Bedding?

[Toby Da Bunny]

What can I use for bedding for my bunny’s cage? He is almost 2 months old and not potty trained. Right now i am using paper bedding from the pet store but it keeps getting stuck all over his fur and making a mess because it all comes out when he jumps out of the cage I know most people use blankets or hay but he is just going to poop and pee all over the blanket and i’d have to wash it every day. Any ideas? 

Also, where do you get your bunnies groomed? I need to take Toby.

Thanks!  

[Deleted User]

Are you not trying to litter train him? It will be worth your while to try that, but he likely won’t get a good handle on it until he is neutered. I would suggest using old towels that you don’t mind being peed on, and put a litter box in as well. If you use bedding for the whole cage, he will just think it’s one big toilet. So designate a spot for his potty business.

Also, he shouldn’t need to be groomed by the vet. A nail trim may be necessary but you only need to brush them to help when they are shedding. They clean themselves pretty well. Rabbits don’t need baths.

[Deleted User]

for the litter box you can use compressed pine pellets (NOT SHAVINGS). That will keep him from having wet paper bedding stuck on him

[Toby Da Bunny]

I am but he is too young to be neutered so hes not really good with litter training. Thanks! And yes i know about the bathing, I just meant for hair trimming

[Deleted User]

Even if he isn’t neutered yet, some buns will take to the litter training, even if only a little. So definitely avoid putting bedding at the bottom of his enclosure. That’ll really teach him he can go anywhere in the cage. I highly recommend getting a Ware litter box. It has a grate, so you don’t have the issues of getting hair stuck to the bottom of the bum or getting wet. With the grate you can also have any kind of litter in there without fear of Toby eating it. Depending on the breed, you might want to get a jumbo size so Toby doesn’t outgrow it. I use pine wood stove pellets without accelerant because it really soaks up the pee, and you just dump it every 2-3 days without the mess that paper bedding causes. If he pees at the bottom of the cage, it’s honestly easier to just wipe it up rather than adding the mess that bedding causes or the hassle of washing fleece every day or two. To help with the litter training even before neutering, make sure his hay and food dishes are near the litter box because bunnies tend to poop where they eat. Also, watch to see where he goes to the bathroom the most, and put it there.

[Deleted User]

Posted By Toby Da Bunny on 4/04/2018 12:28 PM

I am but he is too young to be neutered so hes not really good with litter training. Thanks! And yes i know about the bathing, I just meant for hair trimming

Did someone tell you that he needs his fur trimmed? He shouldn’t need to have his fur trimmed, the only reason I can think of is if he has matted fur. Otherwise, they go through two molts and you just need to brush him so that he doesn’t ingest the loose fur. Ophelia has super silky fur and I haven’t found a brush yet that actually gets fur off her. I basically just pluck at her while she eats and she gets mad at me

[Toby Da Bunny]

Thanks so much! I will definitley look into the litter box because changing the bedding is so tedious and getting smelly!! Also Toby might be a girl now, gonna take him to the vet to make sure but hopefully not because spaying will be much more difficult and expensive

[Deleted User]

Even at 2 months, bunnies are so difficult to sex, and some bunnies don’t drop their testicles for a while. Every bunny is different. To check for the sex, put some pellets out of his reach so you can get a look down there for testicles, or you can attempt to lift his leg while he’s on his side. Don’t put him on his back to check though as it can put him into a state called trancing, which is very dangerous.

Also for the grooming. Take him to a vet for his nail trim because it’ll be the easiest, and if his bum ever gets matted from pee they can also do a sanitary shave. Other than that, a bunny brush or a grooming glove can work great.

[Toby Da Bunny]

Thanks! I was saying because hes a lionhead and his hairs are getting very long i thought it would be cute to trim those long hairs but i didnt want to do it myself, i might mess up. 

[kurottabun]

Well I’m an advocate for the “au naturel” so I’d say just leave his fur be unless it’s tangled, matted or any other reason apart from aesthetics. It’s part of being a lionhead anyway. Also if you want his fur trimmed whenever it grows long, then that may become a long term financial cost to you as well – something to think about (unless your vet does that for free, which I doubt).

[diggityd77]

Posted By BunNoob on 4/04/2018 1:14 PM

Did someone tell you that he needs his fur trimmed? He shouldn’t need to have his fur trimmed, the only reason I can think of is if he has matted fur. Otherwise, they go through two molts and you just need to brush him so that he doesn’t ingest the loose fur. Ophelia has super silky fur and I haven’t found a brush yet that actually gets fur off her. I basically just pluck at her while she eats and she gets mad at me

Just sitting here chuckling to myself because that’s exactly what I do LOL – the comb I bought doesn’t do a thing! So I just pluck here and there and I get “the look” from Oreo. 

[Toby Da Bunny]

Aw! hahaha. I like the short hair look for Toby he looks so cute without the flying lionhead hairs so my mom and I trimmed it a little last night and he loves it! He’s been hopping and jumping around ever since 

[Cocoa]

I rarely trim my bunnies fur. I only do Cocoa’s because she is more fluffy and gets matts easier. I only trim her when she gets matts, or if poop is getting stuck in one spot, I will cut that fur shorter. I trim around every 6 months or sooner if needed

[Rain]

I’m in love with the scruffy, wild look of lionheads!!! I just love it. You don’t really need to trim it, you can just brush it to be straight and it’ll still be neat. You could potentially harm the bun with the scissors so close to his eyes and mouth.

[Harley&Thumper]

I really try to give people the benefit of doubt, how much fur was trimmed? An inch? A half inch?

[Bladesmith]

We use Care Free paper bedding, the grey crumbly stuff. Its not cheap, 20 bucks a bag, and we use 3 bags a month, but its massively absorbant, reduces smell, doesnt scatter easily, and is easy to clean up. Our girls don’t even nibble it. They like to lay in their pans, and while it compacts the litter, but doesnt impede its functionality.

[Toby Da Bunny]

@Bladesmith thanks! i actually litter trained him this morning so the bedding isnt a problem anymore! well.. half litter trained? hes peeing in the litter box but still pooping around. But progress is progress

[Toby Da Bunny]

@Rain aw i think its cute too! i just felt like it was covering his sight its like all up in his eyes so i trimmed a little bit on top of his head. dont worry i dont put the scissors near his eyes or mouth so i dont get near his whiskers

[Rain]

Ohhhhh 2 cm, come on, that’s nothing! That’s perfectly fine! That’s definitely okay to do. It’s good that you’re careful. Glad to hear that he’s litter trained now!

[Toby Da Bunny]

exactly!! thank you for not bashing on me 

[sarahthegemini]

He might continue to poop everywhere til he’s neutered. My rabbits were excellent at peeing in the litter box but pooped everywhere. It did get a little better over time but really it only improved significantly after spaying/neutering.

[jerseygirl]

This thread is now LOCKED.

Some serious violations of our forum rules happening in this thread. I will be deleting some posts and thread will remain locked until it can be reviewed by Binky Bunny.

[jerseygirl]

A REMINDER:     https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/10084/Default.aspx

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[BB Administrator]

The offending posts have been deleted.  The type of back and forth that happened (now deleted) over bunny care differences was way over the top.  When that happens, it usually is about something else like and there is a strong unwarranted reactionary response based on heated emotions.    It will help to take a step back and put this into perspective to bring things down a notch.

 Sounds like some bad feelings from another social network were brought over and continued here.  While other sites may allow others to have a go at each other, we are intolerant of this here.  Note: Harassing members via our messenger center can get you banned. 

If you have a problem with how someone has treated you and they have broken the rules, please contact the forum leaders by using the ALERT button.  Do not engage with this person.    

It may be best for members who are upset with each other to stop or take a break from responding to the other’s post.  

Please be respectful even when you have a differing opinion about care.

I have reopened this thread so the advice can continue to be given.

Moving forward – focus on answering the questions.  Please be respectful and supportive. Support does not mean you agree.  Support can be offering an alternative option for a member to consider without belittling them.

Toby – Regarding cutting long-haired bunnies.  Some other members have done this for varying reason. Hopefully they will pop in and offer some explanation and tips.   Here are some great grooming tips too:  http://www.mybunny.org/info/rabbit-grooming/long-haired/

Also — check out your local rabbit rescues, if you have any.  Many of them do have grooming services — including trimming nails, helping with matting,  and they can help educate too on the best way to handle long-haired bunnies.  

Litter training is definitely tricky with a baby bunny and you are right that they may not get it at such a young age and even if they do, they may seem like they completely lose it again at their 3-6 month mark when their hormones kick in.   So it’s more about setting up the “habits” that they will be able to catch on to later.  I know at the rabbit rescues, they will use easy to clean flooring – like Vinyl (as long as the edges are kept away from the bunnies to chew on.).  They may use newspaper for the flooring part and then have the actually litter in a litter box. Pelleted pine, paper etc is definitely cleaner.  You can put hay over it to make it a little softer for their little baby feet.    Keep the hay in the litter box and/or in a hay rack they can reach so will be encouraged to go in the litter box.    Check out our litter box tips on this site at Bunny info and this is also a great link too. https://rabbit.org/faq-litter-training-2/  as it gives info about litters too. 

Helloworld!!

[Toby Da Bunny]

Thank you so much! This was very helpful

[Author]

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