# Hedgehog eating litter?



## Jumping_JuniperXO (Sep 23, 2014)

So I've Recently gotten my hedgie Tulip and I've woken up a couple of times during the night because she was rolling in her litter, I use this Kaytee brand of litter that I had researched on and it had pretty good reviews. (Dust free, safe, etc etc) 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002DJG0U?pc_redir=1411061566&robot_redir=1#
Anyway I just assumed she was rolling around in it and figured no big deal since it isn't a dusty litter or anything like that but I noticed today she's started eating it out of the blue! Part of me thinks I'm just over reacting being a first time hedgie owner because she only ate a piece of it in front of me however I worry she has eaten it before now in the past nights. So I have a few questions  
1) is this litter safe to eat if she is just taste-testing it out to see what it is? (I can't find much on hedgies eating this litter before so that's why I ask  ) 
2) any tips on stopping her eating the litter if it continues? 
3) any ideas on possible replacements if I need to remove the litter? 
Thanks!


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

I removed my loose substrate the moment Penny stuck it in her mouth. There is just so much that can go wrong.

Are you using the litter in her entire cage?

If so, I would take it out and replace with fleece. You can buy fleece at any fabric store and cut it to the size of the cage and then just lay it on the bottom. If she likes to burrow and it sounds like she does, just cut up from extra fleece into strips and put it in her igloo or a box so she can dig in it.


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## lilythehedgie (Sep 20, 2012)

1) I wouldn't let her eat it, even though it says non-toxic. A quick search shows that certain types of bentonite clay are safe to consume, but that only applies to humans, not hedgies. A small concern would be the teal pellets, which have dye in them, but it probably will not affect her if she does eat one of them.

2) You just need to get rid of it as quickly as you can. Too much can happen with her eating it. It can get stuck in her mouth and she can choke, or any other number of things. Hopefully this is something specific to think kind of litter, and not all litters.

3) This litter is the one I used with Lily: http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/b...s-rabbit-litter-zid36-520/cat-36-catid-600027 It's the same thing as Yesterday's News, which is recycled paper pellets. You can also use paper towels or cut out small fleece liners for the bottom of her litter pan, and wash those.

ETA: Whoops, Desiree beat me to it! :lol:


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Agreed with above posts. If she's eating it, it'd be best to remove it ASAP. My biggest concern with eating litter is the possibility of an impaction, which can require surgery to fix. Many people like using fleece/fabric liners for the entire cage, if that's what you're using it for, or if you're using it for her litter box, I always liked using paper towels best. Much easier to deal with!


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## Jumping_JuniperXO (Sep 23, 2014)

No I'm not using it all over the cage Desireem81, I do have fleece lining the cage as well & the litter is kept in a separate box  I haven't seen her eating anymore since the night I caught her taste testing it. Now she just wobbles around it and sniffs the container so far however I'm perfectly fine with just cleaning the fleece if necessary and taking the litter out  thank you!


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