Sawdust

Animal bedding needs to be soft, clean, and absorbent. These days, there are many organic and synthetic materials that can be used for bedding. But even to this day, the most common material is sawdust for pets bedding.

Owning a pet is something that gives all of us happiness. But it is also a huge responsibility that demands your constant attention. Pets require food, sanitation, and health care. Furthermore, you will need to recognize their everyday living space to ensure every creature enjoys an outstanding quality of life. When it comes to bedding in barns, hutches, and stables, sawdust offers the ideal solution. However, there are more things to consider while buying sawdust than many people think. This article will give you a basic idea of all of them.

A brief guide to using sawdust pet bedding

Two of the best materials for preparing bedding for pets and domestic animals is wood shavings and sawdust. Being a byproduct of cutting and shaping wood, both of these materials are very inexpensive and widely available. But among these two, sawdust is more popular than wood shavings for some good reasons. Sawdust is softer and has more ability to absorb water and humidity, thereby keeping the living space of the animal clean and dry. Read this article to find out more about them. Having a better understanding of them will help you make the right choices while shopping for them.

Benefits of sawdust bedding

There are good reasons why many people use sawdust as bedding for their pets. Beyond the fact that this product is inexpensive, it has several functional benefits as well. Firstly, sawdust is fluffy and comfortable for animals. Apart from absorbing the moisture and keeping the place dry, the bedding also helps to keep the animal warm and clean. It doesn’t cost much to prepare a few inches of thick sawdust bedding for the animal. This will ensure that the pet has enough cushioning to keep it comfortable and happy.

Wood shavings vs Sawdust

Wood Shavings is the bigger cousin of sawdust. Some people do choose to go for wood shavings for pet bedding. It is hard to say one is clearly better than the other. Rather, there are pros and cons to both of these. One main reason why people choose sawdust over wood shavings is that their pet might be allergic to sawdust. Unlike sawdust, shavings are less dusty. Therefore, it does not get inside the noses of the animals. Furthermore, when you consider the weight per volume of the material, wood shavings are lighter than sawdust.

Wood toxicity

Although sawdust is generally considered safe for animal bedding, there are some things you have to look out for. Like humans, some animals are also allergic to dust. In that case, you should switch to less dusty materials like wood shavings or any type of synthetic bedding. Another problem that is more common is wood toxicity. Certain types of wood cause toxic reactions in animals. Chemical compounds in cedar wood are known to cause changes within the body. It is better to avoid cedar wood shavings and sawdust altogether.

Alternatives to sawdust for pets

Even though sawdust is a really good option for many pet owners, it might not be the right option for many others. It might be that your pet might be allergic to dust or it might be that you simply find it annoying. Luckily, there are some really good alternatives. If you are looking for bedding for small animals like rabbits, hamsters, ferrets, or even dogs, there are a slew of different synthetic litter brands out there. There are also cheaper bedding options like paper pellets, and litters derived from organic materials like aspen, wood pulp, and maple wood.