“Dogs have owners; cats have staff.” – unknown
As I kneel down before my smelly cat box, I believe no truer words were spoken. Oh, the joys of rooming with feline companions. Of course, whether you’re scooping through cat litter or following your dog around with a baggy, you know you would do just about anything for the unconditional love of a pet.
Even clean up their poo. In a seemingly never-ending supply.
So first the bad news: you cannot and should not compost pet waste in your backyard compost bin from your cat, dog, or any other carnivorous or omnivorous animal. Besides being stinky it can also contain harmful pathogens. Yuck and double-yuck, don’t do it.
Now the good news: if you have an herbivorous pet, like a gerbil or rabbit, compost away. Chillman, my resident rodent, regularly contributes to the compost bin. My pint-sized, hopping, squeaking, housemate prefers shredded pine bedding to “do his business,” so to speak. And since he’s an herbivore, I can safely mix his used litter (which smells pine fresh unlike the cat box) into my compost.
Pet waste from our lovable herbivores is high in nitrogen and aerobic bacteria. In fact, urine contains urea which is one of the best and most plentiful sources of nitrogen around. It breaks down fast in the compost bin and really helps the pile heat up. Plus, the high carbon bedding that most of these pets use balances out the nitrogen perfectly.
Yes
Hamster Poo
Gerbil Poo
Rabbit Poo
Guinea Pig Poo
Chinchilla Poo
Mouse Poo
Horse Poo
Alpaca Poo
No
Cat Poo
Dog Poo
Ferret Poo
Snake Poo
Lizard Poo
Bird Poo
Kinkajou Poo
As far as I can tell, bird droppings are fairly dicey and contain many seeds so it’s best to avoid those in your bin. Although, I hear quite a few people compost their chicken poo.
Next time you’re cleaning up after your herbivorous pet, think of them as little compost additive makers, just doing their part to help with your compost bin. Yet another reason to love our furry friends.
And yes, I did win the bet of how many times I could say “poo” in a post.
As I kneel down before my smelly cat box, I believe no truer words were spoken. Oh, the joys of rooming with feline companions. Of course, whether you’re scooping through cat litter or following your dog around with a baggy, you know you would do just about anything for the unconditional love of a pet.
Even clean up their poo. In a seemingly never-ending supply.
So first the bad news: you cannot and should not compost pet waste in your backyard compost bin from your cat, dog, or any other carnivorous or omnivorous animal. Besides being stinky it can also contain harmful pathogens. Yuck and double-yuck, don’t do it.
Now the good news: if you have an herbivorous pet, like a gerbil or rabbit, compost away. Chillman, my resident rodent, regularly contributes to the compost bin. My pint-sized, hopping, squeaking, housemate prefers shredded pine bedding to “do his business,” so to speak. And since he’s an herbivore, I can safely mix his used litter (which smells pine fresh unlike the cat box) into my compost.
Pet waste from our lovable herbivores is high in nitrogen and aerobic bacteria. In fact, urine contains urea which is one of the best and most plentiful sources of nitrogen around. It breaks down fast in the compost bin and really helps the pile heat up. Plus, the high carbon bedding that most of these pets use balances out the nitrogen perfectly.
Yes
Hamster Poo
Gerbil Poo
Rabbit Poo
Guinea Pig Poo
Chinchilla Poo
Mouse Poo
Horse Poo
Alpaca Poo
No
Cat Poo
Dog Poo
Ferret Poo
Snake Poo
Lizard Poo
Bird Poo
Kinkajou Poo
As far as I can tell, bird droppings are fairly dicey and contain many seeds so it’s best to avoid those in your bin. Although, I hear quite a few people compost their chicken poo.
Next time you’re cleaning up after your herbivorous pet, think of them as little compost additive makers, just doing their part to help with your compost bin. Yet another reason to love our furry friends.
And yes, I did win the bet of how many times I could say “poo” in a post.
Actually you can compost dog poop provided you don't use the compost on your vegetable garden. If you think about it it makes sense - I mean in nature poop gets naturally composted all the time.
ReplyDeleteI did read online about a few methods of composting pet waste and most involved buying a special dog waste composting system. The danger is that the compost would not get hot enough to kill the pathogens. I think unless you know for sure the compost won't cause a health risk, its best to avoid.
ReplyDeleteYour right that in nature all the waste gets composted (animals and their poo included).
If only we were so efficient! (:
Do you have to use pine bedding in order to compost pet poo (in this case, from a guinea pig)? We have been using the recycled newspaper pellet-type bedding as the pet store people told us the pine bedding is not good for the little pets who like to chew things. I was uncertain whether to compost it - we use an open bin that does not get turned very often...
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, the recycled newspaper pellet bedding composts well. I've used that before too. It will add a good amount of carbon to the bin and probably break down faster than the pine bedding. And bonus, its from a recycled source!
ReplyDeleteAS for bird droppings from your caged bird containing seeds....I thought any seeds being composted get hot enough to keep them from germinating. So, why not compost the newspaper, seeds and droppings from the caged bird?
ReplyDeleteSome composting piles do get hot enough to kill the seeds. If you add a good mix of nitrogen and carbon and turn a few times a month, it should be hot enough. But if you never turn the pile and do what is called "cold composting" then the pile won't get hot enough and you may get weeds.
ReplyDeleteWhat if you feed your dog a strictly vegetarian diet? I have been considering switching my dog over to veggie pet food and wondering if I could use his poo in the compost, after a bit of a transition period? Thanks! ~Erin
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read, waste from carnivores or omnivores, even with vegetarian diets, can still contain pathogens. It has somehting to do with their digestive track. Veggie pet food may be more environmentally friendly but I still wouldn't recommend composting the poo. (:
ReplyDeleteJust to double check..
ReplyDeleteIf I use my guinea bedding in my compost bin, it will be safe to use the compost in my FOOD garden, correct?
Thanks!
Yes! Guinea pigs are herbivores and their poo will break down just like anything else in the bin. I use my finished compost on my vegetable garden and get delicious results!
ReplyDeleteWe just got a guinea pig a few weeks ago, and just started a compost last year. I needed something to add to the compost. Thanks for this post!
ReplyDelete