CareFRESH Pet Bedding

CareFRESH pet bedding is fabricated out of non-toxic cellulose fibers, a fluffy byproduct of paper production. It absorbs liquids very well.

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But: Is CareFRESH pet bedding, in their words, "the safest, healthiest pet bedding for your pet," as their packaging proclaims? You decide...

I have nothing against CareFRESH and no reason to be negative. It's just that the science doesn’t apparently support some of their marketing statements, and you might like to know the facts.

CareFRESH does a great job soaking up liquids and urine, however according to four studies, it provides almost NO ammonia control.

See the study results at our Rabbit Litter page. If you'd like to read the text of the entire study, you can read or download the PDF here.

In my opinion, the CareFRESH marketing spin-doctors walk a very fine line across the back-of-the-package advertising.

"CareFRESH Ultra suppresses the formation of ammonia, the primary odor caused by pet urine."

Huh? In four separate tests, CareFRESH Ultra ranked off the charts in parts-per-million of ammonia. The scientists called an early halt to the first test, as ammonia levels exceeded an average of 200 ppm within 2 weeks (as compared to 13.2 ppm after 3 weeks for pine shavings). Surprised, the researchers repeated their tests three different ways. In all cases, CareFRESH bedding failed remarkably to control ammonia. This is all documented in the above study.

Why would this be? Pine and certain other fibers have natural properties that either fix the nitrogen in urine, preventing the formation of ammonia, or inhibit the bacteria that convert the urine into ammonia. According to the science, CareFRESH fibers may not perform either function, despite the assertions on their packaging.

CareFRESH Natural "works to suppress the formation of ammonia, the primary odor." Given the scientific results, we're not surprised at their wording - 'works to suppress....'

Failure to prevent, inhibit or control ammonia is far more concerning than any of the hype about pine and cedar aromatic oils, which you can be sure CareFRESH mentions on every bag of product... "CareFRESH is processed to remove potentially harmful aromatic hydrocarbons that exist in pine and cedar oils."

CareFRESH Pet Bedding "lasts twice as long as shavings so you save time and money." But, that little problem with ammonia means you've got to clean out the litter twice as frequently. Doh...there went the savings.

Are you using CareFRESH at present? Now that you know its downside, all you need to do is take a few necessary precautions for the health of your pet rabbit:

• Change the entire bedding at least every week. This is to ensure the ammonia levels stay under control. By removing the urine frequently, you'll limit the amount of ammonia that can form.
  
  
• Only use CareFRESH Pet Bedding in wire cages and keep the cage in well-ventilated open spaces. Ventilation carries away the ammonia and keeps your pet rabbit safe.
  
  
• Don’t use CareFRESH Pet Bedding in 3-sided solid-floored rabbit hutches, glass aquariums or enclosed plexiglass cages, lest the resulting high ammonia levels inflame your pet rabbit’s lungs.
  
  
• Keep your rabbit’s litter box in a very well ventilated room.
  
  
• Owners of rats, hamsters, mice, or gerbils (small rodents) might consider avoiding CareFRESH altogether.

Petco dedicates huge shelf-space to CareFRESH. Nevertheless, heat-treated pine shavings and the other Raising-Rabbits.com-recommended rabbit beddings may be superior for your needs.

• The Rat Lady (Debbie Ducommun) noticed that rats bedded in CareFRESH tended to sneeze.
  
  
• According to their online comments, rat owners who switched away from CareFRESH noticed that their rats stopped sneezing.
  
  
• I spoke with Tom, a Petco employee at the store in my neighborhood. He informed me that Petco beds their larger rodents and ferrets in their store brand bedding. "It’s the same thing as CareFRESH," he said. However, Petco doesn’t let their employees use the CareFRESH product for the littlest rodents. Their protocol is to use shavings as bedding for the mini-hamsters and mice, as they noticed respiratory problems with CareFRESH-type bedding.

The KEY to using CareFRESH Pet Bedding is ventilation.

In fairness of reporting, the study discloses that mouse noses remained normal after three weeks on CareFRESH and high exposure to ammonia.

How would our pet rabbits fare? High ammonia is a well-known predisposing factor for the incurable snuffles. With virtually 100% of rabbitries already carrying pasteurella multocida germs (according to Rabbit Production), it seems clear that your rabbit needs you to keep the ammonia levels at a minimum for optimal health.

Comments? Experiences? Questions?

Perhaps you have observations or experiences that can help others. We'd like to hear them.

So, thanks in advance for your comments, and if you have pictures, you can post up to four of them.

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