Rabbit food for bedding?

[~Chelsey~]

Hello guys!

I am just full of questions today:p I was debating on switching beddings(I use pine right now, but I am a bit wary of it), and I remembered reading about being able to use rabbit food(alfalfa pellets) in ferret litter boxes a while back, and I thought perhaps it would work for the hedgies. It smells good, it's absorbent, it hides odors, it's cheap, and it would be fun to borrow in! What are your thoughts on this? Could I switch?

[TucKnRoll]

I wouldnt do it. Just for the simple fact they may wanna eat it, or the food goes bad by being exposed to the air. Besides, I think Yesterdays news or anyother bedding would be much less expensive.

[~Chelsey~]

I didn't think of that stuff, thanks TucKnRoll:) The problem that I have is that I'm about an hour to an hour and a half away from the places that have Carefresh or Yesterday's news. While it's not that big of a deal to drive there, it would be pretty expensive with gas + buying large quantities of bedding at a time. I was just curious if this would work. A 50lb bag of rabbit food only costs $5 here, so I think it might be cheaper, but my hedgies's health and safety definately comes first:)

[ejw829]

I started out using Carefresh for Toto and Penny. It's easy to get by me, thankfully. I find it to be rather messy: it sticks to the girls' quills when I pick them up, it gets in their water bowls if they are root around, etc. It also has a funny, damp odor when wet.

The rescue that had Penny used wood stove pellets in her litter pan (which was placed under her wheel). I think that they are too big for her to eat. I haven't used them, though.

Have you thought about trying Vellux? Believe me-- I thought folks were crazy to be using cut up blankets for bedding. I LOVE IT! I just started using it exclusively this week. I have to admit that Toto and Penny have been really good about their potty habits. They keep it to their wheels so I haven't had to replace the liners since putting them down on Sunday. I'm going to switch Bella and Harris over, too.

[~Chelsey~]

I can't use vellux because they aren't good with their potty habits at all!!! They even go in their food dishes! I don't like carefresh either. I've got too many hedgies for it to be economical, it's messy, it stinks, and who wants to live in a completely grey world? I don't, and I kinda don't think my hedgies do either. No offense to those who love Carefresh, it's just not for me. I think I'll add a poll to this topic, but I would still like responses from people as to why I should or shouldn't use rabbit pellets.

[Moose]

I don't know anything about rabbit pellets so I can't offer any advice or opinions. I used Carefresh in the beginning and finally finished a 9 qt bag after almost 3 months. I only have one hedgie and I thought if it lasts that long, it's definitely economical. But I've been reading good things about Cell-Sorb so I've been using that lately. It was originally manufactured for lab usage and supposed to last for 3 wks. It's been working very well for me so far. There is no odor and does absorb wetness very well. It's definitely less dusty than Carefresh. It's a bit more expensive than Carefresh but since it'll last a lot longer, it ends up being cheaper in the end.

I'm lucky that my hedgie is pretty good about going potty. The breeder we got her from uses aspen, which makes sense since breeders have a lot more hedgies. We didn't like aspen just because it sticks to everything and gets everywhere. I'm a bit obssessive compulsive so I knew if we got aspen, I'd be running around with hand vaccum at all times. Who needs that? :) We had already decided to try potty training before we brought her home. I guess I should've mentioned that we use vellux as bedding and use Cell-Sorb in the litter pan. The first night she came home with us, we put her poop in the litter pan and she took to it right away. Her wheel does get messy most mornings but not really too bad since she mostly uses her litter pan. Some mornings though I wake up to an aftermath of a real wild poop party. :rolleyes: I think she runs and runs and runs and just can't stop. :laugh:

I think someone else mentioned on another thread that having separate bedding and litter material seem to help hedgies distinguish where they should go potty. It sounds pretty logical to me. Bottom line is, I vote for vellux and Cell-Sorb. But you gotta go with what works best for you and your hedgie(s). :)

[Sarah+Sonic]

Carefresh is sold in a white form,too.

I cant imagine a hedgehog eating rabbit pellets. maybe a taste,but actually digesting amounts of it..very unusual for that to happen IMO. rabbit food is hay-based,not bug-based;)


http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptilesgeneral/a/woodshavings.htm

'Another often overlooked alternative is alfalfa pellets (e.g. rabbit food) which are cheap and fairly absorbent.'


OTOH...
http://www.boardmanweb.com/rattery/reviews.htm

'Alfalfa Pellets* Yuck. Poor odor control, not too absorbent. This is ok for a temporary use when out of anything else.'

[~Chelsey~]

Not only that, but if rabbits that are the size of hedgies eat it, why wouldnt it be safe? IMO rats are stinkier than hedgies when it comes to bodily wastes. I'm trying to find something good and something cheap that will work well. Thanks for the links Sarah+Sonic:)

[Chin Slave]

I used rabbit pellets for my rats and mice. Worked fine, but smelled like wet hay when it got wet. Overall, it works okay, better than some stuff, worse than others. I can't imagine how it could be unsafe for hedgies.

Another alternative for cheap/safe bedding (looks nice too). Get a cross-cut paper shredder ($30 at walmart). I use shredded notebook paper and/or computer paper. If your hedgies eat a whole bunch, it's probably not great (same goes for carefresh), but otherwise, it's fine. Not the best for controlling odors, and needs to be changed more often, but it works.

Dawn

[bloane]

I have used rabbit pellets in the past, and as long as you can scoop any wet spots (such as under the water bottle) they work well. Great for odor control, unless you dislike the smell of the stuff to begin with. They didn't work well for me in my pregnant girl cages, because they needed scooped more often than my new moms were willing to let me do it.
Becca