What is a good alternative for bedding in my rabbit's cage?

Question

Right now we are using pine shavings (I know don't lecture me), and I'm looking for a good alternative to that. I'm looking for something that would keep the smell down and won't harm his respiratory system. I was thinking kitty litter but then I thought that also could harm his respiratory system. Does any experienced rabbit owners have any solutions? Thanks ahead of time!

Answer 1

CareFresh is my favorite....

They have two different types too! One is a gray color and the other is white.

The KayTee brand also has a similar type of bedding that works well!

Answer 2

dont use kitty litter...they are stuff called carefresh. its great for any small animal, like rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pigs. and its not very expensive...

Answer 3

We do use cat litter, but it is a special kind that is made out of wheat. They can eat it and it won't do any harm. It's called Swheat Scoop. It's probably more expensive than shavings but it works good, and it clumps?

Also there are other kinds of rabbit litters that work good, scroll down to the bottom of this page and it tells you a few things you can use:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/1/liver-di...

Hope that helped!

Answer 4

First off, you need to be sure that your bunny has a solid surface somewhere under her feet. This is not simply because standing on wire all day hurts her little paws (and it does) but it is necessary for her health!

I know this may sound disgusting, but rabbits need to eat some of their droppings in order to keep their digestive tract healthy. gross. I know. But necessary.

I've done a few different things to allow my bunnies a place to hang out. Using extra carpet (not carpet treated with heavy chemicals) I rolled the carpet into a tube (large enough for my bunny to climb inside) and stapled it in that shape. It was a great little den for my bunny.

I've also used a small rectangular fish tank. (Cleaned and new) and laid it on it's side. Then my bunnies could sit inside it, or hop on top of it. I put a clean blanket inside the tank for them to lay on.

As far as keepin the smell down in the pan that collects thier droppings/waste, When I didn't have my rabbits in a hutch outside (where they could eliminate directly thru to the ground and I could shovel their droppings away) I would use plain newspaper. I'd lay one sheet down, sprinkle out some Baking Soda to absorb wetness and odor, and lay down another sheet on top of that one. Also, they make "organic" kitty litter that should be safe for your bunny's airways. There are more expensive small animal bedding products, but I wouldn't waste the money. If you are careful about which brand of kitty litter you buy it won't hurt them.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 5

Aspen. Yesterday's News. Carefresh.

Do NOT use cat litter, because it has chemicals, it's dusty, and yes, it can harm the respiratory system of a rabbit.

I personally love Yesterday's News (use it in my rat cages), it controls odor well.

Aspen is healthy and closer to the same price range as Pine is, so that's always an option.

Answer 6

i found it loads easier to keep the rabbit outdoors, no smell and no cleaning. kitty litter has a lot of ammonia and would give your rabbit respiratory disease. i would also get a cage with a solid bottom because those wires are probably irritating your rabbits feet. other than that i would use carefresh. its absorbent, controls the odor, and very safe for animals