Rabbit Litter | Pet Rabbit Bedding
Rabbit litter has a few special requirements over and above the needs of other types of animal. Firstly, rabbits spend nearly all their time sitting or lying on their bedding, so all parts of pet rabbit bedding, including the litter, needs to have very low dust to avoid causing eye and nose irritations. Secondly, rabbits have a tendency to nibble on any and all materials within the hutch, so rabbit litter needs to be non-toxic and non-damaging to the digestive system. Thirdly, since rabbits are fairly large animals that rarely spend time out of their hutch, any bedding and/or litter needs to be super-absorbent to deal with the quantity of moisture produced.
SmartBedz satisfies all of these special conditions, making it an excellent choice of rabbit litter and pet rabbit bedding. This article gives more detail about the general care requirements for rabbits and shows how using SmartBedz as your rabbit litter fits well into a good rabbit care regime.
Here is a video showing how to use SmartBedz litter for rabbits
Rabbit Litter click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop
Maintaining a Rabbit Hutch
The main requirement for a rabbit hutch is to provide your rabbit with a secure living environment that is large enough for it to exercise in. Rabbits are athletic animals and need the opportunity to hop, run, jump, dig, stand fully upright on their back legs, and stretch out when lying down. It is important that your hutch and run provide an area in which your rabbit can feel safe, providing protection from predators and extremes of weather and temperature. All areas of your rabbit's environment need to be well ventilated, dry and draught-free. Your rabbit will also need an appropriate area to go to the toilet, such as a litter tray, and this should be separate from the area where it eats and sleeps. Keeping a rabbit hutch clean and, especially, keeping it dry, is something of a challenge due to the relatively large size of the animals and because many rabbits spend nearly all their time inside their hutch. Using a super-absorbent litter like SmartBedz as a bedding base throughout the hutch, not just in the litter tray area, will greatly help.
Rabbit hutches need to be cleaned out on a regular basis in order to remove droppings and maintain dryness. But because SmartBedz rabbit litter has been specially designed to absorb moisture and odours fast and effectively, it lasts much longer than traditional products such as straw and helps to prevent fly strike. This means the time and frequency of cleaning out is significantly reduced, which saves time and is also highly cost-effective. Cleaning out is also made easier by SmartBedz since it is designed not to form into clumps when moist, which makes scooping out selected areas very easy. Only heavily soiled areas need to be removed and replenished, which again saves time and money. SmartBedz will keep your hutch much dryer which has the added benefit of stopping the hutch from rotting and smelling.
Pet rabbit bedding needs to be dust free to avoid causing eye and nose irritations. SmartBedz litter has all dust extracted from it during manufacture, making it an ideal dust free litter and underbed for rabbits. It also greatly benefits owners who may be sensitive to dust. SmartBedz is also heat treated in order to kill any bacteria which may otherwise threaten to multiply in warm or moist hutch conditions. The bedding also needs to be clean and absorbent. SmartBedz Universal Bedding and Litter is ultra-absorbent - up to 400% - and also acts as a good insulator from the cold, which is particularly beneficial when hutches are kept outside or in unheated outbuildings. Some rabbits may nibble on the pellets - but because SmartBedz is a natural straw product, this will do no harm. In fact, the high fibre content can actually be beneficial to digestion in plant eating animals.
Wild rabbits are 'crepuscular', which means they are awake in the hours just before dawn and after dusk, and asleep during the day and late at night. Pet rabbits will however sometimes take on the habits of their owners and adjust their sleep patterns accordingly. Rabbits are burrowing animals and like to sleep nestled into a fairly small, dark space. So a separate, small sleeping area, next to the living area and with minimal light will encourage the rabbit to use that space for sleeping. Pet rabbit bedding needs to provide sufficient material for the rabbit to create a nest around itself. As well as using SmartBedz litter as a bedding base this needs to be supplemented with plenty of sweet smelling straw on top. Insufficient bedding hay means that the rabbit may pull the hay around it but end up with nothing underneath it. Because SmartBedz litter is in pellet form, using it as a bedding base helps to ensure that the rabbit always has some degree of insulation underneath it.
It is important to ensure your rabbit has a fresh supply of hay, food and water at all times. Since hay serves as both food and nesting material, hay needs to be topped up frequently.
Hay and grass should make up the major part of a rabbit's diet although this can be supplemented with occasional treats such as carrots or fruit. You will need a drinker bottle and food dish for food pellets or other non-hay items.
Rabbits are intelligent, inquisitive and friendly creatures and they should preferably be kept with another rabbit as company. They are also playful and will appreciate a range of toys which could be as simple as a cardboard roll or box.
Summary of Benefits of using SmartBedz as Rabbit Litter and Bedding
- Lasts much longer than traditional litters
- Helps prevent fly strike by keeping the hutch cleaner and dryer
Super absorbent - up to 400%
Super odour binding
Low allergy dust extracted formulation
100% Bio-degradable
Environmentally friendly
Easy to lay and keep clean
- Reduces time spent cleaning out
- Stops hutches rotting and smelling
Directions for use
Place a 1-3cm layer of SmartBedz pellets in the cage, thicker layers in toilet and sleeping areas.
Remove soiled pellets regularly and replenish as required.
Empty and clean out when necessary.
Rabbits also need soft nesting material on top of SmartBedz, such as hay.
Disposal
SmartBedz breaks down much faster than alternative litters based on wood shavings or straw. This means it can be turned into fertiliser, compost or mulch relatively quickly for use in gardens or allotments.
Rabbit Bedding click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop
Reviews
Quote from Chemist Direct - "We first bought a bag at the Love Pets show and have never looked back! Amazing at absorbing rabbit wee odors, I only change it once a week now. I used to have to clean their litter boxes every day when I used wood choppings. Although it appears on the expensive side, you only need a window layer of pellets as they expand as they get wet, so just shake it up to mix it sometimes. A single bag has lasted me 3 months for 3 litter boxes! Highly recommended, you will not regret..."
See the review about SmartBedz by on-line magazine Hopping Mad.
Related Articles