To Clump or Not to Clump?

That is the question....

by C.E.Gregory

A few years ago, before I had the luxury of internet access, my only source of information on rabbit care was my local library. I read every rabbit care book I could get my hands on. As inaccurate as some of them are, most cover the bunny basics well enough. In fact if it weren't for those books, I can't say I would have even thought to litter train a bunny at all. So when I brought my bunny home, and offered him a litter box to use during his uncaged adventures, I was ecstatic that he used it so religiously. I knew nothing about the dangers of clumping litter (hey, cats use it, so it must be ok, right?) So, if you were like me, and had no idea that clumpimg litter was potentially dangerous, welcome to the club! I mean I was so preoccupied at the notion that a rabbit could use a litter box, I didn't even think about the litter itself.

Once I became computer "litter"ate, I found a wealth of information was available through the internet. I found the House Rabbit Society online as well as many other rabbity sites. Suddenly I'm reading all this stuff about how cedar and pine shavings are terrible, and clumping litter is a death sentence! I was confused, I had been using cedar and pine shavings for years with my rats, mice, and other creatures....never had any problems. And the cats all used clumping litter with no problems. So what's the deal?

Well as I came to be more informed on the subject, I realized that much of the pet care knowledge I gained as a child, was fed to me by pet store owners. Now as an adult, I realize that their priorities differ from mine. They are in the business to make money... they are not going to come out and announce that cedar and pine are BAD, they just sell it because people buy it (and most people still don't know it's unhealthy to use). In fact I can't remember ever being in a pet store that didn't sell cedar and pine shavings for small animal bedding. So I did some research and found out that cedar and pine have aromatic oils (the ones that make them smell so good) that irritate the respiratory tract of small animals, thus causing allergic reactions and an increased risk of respiratory infections. So thats the deal with animal bedding, but what about litter?

Well, as it turns out, clumping litter can be dangerous too. If clumping litter is ingested, it can literally clump to the intestines, eventually building up enough to cause a blockage. Rabbits with a blockage may have a decreased amount of stool, smaller sized stool, or in extreme cases, no stool. The animal may be lethargic, and may refuse to eat. Surgery is necessary to remove a litter blockage, and besides being traumatic for the bunny, it's not cheap!

So, now I'm completely miffed...I can't use cedar or pine because of the respiratory thing, and I can't use clumping litter because it's dangerous. So I go out and buy the litter that is made from recycled paper (some of them look like rabbit pellets, others look like shredded egg cartons). I'm sorry to say that I was completely turned off. If they work for you, that's great, but I found that they are overpriced, they are not good for controlling odors, and the entire pan has to be emptied quite often because you can't seperate the "soiled" litter from the unsoiled litter. Hmmph! I want to use clumping litter, it's not fair! But I would never forgive myself if it caused harm to my bunny.

It so happens that my bunny is an "in & out" litter box user. He just does his thing and that's that. He never bathes or sleeps in the box. Many people think that because their bunny is an "in & out" litter box user, that their rabbit is not at risk for developing a blockage, just as most cats are not. But bunnies are not cats, and there is another issue here, that is the issue of coprophagy.

Rabbits practice coprophagy, which is the act of eating soft cecal poops. So the danger arises from the rabbit eating the stool and ingesting the litter that is clumped to it. Even though most rabbits eat the soft cecal matter directly from the anus, they can still get litter particles ingested as they are doing this.

There are many bunnies that live in their litter box. They sleep, play, and clean themselves in there. Some even drag veggies in and eat there. Rabbits like this are high at risk for developing a blockage from ingesting too much litter.

Clumping litter has it's advantages: It smells fresh, and it is economical, and someone went through all the trouble of inventing it to make our lives easier, so why should it go to waste? Well, how about working around it? What I mean is, designing a litter pan for a rabbit. Most house rabbit owners use litter boxes that were designed for cats or ferrets because that's what's available, but I found a litter box designed for a rabbit! It is made of galvanized steel, has urine deflectors on 3 sides, and the flooring is 1/2"x1" wire with a drop pan underneath.

This is the solution for those who miss the convenience of clumping litter. The bunny never comes in contact with the litter, problem solved!

The are easy enough to make if you can get you hands on some 1/2" X 1" wire. Just secure the wire over the existing litter pan. Wooallah!

Note:

You can order this litter box directly from Morton Jones Cages & Supplies by calling 1-800-443-5769.

Ask for product #:

LB1424 (12"x24"x6") $13.50

LB1218 (12"x18"x6") $9.75

LB0811 (8"x11"x6") $9.00

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