eating/ tasting cat litter?

[Helen]

I heard my hedgie digging in her litterbox, and when I went over to look, she was not "going", she was... tasting. She would pick up a piece, taste it, drop it, and start over. Should I be worried? Should I maybe try something else in the litterbox? :confused:

[Nancy]

What are you using in the litterbox?

[Helen]

I have a regular clay cat litter. Not the clumping stuff.

[Ginger]

Hello Helen !

At the begginings with my Kiwi, I used this kind of litter. It is not good. :(

Hedgies can get pulmonary infection because it is very dusty and if your hedgie starts to take dust baths in it (which Kiwi does a lot), it will irritate his/her skin. Kiwi's tummy was all pink with not that much fur ! :| That is when I decide to change the kind of litter.

If it is a new thing you are using, the tasting is normal. But if she/he swallow that, it will lead, I think, to serious problems ! Yesterday's News is non-toxic if they ingest (eat) it but unfortunatelly, we cannot say the same thing about cat litter, clumping or non-clumping !

The breeder were I took Kiwi said that clumping cat litter was okay for them. (She was using it for all her hedgies). That is why I used that for about 1 month after getting Kiwi at home. :| The breeder wasn't right about the litter thing !

Now, I am using Yesterday's News. In the first days, Kiwi ate a lot of those pellets and it all went.. you guess it, right in her stools ! :laugh: But now (I think) it is ok ! She understand that newpapers is not as delicious as her food !

[PrettyHate]

Just a couple more points about Yesturdays News-

-It is made of recycled news paper and comes in a the same shape as rabbit pellets
-It is very absorbable, and has hardly any dust
-It is non toxic- so if your pet does eat some, it passes through their digestive system safely.

I am currently using YN for my hedgie, and I love it. I do spot cleans every day or so, and a full littler change about once a week.

www.yesturdaysnews.com

-Laura

[Ginger]

oups !

Your link doesn't work.
How about that : http://www.yesterdaysnews.com

I really think this is a very good product !
I discover it from my friends here on this forum ! :)

[Ododad]

Odo dosen't have a litter box. She has a very large home, and uses one corner of it most of the time. Should I get her a litter box and place it where she goes? I clean her home every day and remove any thing that needs to go. She has a clean home, I make sure of it. Do you guys think I should add a litter box anyway? What would I make it out of?

[PrettyHate]

Odo dosen't have a litter box. She has a very large home, and uses one corner of it most of the time. Should I get her a litter box and place it where she goes? I clean her home every day and remove any thing that needs to go. She has a clean home, I make sure of it. Do you guys think I should add a litter box anyway? What would I make it out of?

I used the bottom of a hamster cage for mine. Some people use small kitty litter pans, small rubbermaid containers etc.

As well, many of us (myself included) place the hedgies wheel inside their littery pan, to help keep the poopy wheel mess more confined to one area.

Personally, if I was you, and was blessed enough to have a hedgie that naturally goes in more or less one place, I would take advantage of that and go for the litter tray. That way, you can just clean the pan daily (instead of the entire cage), and then do the cage as needed.

PS- Thanks for correcting that link Ginger

[Ododad]

Thanks. I think I will get her a litter box. I know to use YN in it for the litter. Her wheel is perm. mounted and she likes to sleep under it sometimes, so I will put it in the corner that she goes in. Thanks again.

[Nancy]

The dollar stores have lots of cheap litter pan ideas. A plastic serving tray will work, a cookie sheet, the lid of a small plastic bin, or really any type of pan shallow pan will do.

I use paper towels in my litterboxes now and they are really easy to clean plus no litter gets tracked around on the liners. :)