# Wood pellets for litter box?



## keegen456 (Mar 2, 2016)

I am planning on using fleece and uhaul pads for cage liners but I was wondering about the litter box. I know bunny people recommend the wood pellets for stoves or horse stalls for bunny litter boxes. Can they be used for the rats litter box? I used carefresh when I had hamsters and it was also so dusty and got everywhere. I can get paper pellets, but the wood pellets are so much cheaper! I'm not a huge fan of aspen. I used to work at a pet store and we used aspen in the cages. Whenever I would change the aspen out of the cages, my eyes would water and itch. Corn cob is ok but doesn't seem to absorb the odor as well.


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## InuLing (Dec 26, 2015)

I would stick to paper and my vet says the same thing. Care fresh is known to be very dusty. I use exquisicat paper litter. It's very absorbant and keeps odor down. You don't want to use aspen with rats anyways and woods are risky because many of them have oils that are hard on your rat's respiratory systems. My worry about corn would be the rats eating it. Mine love when I give them corn as an occasional treat. Yours probably will think corn is great too.


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## catty-ratty (Feb 21, 2016)

There is another member here who uses horse stall pellets in the litter box. 

I went to get some at the local feed store, but they turnded out to be made from pine, which is dangerous. They didn't have any other kind. 

I don't know where she got the pellets she used. I doubt she uses pine pellets.


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## Love My Rats (Sep 3, 2015)

I use yesterdays news in my litter pans and fleece for all the rest


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

I would stick to paper pellets (I prefer no baking soda). Make sure the wood pellets don't contain any pine or cedar, and that they are dust-free.


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## keegen456 (Mar 2, 2016)

I guess I'll just stick to the paper pellets then. It's just hard knowing those wood stove pellets are like $5 for a 40 ish lb bag.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

keegen456 said:


> I guess I'll just stick to the paper pellets then. It's just hard knowing those wood stove pellets are like $5 for a 40 ish lb bag.


Is there any way for you to know what woods are in it? I know it is super cheap but if any dangerous woods for rats are in it, it will cost you the same if not more in vet care. Do you have a link to a website selling it?


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## keegen456 (Mar 2, 2016)

I'll try to figure out how to link (I'm on a tablet) I know horse stall pellets are pine but the wood stove pellets say they are 100% hardwood.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

hardwood would be ok if NOT DUSTY. However, since their intended use is for stove and not litter, they might not have been heat sanitized like paper litter. Meaning it could have mites or other parasites in it. I'm not an expert on how stove wood pellets are produced lol, so I might be wrong- just something to keep in mind.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I use the pine stove pellets/horse stall pellets (both are pine) for my rabbit's litterboxes. They have not had a problem with it yet and I've used it for years, they are also middle aged/senior and are still fine. They get blood tests occasionally, especially the older girl and have been fine. I read on the House Rabbit Society website that the way pine pellets are treated, removes the harmful stuff from the pine so it's safe to use for rabbits.

BUT it still does have a strong smell and I would not use it for my rats who are much more sensitive I believe. Even if the smell isn't toxic or has harsh fumes that shaved pine usually does, it still has a strong smell and I would think would still be irritating to little rat noses. But it has been great for the buns and is a huge money saver.

I use fleece in my CN cages, and the couple litterboxes I use a handful of shredded aspen. Maybe the shredded aspen would be better than whatever aspen that was irritating to you at the shop? Here's where I get mine, and it's pretty good price, especially since I only use one handful in each litter box. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12661


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## susb8383 (Feb 24, 2007)

I've used wood pellets for years for the bedding (my rats destroy any fleece) but am thinking of switching. I only use pellets marked "hardwood." Lowes sells a brand called Green's Gold that are marked as such. You have to make sure you read the package because another brand used to be hardwood only and now they are hardwood/softwood blend, but a lot of websites didn't update their description.

But I do have a rat who sneezes sometimes, so I'm thinking of switching to just paper. I don't know if the pellets had anything to do with it, but will switch just to be safe. Can't decide what to get. I found this post:
http://www.ratwhisperer.net/2013/01/litter-box-training-recommended-litter.html#.Vz9_0ORRTrQ

I found reviews for the first one she recommends, the Kaytee Soft Granule. People say it is absorbent and keeps the odor down but gets everywhere. The second one she recommends, Equisicat, has baking soda in it. Some say that is dangerous if the rat ingests it. So I'm still looking.... 

But whatever you use, I strongly, strongly recommend you freeze it for 48 hours first. And not just in a refrigerator freezer. I bought a really small sub zero freezer just for freezing my rat stuff. My rats would always get mites from time to time, but since I started freezing everything wood or paper-related that I give to them, including Amazon boxes, they haven't had mites in about 10 years. I don't even let them play with a roll of toilet paper unless I freeze it first. My freezer can fit a bag of wood pellets. I just leave it in there until I'm ready to use it.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Do you have a link to the subzero freezer you bought? Thanks.


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

I use the wood pellets... both in the litter box and as a thin layer underneath their aspen bedding. I have had not issues with them and my rats don't exhibit any kind of RI symptoms (no sneezing, etc.). I buy mine from TSC and they are very cheap...like $6 for a 40lb bag. The only caution I would give you, is to look for signs of "dust" in the bags. If the pellets are exposed to moisture, they turn to dust, so if you see a bag with a lot of dust in it, I would not buy it... the bags should be virtually dust-free. It also helps to open the bag a day or two in advance and let it air out some. Some bags, especially those that have been exposed to moisture, can have pine scent that isn't good for the rats (IMO), so whenever I've found this (not often) I let the bag air out and they smell normally after that. 

I haven't had any issues with mine being oily or being overly dusty either. When they do dissolve due to moisture, the dust falls below the normal pellets so it is not breathed in by the rats. I will note that my litter boxes have grates over them so that they can't dig in the pellets. I've heard of people using wood stove pellets also (the kind that doesn't have lighter fluid or additives), so that may be a cheaper alternative if you live in a cold climate.


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## schnebbles (Nov 11, 2015)

TSC also carries something I've used for my rabbits called clean & cozy (I think) - it's black pellets (they have carbon) that are by the rabbit stuff. Not sure what they are made of because I am using the horse stall stuff right now. Might be an option?


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## Sal (Mar 21, 2016)

Wood pellets are OK depending on the wood itself.

Since there's not always a 100% guarantee I prefer to go with paper pellet bedding, like another member said Yesterday's News is a great one.

It's also a lot more absorbent when compared to wood. I can imagine wood gets very sticky from all the urine.

Ratcentral.com did a big blog post the other day on bedding which might be useful to you.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Sal said:


> Wood pellets are OK depending on the wood itself.Since there's not always a 100% guarantee I prefer to go with paper pellet bedding, like another member said Yesterday's News is a great one.It's also a lot more absorbent when compared to wood. I can imagine wood gets very sticky from all the urine.Ratcentral.com did a big blog post the other day on bedding which might be useful to you.


Didn't they change the composition of Yesterday News recently making it unsafe for rats? I might be confusing it with another bedding. What was the bedding that has soft woods in it now (and not just paper as it was before), making it unsafe for rats?


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

I think yesterday's news has wood in it now. The wood pellets at TSC are probably softwood, but I've never had issues arise from using them. Honestly, the dustyist part of my bedding is the aspen, which is shredded lab-grade. 

I've used the clean and cozy pellets before too... I think they are a mix of paper and wood pulp, but not sure. They seemed to work well, but were more expensive than the wood pellets. If you were concerned about using wood products, you could go with a paper-pellet bedding.. I used to use the petco brand cat paper pelleted litter and it worked well.. it is just 4-5x the price for the same amount, which is why I switched to the TSC pellets.


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## susb8383 (Feb 24, 2007)

> Do you have a link to the subzero freezer you bought?



Yes...it was a Danby that I got from Home Depot. It was basically this one (although it might have been the smaller 3.2 cub feet, which for some reason costs more):
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Danby-3-8-cu-ft-Chest-Freezer-in-White-DCF038A1WDB1/205470495

I decided to try the Naturally Fresh litter from Blue Buffalo which is made from walnut shells.​


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

keegen456 said:


> I'll try to figure out how to link (I'm on a tablet) I know horse stall pellets are pine but the wood stove pellets say they are 100% hardwood.


Would hardwood absorb things as well as Aspen?

I want to find aspen pellets. I like the shavings, but they get stuck to the fleece.


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