wood chips and ferrets
Denise L Voskuil
>is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
I'd say no. According to the Ferret FAQ, cedar and pine shavings
have been associated with respiratory problems. Besides, regular
cat litter works fine for ferrets, and is more odor and moisture
absorbent.
Happy ferreting,
Denise
--
/\\ ____ ,^-o, Denise Voskuil - vosb...@maroon.tc.umn.edu
``-,' `-';~~ Brain: "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
.',-'~`../' Pinky: "I think so, Brain, but if we didn't have
`^^ `^^ ears we'd look like weasels." ("Animaniacs")
"Ferrets are kittens with leather jackets and no fear!" -John Reed
Chigsug
Karen Marsh-Lovvorn
>
>is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
cedar shavings. Keep in mind that they like to dig so expect to clean
up!
Karen
Pamela Greene
> is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
Taken from the Ferret FAQ:
| Subject: (5.3) Pet stores use wood shavings as bedding. Should I?
|
| In short, no. Many pet stores and some breeders use cedar or pine
| shavings as bedding/cage lining for their ferrets, but it is not
| recommended. Cedar in particular has been associated with allergies
| and respiratory problems in various animals, including, for example,
| humans and rabbits, but pine and other woods also produce a fair
| amount of dust and such which isn't very good to breathe. Why take
| the chance?
|
| Furthermore, wood shavings are completely unnecessary. Ferrets are
| more like cats than hamsters: they'll be quite happy with a clean
| towel or old T-shirt placed in a small "bedroom box" or basket for
| sleeping. Sure, some pet stores and breeders use shavings, but they
| don't really have the option of using towels.
--
- Pam Greene
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Pamela Greene
> is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
... and I replied with a paragraph on why wood shavings aren't good
as bedding. I neglected to mention that they're also not good as
litter, for exactly the same reason. Ferrets tend to sniff their
litter, and wood shavings are allergenic, irritating, and often sharp.
You should use a non-clumping cat litter (clay, newspaper, or corn cob).
Diane E. Emery
> is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
I do not know about PINE but cedar shavings are a big no-no. They have
been linked, supposedly, to health problems in ferrets. I would recomend
regular clay litter or there are new types of litters our today made of
recycled newspaper. Try and avoid the scoopable types of litter since they
are usually very fine and , our ferret at least, get major sneeze attacks
from it. Hope this helped
diane
Beth Baxter
: is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
I wouldn't for two reasons, 1) My vet said that *cedar* shavings aren't
good for them; and 2) It would be bound to get messy as my guys would no
doubt decide that they were confetti.
My recommendation is 1 box of baking soda in the bottom of the litter box
and a low dust litter over the backing soda.
--
Beth
"I have been attacked by Rush Limbaugh on the air, an experience somewhat
akin to being gummed by a newt. It doesn't actually hurt, but it leaves
you with slimy stuff on your ankle."
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Kim Burkard
From: chi...@aol.com (Chigsug)
> is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
The ferret FAQ says that cedar/pine wood shavings should *not*
be used as bedding/cage lining for your ferrets. These shavings
(cedar in particular) have been known to cause allergies and
respiratory problems in animals.
Using shavings in a litter box (especially if in a cage) is
going to have the same effect (allegies/respiratory problems).
Plus - wood shavings are going to make one horrendous mess!
They are going to get tracked all over the cage by your little
ones or your house/apartment if your babies are not kept in
a cage.
We use just plain clay cat litter in our kids boxes. It's cheap.
It works. It doesn't irritate or bother them in anyway. After
getting our 2 newest babies I would tell anybody to be careful
of wood shaving because they were kept on wood shavings and those
wood shavings got mixed into their food dish. The first couple of
poops they did once we got them home had little bits of wood
shavings in them! :( I can't imagine it did their digestive
tracts any good.
You can get the ferret FAQ by:
emailing SEND ANSWERS PACKAGE FERRET to <list...@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
or at <http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/central.html>
If you're not already subscribed to the Ferret Mailing List I would
definately suggest you do that. Join the FML by sending email to
<ferret-...@cunyvm.cuny.edu>. It's fun and informative! :)
-kim
--
Kimberly Burkard | _
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kb...@wd214.mc.xerox.com| <____/\_---\_\ ferrets.
edman
: is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
We stopped using wood after finding out about the whole respiratory thing,
but even if it weren't for that, there's another reason:
pine does *nothing* to absorb odors!! I recommend a good, non-clumping,
cat-litter, (not too fine, though). It's cheap, healthy, and your nose
will thank you as well :)
--edman
--e...@dl.tc.faa.gov
Debbie THE RAT LADY Ducommun
>is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
Pine and cedar contain toxic chemicals, so I don't recommend their use around
animals.
Debbie The Rat Lady
JAMES MAKOWSKI
> is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
Technically, NO. There is some concern as to whether wood shavings can cause
problems. Some peoples say that as long as the ferret doesn't "tunnel" through
the shavings they'll be fine. Others say that particles off the shavings still
cause problems. Respiratory problems have been said to occur when cedar
shavings are used. It's said that pine isn't much better. I would err on the
side of caution here and tell you to use a standard cat litter. You don't have
to get fancy (look who's talking, I use clumping stuff that smells nice,
although clumping litter is supposed to be bad as well) just get something that
works.
I use pine on the bottom of my cage, but the floor of the cage (which is not
part of the bottom) is covered with linoleum. I keep the pine shavings there
for when my little one doesn't use the litter box. It helps soak up whatever
makes its way under the linoleum.
Jim
Karen Marsh-Lovvorn
>
>is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
to add one thing. . .I was using clay cat litter for my ferrets (before I
started using wood chips) but when I got a recently-neutered/descented
baby (male), he started getting the clay pieces stuck in his rectal area
which caused lots of inflammation & bleeding (that's why I switched to
wood chips). Now that I've read all these posts, I may stop, but I don't
like using cat litter. Maybe corn cobs or newspaper pellet paper would be
better. Karen
Debbie THE RAT LADY Ducommun
A great an inexpensive product that can be used for litter is rabbit food! It
is mostly pulverized alfalfa, has a nice "green" smell, and is pretty
absorbant. I'v used it in rat cages with good results. It might be worth
trying it for ferrets.
Debbie The Rat Lady
Michelle Lynn Lejeune
Free long-haired guinea pig! Not allowed in apartment. Cage, food,
bedding, vitamins included. Cheaper than a dog (needs no shots) but just
as fun. Great 1st pet for children. Write mle...@tiger.lsu.edu or call
766-7898.
Sheena Staples
>
>is it ok to use pine wood shavings in my ferrets litter box?
infections in ferrets!!! even though pet stores insist on using them,
it can do serious damage to your ferret!!