Edible traction – Can we talk mats? Timothy? Sea grass? Coconut?

[bunnnnnnie!]

So I have a little bit of extra cash right now (not a ton, but a little! ), and I want to get Zeus some sort of traction flooring in his cage that’s safe for him to eat.  He can’t do fabric, he eats it.  So edible mats are pretty much my only option, that I can think of.  I’ve used grass mats in the past, I think they were timothy but I’m not 100% sure.  He eats them in a few days, and I’d really like something that LASTS.  So something he can nibble on, but isn’t so irresistably tasty he’ll eat the whole mat in under a week.  

 

Suggestions?  

 

[Andi]

I’ve used sea grass mats, they are nice. I’m actually wanting to get more.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Andi on 10/07/2010 04:39 PM

I’ve used sea grass mats, they are nice. I’m actually wanting to get more.

Do your buns find them extremely tasty? 
 

[MimzMum]

I just got one of the oval shaped ones from BB.com store. It looks promising, nicely woven and the whole of it looks pretty indestructible….however, knowing Mimzy, it doesn’t have long to live. *sniffle* Also, it’s a bit small for anything larger than holland or nethie, if you’re looking for area coverage.

Mimzy and Zeus must be twins separated at birth! He also WILL NOT leave fabric alone, which chaps my hide no end because I REALLY think he needs some kind of good warm padding on his cage floor in winter. But it’s a no go.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By MimzMum on 10/07/2010 04:51 PM

I just got one of the oval shaped ones from BB.com store. It looks promising, nicely woven and the whole of it looks pretty indestructible….however, knowing Mimzy, it doesn’t have long to live. *sniffle* Also, it’s a bit small for anything larger than holland or nethie, if you’re looking for area coverage.

Mimzy and Zeus must be twins separated at birth! He also WILL NOT leave fabric alone, which chaps my hide no end because I REALLY think he needs some kind of good warm padding on his cage floor in winter. But it’s a no go.

Can you keep me updated how it holds up?  I’d really appreciate it!
 

[Andi]

Posted By bunnnnnnie! on 10/07/2010 04:47 PM

Posted By Andi on 10/07/2010 04:39 PM
I’ve used sea grass mats, they are nice. I’m actually wanting to get more.

Do your buns find them extremely tasty? 
 

uummmm…. well Pitters was the one who seemd to enjoy it the most.

 

[Moonlight_Wolf]

I find that for me, the sea grass mats do get eaten but not at an incredible rate. They seem to like chewing ones on certain levels of their condo but leave the other ones alone. My favorite source of traction for my buns though is their large outdoor mat. They don’t chew it because it is low pile and it looks good and gives them space to Binky or run. It is not edible though.

The good thing about the sea grass mats though is that they don’t look that ratty when they have been chewed. The straw mats binkybunny used to hold looked very ratty when they were chewed. So I prefer the sea grass mats.

[MimzMum]

Well I finally tried the oval mat today. Once again, Mr. Destructo Bunny sees it as an invader and immediately goes to shred it into tiny pieces. It’s small enough he can toss too, so it doesn’t stay on the floor anyway. But I can see it will take him awhile to get it all apart…like maybe 30 minutes as opposed to his usual five or so? 0_o
He’s just never going to accept any bedding on his floor. Stubborn bugger.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Hmm. This is tough!

I want something this is SAFE if ingested.. but not particularly tasty.. and rather durable so it’ll survive being digged at/bitten on occasion…

[lashkay]

I would suggest you get coconut fiber mats. They’re available from the busybunny.com and large plain ones from bunnybytes.com The ones from the busybunny come in nice navaho indian designs also. They’re all edible including the dyes. My Dustor pulled at it a couple times, then gave up, so I know they’ll last a long time. and they give great traction.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By lashkay on 10/11/2010 05:30 PM

I would suggest you get coconut fiber mats. They’re available from the busybunny.com and large plain ones from bunnybytes.com The ones from the busybunny come in nice navaho indian designs also. They’re all edible including the dyes. My Dustor pulled at it a couple times, then gave up, so I know they’ll last a long time. and they give great traction.

Is coconut fiber safe for buns to eat?

 

[Deleted User]

yes, but only the organic kind. Coconuts get treated extensively with chemicals for their transport so you’d definitely need to choose organic for the rabbit.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Petzy on 10/11/2010 07:36 PM

yes, but only the organic kind. Coconuts get treated extensively with chemicals for their transport so you’d definitely need to choose organic for the rabbit.

So can I assume the coconut mats marketed specifically for bunnies are organic?  I just want to make sure to buy the right thing!

 

[Deleted User]

I have not seen coconut mats marked for rabbits but I’d love to get some. I would even contact the company who makes them to find out if they are safe to ingest. I have seen at the petstore colorful mats that looked like they might be coconut, I think they were by Ware manufacturing. Will search for them and see what I can find out.

[lashkay]

Absolutely safe to eat! But I doubt they’ll eat it, if any…

[Deleted User]

yes they will. Lint my mini rex tried to eat my coconut doormat. Not safe at all.

[lashkay]

They wouldn’t be offered by the busybunny.com & bunnybytes.com if they weren’t safe to eat, I’m sure. My bunny doesn’t care to eat it though and neither did Buddie before him, if that’s any help.

[lashkay]

The way to go I think would be to contact the two companies and tell them your concerns and see what they say. No, the coconut fibers such as used in doormats are usually harmful as Petzy pointed out, but that’s a completely different thing. I would buy coconut fibers mats from either of these two companies to be safe, once you contact them and ask them about it. As to Petzy’s bunny eating the coconut fibers in the doormat, I guess bunnies react differently depending on the product. Mine leave the coconut fibers mats I got from bunnybytes.com alone. I’m glad I got them and put them down in Dustor’s pen and he loves sleeping on them too. I’d think any bunny will “try” an edible to see if he likes it or not. But Dustor ignores trying to eat the mat, just uses it to hop on and sleep on. Thanks for pointing out that some coconut fibers products aren’t safe, Petzy. I personally feel these mats sold by busybunny and bunnybytes are wise choices. Hope this helps. But it doesn’t hurt to ask the store to make an informed decision.

[jerseygirl]

Busy Bunny has split willow mats too. That might be another option for the Zeuster.

I’ve seen a company marketing maize & rush mats for rabbits and other maize leave products. Also rice mats. Are these bunny safe?

lashkay, do you recall the company that has the really large willow tunnels? You mentioned once on the forums but I’m having trouble finding it. I was going to post it for bunnnnnie in the “things for larger bunnies” thread. Busy Bunny has one that is 10.5 inches diameter and Bunny Bunch Boutique has one called XL but it doesn’t specify the dimension.

[lashkay]

Hi, Jersey, that would be Bunnybytes.com where I got the jumbo 10 1/2″-diameter willow tunnel, so it seems to be the same one.

http://bunnybytes.com/cgi-bin/start.cgi

This willow tunnel is really lasting, Dustor rarely nibbles at it although sometimes he does. He loves to go through it and doesn’t wet it. It’s a nice color too.

[jerseygirl]

Thanks

[bunnnnnnie!]

So is the consensus the coconut mats marketed for buns are safe?  If so I’m going to order one and give it a try.

[lashkay]

bunnnnnnnie!, I was concerned too since I was considering getting some of the Navaho Indian-print coconut fibers mats and wanted to be sure the dyes are safe. I called and spoke to Lisa, the owner of the busybunny. She was very nice and said the coconut fibers mats they sell are manufactured by Ware. The are intended to be used by small animals and are printed only with natural safe food dyes. They are untreated with any kind of sizing, weather-resistant or other finishes. She said they are absolutely safe if ingested. And the coconut have the added benefit of keeping the hair on the rabbits’ feet clean and “brushed with the coconut fibers.” She said someone with angora rabbits wanted them in king-size sheets because they keep the bottoms of her bunnies’ feet clean and brushed. The mats are made in India where they have lots of coconuts. If you want to hear it directly from Lisa, or have any other questions, her toll-free # is: 1 877 992 8669.

The mats are at
http://store.busybunny.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=bsybunny&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=141018092&Count2=58158516&Keyword=mats&target=products.asp

She also mentioned that they now carry double-weave seagrass mats which last longer than the thin ones, as they’re thicker. Just type “mats” in the search box and all the kind they carry will come up.

By the way, they also carry a bunny-shaped printed coir (pronounce coy-er) doormat. These she said she would NOT give to bunnies, they are only intended for humans.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By lashkay on 10/13/2010 08:25 AM
bunnnnnnnie!, I was concerned too since I was considering getting some of the Navaho Indian-print coconut fibers mats and wanted to be sure the dyes are safe. I called and spoke to Lisa, the owner of the busybunny. She was very nice and said the coconut fibers mats they sell are manufactured by Ware. The are intended to be used by small animals and are printed only with natural safe food dyes. They are untreated with any kind of sizing, weather-resistant or other finishes. She said they are absolutely safe if ingested. And the coconut have the added benefit of keeping the hair on the rabbits’ feet clean and “brushed with the coconut fibers.” She said someone with angora rabbits wanted them in king-size sheets because they keep the bottoms of her bunnies’ feet clean and brushed. The mats are made in India where they have lots of coconuts. If you want to hear it directly from Lisa, or have any other questions, her toll-free # is: 1 877 992 8669.

The mats are at
http://store.busybunny.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=bsybunny&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=141018092&Count2=58158516&Keyword=mats&target=products.asp

She also mentioned that they now carry double-weave seagrass mats which last longer than the thin ones, as they’re thicker. Just type “mats” in the search box and all the kind they carry will come up.

By the way, they also carry a bunny-shaped printed coir (pronounce coy-er) doormat. These she said she would NOT give to bunnies, they are only intended for humans.

Wow, thanks for all the super-helpful info!  I think I am going to order one of the coconut mats and give it a try.
 

[Deleted User]

I found the ones I saw at my store. They are safe to nibble too!

http://www.waremfginc.com/sa-detaildisplay.aspx

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