Sawdust
About 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.
Tips on how to buy Sawdust for Pets
Those who are not familiar with pet bedding might think that choosing sawdust for your pet is going to be a walk in the park. However, this is not true. While it is true that buying sawdust for pet bedding is not rocket science, it is not something that you can do blindly either. That being said, it is going to be easy if you know what factors to consider in them. Here are a few things to keep in mind while shopping for sawdust for pets online.
- Wood type – Sawdust comes from a variety of sources. Generally, it will be easy for you to figure out what type of wood the sawdust is coming from because brands generally label it on the packaging itself. But you have to make sure that the sawdust you are buying from is not allergic to your animal.
- Cleanliness and safety – Sawdust have to be cleaned and processed before it is fit to be made into bedding for the pets. Small dust has to be removed from the material to make it safe for the animal. Furthermore, cleaning will also help to remove harmful bacteria and other microorganisms.
- Sawdust for horses – One thing that is unique about horses is that they don’t lie down to sleep like other animals. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to provide them with comfortable bedding. However, horse bedding should be different from the bedding that you make for other animals. The purpose of horse bedding is to provide cushioning so that the pressures on the knees of the horse will be reduced.
- Quantity – Finally, how much sawdust do you need for bedding? Well, there is no upper limit. The amount of sawdust you will need for making bedding depends on the size of the animal and also the size of the cage or hutch. However, you have to completely replace the bedding often to keep everything clean.
If you are a pet owner, then you will need many other pet supplies products apart from sawdust. These include things like hay, straw, pet medications, pet blankets, pet toys, cleaning products, and skincare products. You can find any of these products easily using our shopping search engine. It will also let you compare the prices and features of different products and pick the best one among them. So, don’t forget to check out all the other amazing products from our soil cover category.
Question & Answer
Do rabbits eat sawdust?
It is not common for rabbits to eat sawdust from their bedding. So, if you see your rabbit eating sawdust, it should be a reason for concern. But most probably it is not anything serious. It can be either that the rabbit is hungry, or it needs more fibre in the diet. If the rabbit has an upset stomach, it might stop eating for a while and resort to eating fibrous things like sawdust. But if this persists for more than a day, you should get it diagnosed and provide medication. Increasing the quantity of grass in the diet is the best way to provide adequate amounts of fibre to rabbits.
How much does it cost for sawdust bedding?
The cost of sawdust bedding depends on how much sawdust you need to prepare the bedding and how often you need to change it. One of the most extreme cases is that of preparing sawdust bedding for cows. Being large animals, the bedding should be sufficiently thick to support their weight and should cover a large area of the floor. In a month, this can cost you around a thousand dirhams for a cow. However, in the case of small animals like rabbits, it will only cost a fraction of that.
Where can I buy sawdust in the UAE?
It is essential to have all the right kinds of pet supplies products if you are a pet owner. Furthermore, you also have to figure out two things as well: what exactly to buy and where to buy it from. Fortunately, there are many stores in the UAE where you can buy them. But one of the best places to shop for sawdust for pets is of course, Shops.ae. It is incredibly easy to search and find the right products using our retail search engine. Moreover, you will be able to buy them for the most affordable prices as well. You can buy from popular brands like Wilko, Lolo Pets, Duvo, Smart Pet, Emily Pets, Vitakraft, and Healthypet.