The Importance of Keeping Caged Pets Dry All Year Round

The primary purpose of mouse, rat, guinea pig, gerbil, hamster or rabbit litter is, of course, to absorb the urine of pets that are kept in cages. But it may surprise you to learn just how important this simple measure is in protecting caged pets from an array of illnesses.

While most owners understandably look to gerbil, hamster or rabbit litter etc to soak up liquid and stop unwanted smells getting out of hand, in fact this unassuming product - whatever type you may be using - is your pet's first line of defence against disease and can even, when you really think about it, be saving its life.

Rabbit Litter - visit our online shop to buy rat, ferret, mouse, hamster, chinchilla, gerbil and rabbit litter - a Universal Pet Litter suitable for just about all caged pets.

Here we take a look at the variety of diseases and ailments that can arise in caged pets simply from being kept in damp conditions.

Hock Burn
Hock burn is a condition that can arise in any animal including small mammals and birds. It arises when the animal's feet are in prolonged contact with urine or with litter which is soaked with urine and wet to the touch. Very simply, the urine causes irritation to the skin which, if the dampness is not dealt with, gets progressively worse and can lead to redness or even severe blisters. (This is much like the problem of nappy rash in children, which is also caused by the skin being in prolonged contact with urine.) As well as being extremely painful, it can also lead to infections if the skin is broken, which in turn can lead to serious illness and ultimately death.

SmartBedz litter pellets are super-absorbent, quickly soaking up urine before it has a chance to come into contact with your pets' feet. Liquid is sucked into the centre of the pellet, minimising any wetness on the surface, producing a dry surface to walk and lie on. As well as using it as a litter in the area that your rabbit habitually goes to the toilet (they will usually have a favourite corner) it is also a good idea to use it as rabbit bedding in the sleeping area, topped off with something soft and warm to nestle into, such as clean hay. Using it as the base for your rabbit bedding in this way ensures that when your rabbit is asleep it is always lying on something that is dry.

Hutch Burn
Hutch burn is similar to hock burn and is an irritation of the genital region caused by urinating in an area and then sitting on it. It is most likely to occur in pets that tend to sit still for periods of time, such as rabbits - it is less likely to occur with smaller pets that are constantly on the move.

Skin in the genital area tends to be more delicate than skin elsewhere and will more quickly become damaged, making the animal vulnerable to infection, as well as being extremely sore.

As for hock burn, the solution is to use a fast absorbing litter such as SmartBedz so that urine is quickly drawn away from the rabbit's skin. If your rabbit is prone to this type of behaviour, it is important to use SmartBedz as a base layer for your rabbit bedding, to prevent prolonged sitting or lying on a wet area should they decide to urinate in their sleeping area.

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Attracting Disease Carriers
Apart from the wetness, urine can get smelly very quickly once it is exposed to the air. This smell is a magnet for flies and other insects looking for food or somewhere to lay eggs.

In the case of rabbits, flies will target animals with wet or smelly fur and will burrow into the skin, laying their eggs there. This is known as Flystrike and, if not noticed and dealt with extremely promptly, can quickly overcome a rabbit, often with fatal consequences. A rabbit whose fur is kept clean, dry and non-smelly will be far less attractive to these flies.

Fungal Infections
Fungal infections thrive in warm, moist conditions, so keeping your pet's skin and fur dry is an essential preventative against any type of fungal problem.

Respiratory Disease
It has been found that the amount of respiratory problems (or Snuffles) experienced by rabbits is directly related to the amount of ammonia present in the air. It seems that while urine can irritate the skin, it can also irritate the lungs and nasal passages when it turns into ammonia and becomes airborne. The smaller the pet, the smaller and more delicate the nasal passages and lungs, so minimising the odour in your pet's cage (caused chiefly by the formation of ammonia) is not just a matter of making the environment more pleasant for the owner, but is also important for your pet's health. Controlling ammonia, of course, goes hand in hand with controlling wetness - a dry cage is also an ammonia-free cage.

SmartBedz tackles both wetness and ammonia very effectively, by locking away the urine inside the pellets, preventing contact with the air and thus minimising the formation of ammonia.

Cages with Multiple Pets
If you have multiple pets living together in one cage - as is common for pets such as mice, gerbils and guinea pigs - then keeping the cage dry becomes extra important. Many diseases and infections are transmitted from one animal to another via urine or faeces, so being able to quickly absorb and lock away urine will make it far harder for one animal to infect the others.

For super-absorbent and naturally odour-suppressing mouse, gerbil, ferret, rat, hamster, guinea pig and rabbit litter and bedding layer designed to keep your pet dry and healthy, visit our online shop.