwen]

Haha. Sounds like a good plan! Have you talked to her about what you’ll get next time? You should discuss it before she runs out to the petstore and buys more cedar shavings.

[LucyTwoBunz]

I have to agree, wood pellets in litterbox is the awesome tip!  Perhaps they should have a tip thread..

 

BREN:  This was started as “Best Bunny Tip yet”…I think the pellets win!!!

Thanks to everyone for their favorites!

[Elrohwen]

I started another tip thread some months back. I’ll see if I can find it.

[Bren]

I also liked the one about orange pee is ok….when willie was a baby…the first time he urinated and it turned orangish…I panicked bigtime!!! I wish I had known about your site then….

 

 

[rosalie68]

nic grids and wood pellets!

the orange pee is very nice to know and that carrots are only a treat.

[Author]

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