Are you preparing a new home for your rabbits? One of the most important things to consider is what to put at the bottom of the rabbit cage.
Metal wires and mesh floors don’t make the most comfortable floor for your fluffy pets.
This makes it important to choose the right cage bedding if you want to create a comfy space where your bunnies can play and relax.
The good news is that rabbits are not extremely picky about cage floors as long as it is soft and comfy.
You have numerous options, including straw, hay, grass mats, wood pellets, paper pulp, bunny-safe litter, cardboard, and more.
In the end, the best bedding for rabbit cages depends on your personal preferences.
Best Beddings to Put at the Bottom of a Rabbit Cage
The kind of bedding you choose makes a significant impact on your pet. Rabbit paws are incredibly soft and sensitive.
So, the inability to choose the right bedding can lead to discomfort and even pain for your rabbit.
The comfort of your rabbit also depends on it. Bedding at the cage floor may also determine how often you need to clean the cage.
So, make sure you choose wisely.
Take a look at our top 9 choices for rabbit cage bedding below to choose the right bedding for your bunny cage.
Hay or Straw
Hay and straw may seem like the perfect choice of bedding as they mimic the natural environment of rabbits.
These materials are also affordable and readily available in the market.
They will also stick less to your bunny’s paws and fur than other materials like wood shavings.
Regardless, you need to be careful when using hay or straw as bedding. For one, they are not as absorbent as some other materials.
So, you will have to clean the cage and replace the bedding more often.
Secondly, most rabbits love to munch on hay, which means they may consume the bedding.
When you opt for hay or straw, it is advisable to keep a close eye on your bunnies.
If they resort to eating too much of the bedding, you may want to look into alternatives.
Paper
Paper is a great choice for rabbit cage bedding for multiple reasons. When curled or shredded, it provides excellent bedding.
It is also a great way to reuse paper. However, make sure you stay away from paper with ink or paint.
These substances may include toxic compounds that may be harmful to your rabbit in the long run. Ink and colors can also rub off on the paws and fur of your pet.
If your bunny decides to eat paper, it may end up ingesting these compounds.
For all these reasons, it is important to avoid paper with ink, paint, or color. Look for plain paper without a finish. You can use the paper as a whole or shred it before placing it at the bottom of your rabbit’s cage.
Also read: Can Rabbits Eat Tissue Paper?
Wood Shavings
Many pet parents use wood shavings as rabbit cage bedding.
It works great, especially for cages with a removable tray under the wire bottom of the cage.
Wood shavings are highly absorbent and can also help with the odor.
But did you know that several different types of wood shavings are harmful to your rabbit?
For example, Pine and cedar shavings may have silver or ammonia fumes that can harm your bunny. The best option is aspen wood shavings are a great alternative.
This is a wonderful and safe wood variant for your rabbit because it is soft, bouncy, toxin-free, and absorbent.
Make sure you buy wood shavings from the pet store to make sure it is 100% toxic-free and safe for your bunny.
Bunny-Safe Litter
Bunny-safe litter is a great way to cover the cage floor. If a bunny-safe litter is not available, you can always use cat box litter.
Sure, it is not technically bedding, but it is an affordable option that makes cleaning the cage so much easier.
It is one of the best choices for cages with a removable tray or plastic bottom.
The only downfall is that if you are litter training your bunny, a litter floor might confuse the little guy. As a result, your rabbit may continue to poop all around the cage.
Cage Mat
Do you want to make it easier for your rabbit to settle into its cage? Just lay down a mat on the floor.
You can buy a new mat or use an old one at home. It will cushion your rabbit’s feet and keep them comfy.
It is also easy to remove the mat when it’s time to clean. Mats come in a variety of materials and shapes.
Some pet shops even offer grass mats that are specifically designed for pet pens and cages.
Grass mats are made from grass, hay, or other rabbit-safe plant materials that have been dried.
They’re all natural and completely safe to eat. They can also provide chewing and playing opportunities for your rabbit.
The majority of grass mats are inexpensive. They’re also available in a number of sizes, or you can cut them to fit the cage completely.
But keep in mind that rabbits may easily eat through mats.
If your rabbit is a chewer and you don’t want to replace the flooring too often, consider a different type of flooring.
Another option is to provide your bunny with plenty of chew toys. It will keep them from chewing on the mat!
Blanket or Towel
For added comfort, you may be tempted to put a blanket or towel in your bunny’s cage.
Blankets and towels make excellent additions to a rabbit’s living quarters and will keep them warm and happy.
Just stay away from old, threadbare blankets with holes, as they might trap paws.
Also, make sure your pet isn’t ingesting a lot of cloth. It is a good idea to use these materials in addition to other floor beddings.
For example, many pet owners use fleece, towels, and other similar materials to create comfort spots in the cage.
It is best to cover the entire cage floor with comfortable bedding. However, some pet owners create comfort spots using blankets without covering the metal wires in the other parts of the cage.
This cage setup allows the waste to fall through while providing the rabbit with comfortable places to rest.
It is advisable to opt for this rabbit cage setup with blankets and towels only when your bunny spends most of the time out of the cage.
Wood Pellets
Wood pellets are a good choice for rabbit bedding. For starters, they’re extremely absorbent.
Furthermore, the heat used to compress the pellets eliminates potentially hazardous oils and phenols.
They are also almost dust-free, resulting in a great, low-cost rabbit bedding solution.
When compared to aspen wood shavings or paper, they are a little more expensive, but they also stay longer.
Wood pellets, on the other hand, absorb more urine, spills, and stink in general.
You might also use it in your rabbit’s litter box. Just keep in mind that the bedding and the litter box should not be made of the same material.
Paper Pulp Bedding
A novel sort of commercial bedding with numerous benefits, paper pulp bedding, is slowly gaining popularity among pet owners.
It is almost always produced from recycled or pulped paper. This is a particularly eco-friendly alternative when combined with its biodegradability.
Another great advantage is that unlike newspaper or other homemade paper beddings, commercially produced paper pulp bedding eliminates the risk of introducing ink, paint, or other toxins inside the cage.
You also know it’s safe to eat because it’s purpose-made.
So, you won’t have to worry about your bunny munching on some pulp bedding for a treat. It also doesn’t produce any dust and is cost-effective.
Cardboard
Whether you buy commercial cardboard bedding or shred an old cardboard box, cardboard is a wonderful alternative for comfy absorbent bedding.
You can also give your rabbit an entire box and let them shred it up themselves for added entertainment.
This can be a lot of fun for your rabbit and will keep them entertained for hours. It is also a great technique to recycle cardboard envelopes and delivery boxes.
Just be sure to get rid of any stickers, staples, tape, glue, and so on.
It is an inexpensive, fun, and disposable choice of bedding. The only problem is that it doesn’t rank high on the aesthetic appeal scale.
Leaving a cardboard box in the cage for bunnies to tear may make for unkempt, shabby-looking beddings.
Some Common FAQs about Rabbit Cage Bedding
While I have tried to give you some great bedding options for your rabbit hutch, new rabbit owners often have a lot of other questions as well about rabbit bedding.
Here are some of the common ones I have come across:
How Often Do You Change Rabbit Bedding?
It really depends on how much your rabbit likes to pee and poop.
Some people change it every week, others every two weeks. I usually change it every three weeks unless it smells really bad, then I’ll do it sooner.
Can I Use Newspaper as Bedding in Rabbit Hutch?
Yes, you can use newspaper as bedding in a rabbit hutch, but it’s not recommended.
Newspaper is a good option for bedding because it’s absorbent and cheap. However, it can be dangerous for rabbits if they eat it because the ink can be toxic. Additionally, newspapers can get wet and become moldy, which can also be harmful to rabbits.
A better option for bedding in a rabbit hutch is straw or hay. Straw is absorbent and dry, so it doesn’t promote mold growth, and hay is high in fiber which helps keep rabbits’ digestive systems healthy.
Personally, I use newspaper (or shredded paper) when I am out of regular rabbit bedding. Also, I sometimes first put the newspaper and then spread regular bunny bedding. This way the bottom of the hutch remains dry and clean and my bunnies also don’t eat the newspaper.
Can I use Grass Clippings from my Lawn as Rabbit Bedding?
Yes, you can, but only if you’re sure that these have not been treated with any chemicals/pesticides.
In case you’re not sure, I would recommend you avoid adding it to your bunny cage.
The Bottom Line
Bedding is beneficial to both indoor and outdoor enclosures. You have a lot of options when it comes to bedding for your rabbit’s cage.
Whatever you choose, make sure it is soft, absorbent, nontoxic, and dust-free.
It should also be safe to eat and different from the material that lines your litter pan.
Plus, it’s preferable if the bedding can manage odor, but even less absorbent materials can work if you change it out frequently enough.
In the end, it boils down to your personal preferences as long as your fluffy friends stay warm, comfortable, and happy.
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