Hi folks,

I read somewhere that you shouldn't use cedar shavings for bedding for bunnies. Come to think of it, it might have said cedar is bad for all animals. Is this right? We get free wood chips from local tree companies, and I use it for bedding for the pigs, chickens, ducks, etc. sometimes it contains cedar chips, is this a no no?

Chuck in MD

-- chuck in md (woah@mission4me.com), December 17, 2001

Answers

Cute bunnies Chuck!!! I know I read somewhere in all my bunny books that cedar chips are bad for bunnies because cedar chips can aggravate or cause respiratory problems. Snuffles are bad in some bunnies and I think the cedar chips can aggravate that.

I use pine chips in the plastic trays under eight of my bunnies' hutches...the rest of their hutches just hang and the bunny-droppings just drop on the ground and I rake it out of the bunny barn every morning!

I don't know about cedar and other animals!

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), December 17, 2001.

By the way, can anyone tell me what KIND of bunnies these are? I got them at the livestock auction, they are both does, about seven months.

Thanks!

Chuck

-- chuck in md (woah@mission4me.com), December 17, 2001.

Chuck,

I never use pine/cedar shavings, but read the following link for more complete info. I have 17 various breed buns, and have never had a fatality do to respiratory problems, but I know many who have & they used shavings. http://www.rabbit.org/care/shavings.html Also, your breed looks like Britannia Petite, maybe a mix.

-- Pam (pamandmatt@earthlink.net), December 17, 2001.

Maybe dwarf Netherlands?

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), December 17, 2001.

It's mainly the little critters who must live directly in & on their bedding that suffer cedar-related problems. Think of an aquarium with hamsters or gerbils...they walk and sleep and eat right in the shavings. Their little faces are in the stuff all the time, breathing the fumes, etc. I think if you use cedar in a way where the animal is not directly in contact with it, and there's plenty of air circulation, it should be okay. Tho there are certainly plenty of other bedding options these days (paper pellets, ground corn cobs, etc.) Cedar is tempting because it's so cheap.

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), December 17, 2001.

Cedar, really Juniper, is the source of the 'fragrance' in Irish Spring bath soap. Like being locked in a small, warm room with someone who is wearing powerful cologne. Ain't nobody that good looking.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), December 17, 2001.

Also the oil of the cedar will make their skin irratated and hair fall out. According to my rabbit book, these rabbits are tans and should weigh about 4 pounds.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), December 17, 2001.

These are silver martens (martins?) if I'm not mistaken. Nice bunnies!

-- Christina (introibo2000@yahoo.com), December 17, 2001.

I responded directly to Chuck... but thought I might also put it on the board. I believe firmly that his rabbits are the breed Tans. A friend of mine raises them, and his seem to be identical. They are kinda rare, at least in this area of the US, but MD might be different.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), December 17, 2001.

Thanks for all your help, but I'm more confused than ever as to what kind of bunnies these are. Everyone seems to have a different opinion. Let's see if I have any better luck with our buck, Willie. Can anyone conclusively identify this guy?

Thanks

Chuck

-- chuck in md (woah@mission4me.com), December 17, 2001.

I've also read that the aromatic oils in cedar shavings can cause liver damage over time with rabbits and guinea pigs. By the same token, I've alsp read more than once that these are urban legends. So...what are you supposed to do? Beats me. My vet isn't particularly concerned.

Russ

-- (rwhitworth@sprint.ca), December 17, 2001.

Don't know about the first bunnies...but they sure are cute..but the buck is a Califoria. They are great!! I used to have a buck named Ned. I don't use cedar chips at all...and redwood is toxic too.

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), December 18, 2001.

Chuck,

the first ones look like silver martins but sometimes pictures can be decieving, so take a look at: http://www.showbunny.com/slvmarten.asp

I know they don't look like tans: http://www.showbunny.com/tans.asp

Now the last bunny is a Californian nice meat rabbit known for its fast rate of growth with its feed to meat conversion one of the better ones. http://www.showbunny.com/californian.asp

Show Bunny ( http://www.showbunny.com ) has a nice list of all the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Assoc.) recognized breeds including pictures as well as complete descriptions of each breed.

-- westbrook (westbrook_farms@yahoo.com), December 18, 2001.

Dunno about bunnies, but it seems to me I've heard that ceday shavings in horses stalls can cause founder...something about the chemical reaction between the urine & the cedar. Seems to me it was a reliable source, like my equine vet at the time, but now I'll get 100's of emails saying naw, taint so. Wonder, tho, if bunnies have the same problem. Also wonder how they'd do with all that POWERFUL smell - it'd drive me nutz, ya know? Dunno, tho..............Kt.

-- K-K-K-Katie (yarnspinnerkt@aol.com), December 18, 2001.

I think Westbrook has it nailed, as far as breeds. Of course, we can't tell how big these guys are. Himalayans look similar to Californians, but they have quite a lanky body and a more streamlined head, so I'm betting you do have a Californian, especially if it weighs roughly 10 pounds as an adult. Himalayans are quite a bit lighter weight. The silver martens should be roughly the same size as the californian. Tans are around 4 or 5 pounds as adults. Netherland dwarfs are, I think, around 2 or 3 pounds, and Brittania Petites are even smaller. Netherlands tend to have much rounder heads and faces with proportionately smaller ears as well. So,based on the info we have, again, I'd go with Westbrook.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), December 19, 2001.