Not sure what to do?

[RetroJester]

After I got Nellie, my dad build her a VERY large “cage” (I use that term loosely-it’s more like a bunny resort!) It is a two story home, with the upstairs being her bed and play area, and downstairs being her food/litterbox area. At the moment, I have almost the whole bottom floor covered in pine shavings, except for the spot where her food and water is, but now I think pine is dangerous? The floor underneath is an easy to clean plastic mat. I’m realizing now that she only rests downstairs where the bedding isn’t, and uses the whole space of bedding as a bathroom. Would it be better to leave most of the floor bare and only cover a small area with bedding for a bathroom? I don’t want to to be uncomfortable, and I don’t want the bedding to harm her, or the mat to harm her. I’m just really not sure what to do. I’ve only had her about two weeks. 

*Wasn’t sure where to post this, so I’m moving it here.*

[bby princess xo]

Pine and cedar shavings aren’t very good bedding for small animals because they could lead to respiratory problems. If you’re planning on litter training Nellie, or if she’s already litter trained, then try to avoid using the same bedding in the litter box as in the rest of the cage (it could confuse her and cause her to see the entire cage as her litter box). I like using fleece blankets as bedding in my cage. The plastic mat alone may hurt her hocks, so I’d suggest using something softer.

[Beka27]

Rabbits usually prefer a solid ground, so yes, I would remove all of the bedding from the cage.

Put bedding/litter in the litter box ONLY. Wood shavings (pine/cedar) are not safe, but aspen is fine. Or you can use wood pellets, recycled paper litter (like “Yesterday’s News” litter, not just newspaper), or a softer litter (like Carefresh).

[Beka27]

I deleted the thread in Diet & Care. Please don’t cross-post the same topic in two different sections.

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