My daughter has a rabbit, which is litter trained. We have a poop scooper that was made for cats; the main problem with it is the holes in the scooper are just slightly to big for the little rabbit pellets. I’ve looked around pet stores a bit, but haven’t had much luck finding a scoop more appropriate for rabbits.
Have any ideas or recommendations?
What kind of litter are you trying to scoop? I just empty the whole box since I use Yesterday’s News pelleted newspaper litter. The House Rabbit Society has recommendations on litter - avoid softwood litters (potential for liver damage), clumping litter (will clump inside the respiratory system and digestive system, which can harm or kill the rabbit), or corncob litter (digestive system blockage). Plain clay would work, as long as the rabbit isn’t a big digger (respiratory system problems from the dust).
Have you checked the section of the pet store by the ferret items? Smaller litter scoops are often sold there.
The pasta spoon is a brilliant idea, thanks! I don’t believe I’ve checked by the ferret items either, so I will do that.
I’ve been using cat litter…I’ll have to check on which brand. Thanks for the link!
I have a skimmer that I bought in the kitchen utensils section. It’s a slightly concave disk with a lot of small holes, and a handle.
Do they only use the litter for poop they’ve already eaten?
The only kind of litter I’ve ever used for my rabbits is Feline Pine. I never bother to scoop it. It turns to sawdust when it’s wet, and I dump it and refill it (usually twice a week).
I’ve been told by rabbit rescue groups that wood stove pellets do the same thing and are considerably cheaper, but my rabbits have always been a little spoiled.
When I lived on acreage, I just dumped the litter on the property. Now, I empty it in my green waste bin. Very green choice. My rabbits (oldest is 6 years) have never had any inkling of health problems due to the litter.
Rabbits produce relatively few “special” soft poops that are concentrated nutrients, called cecotropes. These have to be eaten again to ensure proper nutrition for the rabbit. It’s kind of like a cow’s multiple stomachs getting the most nutrition out of grass, except the rabbit doesn’t do it all inside their body. Typically you don’t even see these, as the rabbit goes after them quickly. The rest, and vast majority, of their poop is essentially little balls of compressed “sawdust” - the indigestible bits of the hay and greens they eat.
