Pet Rabbit Litter – Does Your Choice Really Matter?

Selecting the right rabbit litter for your pet may seem like a difficult task and the options can seem overwhelming. However, do give it some thought as the wrong type of rabbit litter can put your pet’s health at risk.  Luckily these potential pitfalls can be easily avoided by making the correct choice of rabbit litter.  Choosing the right litter also makes a good foundation for pet rabbit bedding.

Pet rabbit bedding or litter is available in many forms from pet shops, on the internet and even home-made ones such as paper or fabric. Here we will look at the benefits of rabbit litter and how to pick the right one.

Rabbit Litter - click here to buy our universal bedding from our online shop

Why is Rabbit Litter Needed at All?

A good rabbit litter works to soak up urine, dispel odours and provides a gentle surface for your rabbit to walk on.

Without litter or bedding a rabbit’s hutch can get dirty and smelly very quickly. With nothing to absorb the urine this will cause an unhealthy build up of ammonia and the hutch will soon start to smell.

Also, urine that is not soaked up will make the hutch and your rabbit wet and put your pet at risk from illness or disease.

A hutch without adequate pet rabbit bedding is cold and uncomfortable, especially if your rabbit is kept outdoors. This is because rabbit litter and bedding is also used as a hutch insulator. Lining your pet’s hutch with newspaper and a generous layer of rabbit litter and soft bedding will help keep your pet cosy and warm.

Rabbit Litter - What Harm Can it Do?

The right rabbit litter makes a big difference to your pet’s welfare as, believe it or not, some types can actually harm your pet. Traditional bedding such as sawdust, for example, is far too dusty as the small particles can affect your rabbit’s tiny nasal passages and irritate your pet’s eyes.

Another popular form of rabbit bedding is straw, but the ends are too sharp for your pet and can hurt your rabbit’s eyes. Chopped wood or hemp can also pose difficulties as it can splinter and cause injury or get trapped in your rabbit’s teeth.

It is not just your pet’s health that can suffer from the wrong form of rabbit litter, but it can also cause discomfort to pet owners. Non-absorbent rabbit litter, such as straw, can allow the build-up of odours which is unpleasant for you and your pet, especially if you keep your rabbit indoors.

Also, dust from pet rabbit bedding will not only affect your animal but the small particles can upset humans too. Sawdust can irritate some pet owners during the cleaning out process so it is not advisable for people with allergies. 

SmartBedz is an organic, non toxic form of pet rabbit bedding/litter with no added chemicals.  It is made from straw with the dust extracted and resulting product compressed into pellets.

Rabbits can munch on almost anything in their cage. However, as it is an agricultural by-product, SmartBedz is completely natural and safe for your rabbit to chew on. If eaten as part of a healthy diet of fresh and dried food, it is actually beneficial for your pet as it is high in fibre.

What About Using Free or Homemade Rabbit Litter?

Several different types of home-made materials can act as an economical alternative to commercial litter. This includes newspaper, shredded paper and cut up pieces of cardboard, cloth or material. However, these have limited absorbency and odour control and means the hutch will still need daily cleaning. Busy families, especially parents with young children, will usually find a frequent cleaning regime impractical and the smell will be a constant problem.

There are other cheap alternative pet rabbit bedding materials which can be sourced outside the home. Hay is readily available and you can obtain this in bulk by purchasing a hay bale from a local farm to cut costs. However, as the hay is untreated it is dusty and may bring bacteria or mould into the cage.

SmartBedz is highly absorbent and swells on contact with urine so it works to suppress odour and keep your pet dry. SmartBedz is also heat-treated to kill harmful bacteria and also mould, which is actually toxic to your pet.

A further benefit of SmartBedz over home-made products is that it allows for a less arduous cleaning regime. This is because the cage can be spot-cleaned daily by scooping out the soiled areas and replacing them with clean rabbit litter. The hutch will still need a more thorough scrub-out once a week.

Rabbit Litter - How Much Do You Need to Spend?

Buying a good quality rabbit litter proves cost-effective as it protects the overall health of your pet. This will save money in the long run as it avoids pricey veterinary bills from animals that fall ill. It can also work to prolong the life of your rabbit so it keeps the whole family happy.

Rabbit and other pet owners are always on the lookout for ways to cut costs and rightly don’t want to spend more than they need. SmartBedz is a very economical form of bedding as one bag can go a long way.

Comments from pet owners have shown that it requires lower usage compared with some other products because it is so absorbent and effective in odour control. As the cage can be spot-cleaned, it does not need a more intensive cleanse as often, so it means a pack of SmartBedz will last a long time.

Although a bag of SmartBedz may seem a bit more expensive than some other products at first, it is a highly effective form of pet litter so a bag of SmartBedz can work out cheaper over a period of time.

How Your Choice Affects You

We’ve considered the impact rabbit litter has on your pet, but what about the effect on the owner?

SmartBedz is a great timesaver as the swollen soiled pellets are easy to spot and they can be scooped out and replaced between more thorough cleanouts.

SmartBedz is virtually dust free so it does not cause discomfort during the cleaning process that other bedding materials provide - such as sawdust. This makes it safer for children who suffer from respiratory problems.

As it is so effective in keeping odour under control, it makes the whole cleaning process a lot more pleasant. It is also organic, so it can also be easily disposed of by flushing it down the toilet (in small quantities) or by putting it on the compost heap.

Pet lovers are often those most concerned about minimising environmental damage and SmartBedz does just that. As a natural agricultural by-product, it is also an ethical choice of rabbit bedding.

Cost-effective and safe for rabbits and pet owners, SmartBedz is the obvious choice of rabbit litter and shows choice really does matter.

Rabbit Litter - click here to buy our universal bedding from our online shop.