What types of litter should I use? It depends on what's available in your area and what your rabbit's habits are. Keep in mind the following as you choose your litter: most rabbits spend lots of time in their litter boxes rabbits will always nibble some of the litter rabbit urine has a very strong odor.
House Rabbit Society recommends organic litters, made from alfalfa, oat, citrus or paper. (Some brands to look for: Care Fresh, Cat Country, Critter Country, Yesterday's News, and Papurr) For a complete listing of litter types, see the litter boxes and liver disease article.
Stay away from litters made from softwoods, like pine or cedar shavings or chips, as these products are thought to cause liver damage in rabbits who use them. CatWorks litter has been linked to zinc poisoning. Swheat Scoop Litter should be avoided, because rabbits will often ingest it. Because it is comprised of wheat, it is very high in carbohydrates and can cause obesity, excessive cecal production, diarrhea, bacterial imbalance, and other health issues.
Another approach is to place a handful of hay in each box, or to simply use hay as litter. It is helpful to put several layers of newspaper under the hay, to absorb urine so that your rabbit is not standing in the urine. Most newspapers today are using soy-based ink, which is safe for your rabbit, but check with your local newspaper to make sure first. Obviously, you need to change the hay fairly frequently (daily), since your rabbit will be eating it. This method often helps to encourage good litter habits as well as to encourage hay consumption, since rabbits often eat at or near the same time as they use the litter box.
Pros and cons of the various types of litter include: clay litter is dusty--if your bunny is a digger, the dust can make her vulnerable to pneumonia the deodorant crystals in some clay litters are toxic clumping litters will clump inside the rabbit's digestive and respiratory tracts (the latter if they manage to make enough dust to breathe) causing serious problems and often leading to death pine and cedar shavings emit gases that cause liver damage when breathed by the bunny corn cob litter isn't absorbent and doesn't control odor, and has the the risk of being eaten and casing a lethal blockage. oat- and alfalfa-based litters (available from Purina, Manna-Pro, and King-Soopers groceries [not sure what the geographical range of this chain is]) have excellent odor controlling qualities, but if a rabbit eats too much, they expand and cause bloating; these, too, can be added, with the bunny's waste, to compost newspapers are absorbent, but don't control odor citrus-based litters work well, offer no dangers, and can be composted, but may be hard to get and expensive in some areas of the country/world some people have reported success with peat moss which can also be composted Many people have great success with litter made from paper pulp or recycled paper products. These litters are very good at absorbing and cutting down on odors. A litter called CAREfresh is available. You can find out about local places that carry Carefresh by emailing absorbs@absorption-corp.com or by calling 1-800-242-2287. A similar litter in a pelleted form is called Cellu-Dri 1-800-382-5001. These litters are harmless if ingested. Compressed sawdust pellets: are inexpensive, highly absorbent litters used in many foster homes. They are made from softwood or hardwood sawdust, but they are not toxic because the phenolic compounds are removed during their manufacture. Their wood composition helps control bacterial growth and odors. Wood stove fuel pellets and Feline Pine are two examples of this product. Litters made from Aspen bark are safe and good at absorbing odors. One brand is called GentleTouch 1-800-545-9853.
8.5 Cleaning and Disposal.Clean litterboxes often, to encourage your rabbit to use them. Use white vinegar to rinse boxes out--for tough stains, let pans soak. Accidents outside of the cage can be cleaned up with white vinegar or club soda. If the urine has already dried, you can try products like "Nature's Miracle" to remove the stain and odor. To dispose of organic litters, they can be used as mulch, or can be composted. Rabbit pills can be directly applied to plants as fertilizer.
A bored rabbit is a destructive rabbit! Digging or chewing the carpet and chewing forbidden objects are just two examples. Whether inside the cage or out, your rabbit needs plenty of toys to keep him/her from getting bored. Following are a few examples of suitable toys: * Toilet paper & paper towel rolls * Untreated straw baskets of any size * Natural wood blocks (no pressure treated wood, plywood, particle board, press board, etc.) * Canning jar rings * Rolled oats box with ends cut off * Soft drink can with a few pebbles inside for noise * Rubber balls (unless they chew on them) * Wire ball with bell inside (available at most pet stores in the cat section) * Baby toys such as rattles and giant key rings * Hanging bird toys with bells * Rice or maize mats (available at Pier 1 Imports) * Cardboard boxes with openings or "doors" cut in the sides * Things to jump up on (some like high places where they can look around) * Large "bouncy" balls
Potty training your rabbit links