# Wood Based Litter Pellets



## Bramble (Aug 16, 2016)

I need some advice please regarding litter. The lady I got Briar from recommended I use cat litter (the regular white stone looking litter) for Briar, but I know it's not the best option for a hedgie and quite frankly, Briar isn't keen on it either, she hardly ventures into her litter tray despite the fact that I move all her poop into it every day.

A local breeder recommended I use wood shavings, but I cannot get decent shavings in my town that I know would be safe to use. I did however come across a wood based cat litter and was wondering if it would be safe to use. I'm from South Africa, so I don't think this brand is available overseas, but it's called Marlton's Eco Cat Wood Based Cat Litter Pellets. The description is as follows:

100% Natural Wood
Environmentally Friendly
Biodegradable
Hassle Free
Non Clumping
Natural Pine Fragrance
Highly Absorbent
No Chemical Additives

Help would be appreciated!


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Well, what kind of wood? It says natural pine fragrance. Is it pine? If it is has it been kind dried?


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## Bramble (Aug 16, 2016)

twobytwopets said:


> Well, what kind of wood? It says natural pine fragrance. Is it pine? If it is has it been kind dried?


All it says is "compressed wood fibre", doesn't say what wood or how it's dried (South Africans are notoriously infamous for not putting proper descriptions or ingredients on their products). I'm assuming it's pine if it smells like it and there's no added chemicals.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

The concern becomes if it's kiln dried or not. You might need to contact the manufacturer to get that information. If it's pine it needs to be kiln dried to kill off the oils present in the wood.
Other options would be paper beddings/litters, paper towels, animal wood shavings.


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## Bramble (Aug 16, 2016)

twobytwopets said:


> The concern becomes if it's kiln dried or not. You might need to contact the manufacturer to get that information. If it's pine it needs to be kiln dried to kill off the oils present in the wood.
> Other options would be paper beddings/litters, paper towels, animal wood shavings.


I've contacted the manufacturer to ask if it's safe for hedgehogs, hopefully they'll get back to me soon. It's a company that makes lots of different products for lots of different animals so theoretically it should be safe (hopefully).


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Ok, if you haven't, you need to ask specifics. The company is trying to sell a product, nothing more. They may not know what makes something safe or unsafe for a particular animal. 
A company that makes lots of products for lots of animals isn't always a good sign. A prime example is Mazuri foods. They make foods for so many animals of all kinds. Looking at any of the nutritional information for any of their foods it becomes a question if they know what's good for a species or if they simply don't care. Out of curiosity, I looked up exotic feline. They aren't talking overweight cat or large breed house cats, they are talking about lions and tigers kind of cats. This is the first few ingredients....
Chicken meal, corn gluten meal, ground brown rice, dried beet pulp, porcine meat and bone meal, dehulled soybean meal, corn grits,
A business is concerned with the profit margin. The cheaper it is to produce something, the higher their profit margin can be.


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## Bramble (Aug 16, 2016)

twobytwopets said:


> Ok, if you haven't, you need to ask specifics. The company is trying to sell a product, nothing more. They may not know what makes something safe or unsafe for a particular animal.
> A company that makes lots of products for lots of animals isn't always a good sign. A prime example is Mazuri foods. They make foods for so many animals of all kinds. Looking at any of the nutritional information for any of their foods it becomes a question if they know what's good for a species or if they simply don't care. Out of curiosity, I looked up exotic feline. They aren't talking overweight cat or large breed house cats, they are talking about lions and tigers kind of cats. This is the first few ingredients....
> Chicken meal, corn gluten meal, ground brown rice, dried beet pulp, porcine meat and bone meal, dehulled soybean meal, corn grits,
> A business is concerned with the profit margin. The cheaper it is to produce something, the higher their profit margin can be.


Thanks, when they get back to me I'll ask what wood and how it's dried.

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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

If it has a "pine smell" you don't want to use it. The volatile oils in pine are not good for your hedgehog's respiratory system. There should be no smell to whatever you use for bedding.


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## Overquill! (Aug 16, 2016)

Do people use wood pellet stoves where you are? If they do, perhaps you could get a bag of wood stove pellets. They're a lot cheaper than the "boutique" cat litters and just as effective if not more. When the pellets get wet they crumble and absorb the liquid. They come in hardwood or softwood versions, hardwood are the best because they don't have the volatile oils that evergreens do. The only thing you have to watch for is that some brands contain flame accelerants. You want the kind that contains only wood and no additives.


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## Bramble (Aug 16, 2016)

Overquill! said:


> Do people use wood pellet stoves where you are? If they do, perhaps you could get a bag of wood stove pellets. They're a lot cheaper than the "boutique" cat litters and just as effective if not more. When the pellets get wet they crumble and absorb the liquid. They come in hardwood or softwood versions, hardwood are the best because they don't have the volatile oils that evergreens do. The only thing you have to watch for is that some brands contain flame accelerants. You want the kind that contains only wood and no additives.


I wish we had that option but unfortunately not, I've never even seen a wood stove in SA.


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## Bramble (Aug 16, 2016)

Ok, so I suppose the Marlton's wood pellets are out. I haven't had a response yet from the manufacturer but I'm not sure I want to take the risk even if they come back with a positive response. That's now two litter bags to donate to someone who has a kitty.

I suppose I'll try the fleece option, it seems to be the safest as Briar already poops occasionally in her fleece 'cave'. My question now is: She poops and pees by her water and food bowl, do I put the fleece there or in a corner? and, do I put the fleece into a container or can I fold it up and put it directly on her floor?


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Fleece is extreamly flexible. You can put some under the food and water dishes and in a corner that she prefers to use. 
I'd see if you could return the litter to the store.


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## Bramble (Aug 16, 2016)

OK, so I've removed the litter tray and just placed a piece of fleece on her floor over her newsprint (no ink newspaper) liner in front of her food and water bowl where she poops and pees the most. Hopefully that will catch most of it and it'll make cleaning up after her a little easier. Also give her more space in her pen!


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Newsprint, even with no ink, isn't recommended because it becomes very cold when wet and can cause your hedgehog to become cold.


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## Overquill! (Aug 16, 2016)

Briar said:


> I wish we had that option but unfortunately not, I've never even seen a wood stove in SA.


 Duh... South Africa... As you can tell, I'm not familiar with your climate. I wasn't sure if you have a colder season like some places south of the equator. I'm in Canada, where most of our year is the colder season. I thought perhaps some people in SA might use pellet stoves for cooking as opposed to heat. A lot of people in rural areas do, up here.


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## Bramble (Aug 16, 2016)

nikki said:


> Newsprint, even with no ink, isn't recommended because it becomes very cold when wet and can cause your hedgehog to become cold.


I haven't had any problems with it, we live in a very dry climate so any moisture is quickly evaporated.

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## Bramble (Aug 16, 2016)

Overquill! said:


> Duh... South Africa... As you can tell, I'm not familiar with your climate. I wasn't sure if you have a colder season like some places south of the equator. I'm in Canada, where most of our year is the colder season. I thought perhaps some people in SA might use pellet stoves for cooking as opposed to heat. A lot of people in rural areas do, up here.


It does get quite cold here (not as cold as Canada of course), during Winter the temperature can sometimes drop below zero, we've even had snow on rare occasions. Here people keep warm by dressing like snowmen and putting heaters on. The only stoves we cook with are electric or gas, or we have a braai (out version of a BBQ) outside on a fire.

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