What to put in the cage?

[KSPeteSTL]

We have two new rabbits and I’m new to this. I’ve read so many different things about what to put in their cage. We have a giant wire cage with a solid bottom. They guy at the farm store said pine bedding. But then my husband read that hay or straw was best. Then he was seeing a ton of photos online where there was no kind of bedding at all and he read that pine and hay would produce too much dust and be bad for the bunnies.

We are still working on litter training. We got the first rabbit a week ago and the second one yesterday. Both are female and they are getting along great. They are already cuddling and grooming each other.

[Vincent]

Yeah pine bedding releases some sort of thing that’s actually toxic for buns I have heard. It csn cause liver damage

My buns don’t like bedding they just have a couple of different towels and cat beds and these foam mat things

However for the litter I use the ‘carefresh’ paper bedding it comes in a bunch of colours usually and can be found at every pet store here plus Walmart

And it’s recycled so bonus awesomeness

https://www.countrymax.com/Carefresh-Custom-Rabbits-Guinea-Pigs-Natural-Paper-Bedding/

Here’s a pix so you can see how it looks in the package

And my sisters guinea pigs use this bedding as well

It’s super absorbent and helps with odors plus it’s softer and better for their feet

So I would say I would recommend trying that one and see how your bun likes it

But if you can’t find it straw or hay are also good options, I would stay away from dusty wood shredding though

[tobyluv]

Pine and cedar shavings are bad for rabbits. They contain dangerous aromatic oils. Pine pellets are safe, though, just not the shavings. You actually aren’t supposed to have any bedding/litter on the floor of the cage if you are trying to litter box train your rabbits. It is confusing for them. Litter should only be in the litter box. You can put fleece blankets on the floor of the cage to make it more comfortable, but watch out for chewing. You will probably also not be able to fully litter box train them until after they are spayed.

You need to make absolutely sure that both rabbits are females. Many pet store employees or breeders have said that, then you are presented with an unwanted litter in a short while. Sometimes two litters if you didn’t realize the female was pregnant and the male was still with her after she gave birth, since rabbits can get pregnant again immediately. Even vets have been known to mis-sex rabbits.

If they are females, you will only be able to keep them together until they are about 11 weeks old or so. When puberty hits, and the hormones come flooding in, there can be aggression and fighting. When rabbits fight, they can severely injure each other. It doesn’t matter if they grew up together. Baby bunnies can be friends, but they can’t permanently bond until they have been spayed or neutered, a few weeks have elapsed since their surgery, and they have gone through proper bonding sessions.

Here are 2 good articles on bonding:

http://rabbit.org/faq-bonding-multiple-rabbits/

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/9/PID/940/Default.aspx

If you haven’t already done so, check out the BUNNY INFO link at the top of the page. It is very helpful and covers all the basics of rabbit care. Also, feel free to ask any questions.

[GeorgieTheBunny]

I have to second tobyluv.

When litter training it’s best not to confuse the rabbits. That means litter material in the litter box and their hay supply inside of or beside/above litter box. They like to munch and do business at the same time.

Also, never grab them from the litter box. It’s a 100% safe zone (not 99.9%). An event, loud noise or a picking up event can stigmatize litter habits.

I just adopted 2 weeks ago (not our first bunny); not litter trained. It took only a few days and Hazel had it figured out where she was suppose to go. Situation: towels on the floor, cardboard hidey box, a couple toys, water and pellet dishes in a corner, litter box/hay feeder in the opposite corner from water bowl.

Her litter box is a dollar store dish pan, newsprint in the bottom for easy cleanup, single layer wood store pellets, single layer Carefresh on top of that. We have a hay feeder/hopper mounted to the side of the cage above the litter box.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Most Bunnies looove cardboard boxes. Cut Holes on two of the sides (one entry one exit so they dont feel trapped!). They’ll go in it, stand on it and chew it and probably change its position as obviously you, human, won’t have put it in the “right” place for their interior decorating tastes !!!

You can hide hay or treats in empty toilet roll /kitchen roll tubes (with the ends folded down) they love tossing those about.

[diggityd77]

I’m fairly new to owning a rabbit, but my cage set up is just like GeorgieTheBunny and it’s worked out great. Oreo picked up litter training immediately and we’ve been good to go every since. I used a cat litter box, I put newspaper on the bottom, a layer of wood pellets, and then carefresh on top and it’s been perfect.

[GeorgieTheBunny]

Hey @diggityd77, FYI the Carefresh is optional for me these days… My first buns was a Rex breed and was starting to have, the incredibly common, issue of thinning fur on her hocks. The Carefresh was part of softening everything she stood on.
Many bunny parents just use the newsprint and wood stove pellets, and for people who keep a budget the WSP are inexpensive.

[Author]

Messages