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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Is it ok to not use bedding?

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    • floppysmom
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        This might be a silly question, but hey, I’m a newbie. 

        I’ve been using the recycled paper type bedding in Floppy’s cage, but he really seems to prefer the bare floor (it’s the kind with a solid plastic bottom). He always clears out a spot or two so he can flop down where there’s no bedding. Last night he apparently got really fed up with it because when we came down this morning there was bedding flung out all around the outside of the cage. So is there any reason it wouldn’t be ok to just take out all the bedding material? It’s just that all of the books and stuff say to make sure you provide nice soft bedding on the floor. He has a nice soft piece of flannel sheet in his hidey-house that he seems to like, maybe that’s good enough? Any thoughts?


      • Elrohwen
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          Bedding in a cage is actually a bad idea – the bunny can’t tell the difference between “bedding” and “litter” and they tend to use the whole cage as a bathroom. For litter training you should definitely remove all bedding and just have litter in the litter box. Later you can add in a fleece blanket or something similar as long as he’s not peeing on it (some will), but most prefer the plastic floor anyway. As long as he’s not peeing on it there’s no harm in keeping his flannel blanket in his hidey house.

          I think the books might suggest soft bedding because they assume you would have a wire bottomed cage and need something soft for them to rest on. With a plastic bottom cage it’s not necessary.


        • peppypoo
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            Actually, it’s a better idea to not use bedding. There’s really no need for it, as many bunnies like Floppy do seem to prefer bare surfaces. Also, bedding all over the cage may just confuse him when it comes to litter training. Plus, saving money on bedding is always a good thing .


          • Isabelle
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              I found that Dutchess did the same thing with her bedding, shoving it out of the way and laying down on the floor. I use soft apsen for her, and also have a plastic bottom habitat. What I found was, I put bedding in 1/3 of her habitat, then left the other 2/3 which included the litterbox free of bedding. She loves to dig the bedding, so the bedding that you find out of his cage might just be from him digging. She’ll do a few good shwooshes with her front paws and out shoots the bedding behind her butt. It used to go more out of her habitat, but now she’s not quite as forceful and it remains in there, although I definately see her paw streaks in the bedding.


            • Stickerbunny
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                The only bedding I use is a soft fleece blanket, but my buns half the time prefer to just lay on the bare floor.


              • Rei
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                  I did the same thing when I first got Molly. She didn’t like the bedding either. She would do the exact same thing and clear a spot to lay in. Really the bedding would only be needed if you don’t have litterbox in the cage. Other than that its just a lot less money that needs to be spent, and you can use it to buy bunny toys!!!  lol  If he doesn’t like it take it out and get him a litterbox


                • floppysmom
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                     Yay! It’s nice when you get the answer you’re looking for! I just did the daily tidying-up and took all of the bedding out, so we’ll see if he seems to like that better. It will at least simplify cleanup a lot and I’m sure my husband will be happy about one less bunny-related expense. Just wish I hadn’t bought that extra bag! 


                  • floppysmom
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                      Soooo… he seems very happy with the new arrangments, he’s been flopping around in there all afternoon/evening. And the best thing is……not a single poop outside of the litter box since I took the bedding out! Woohoo! Thanks for your advice, everyone!


                    • Elrohwen
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                        You can use up that extra bedding in his litter box – even if it’s a different kind, just mix some in with the regular litter until it’s gone. Then there’s no need to waste it!

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                    Forum BEHAVIOR Is it ok to not use bedding?