The best bedding for rabbits can help to keep your pet healthy for longer. A rabbit's bedding must keep them safe, comfortable, and warm. Rabbits often eat their bedding, so it cannot be toxic. Shredded paper, Aspen shreds, specialist litter or pellets, and hay are all safe options.
It's a common question from new rabbit caretakers, "do I need bedding for my rabbit?" The answer is no! Even though the packaging often has a rabbit on it, bedding is not necessary for rabbits and is much more of a hindrance than a help.
Your rabbit's resting area should have at least two compartments. A darkened sheltered area for sleeping away from noise and another for eating/relaxing. All areas should be well ventilated, dry and draught free as damp, poorly ventilated, hot or dirty environments can cause illness.
It's no secret that rabbits love soft materials. All domesticated rabbits like blankets and pillows in the home. You'll likely be tempted to place similar items in your pet's hutch for added comfort. Blankets and towels are great additions to a rabbit's home.
Euthanasia typically involves an injection into a main vein which will quickly and painlessly send the rabbit to sleep. Their breathing and heart will stop within a minute or so, and they will gently slip away.
Placing a cardboard box filled with straw in the hutch makes a super-warm and insulated sleeping area and is easy to replace. You can also put a couple of these in the run. The hutch needs to be cleaned out scrupulously and regularly, so your rabbits are never sitting on a damp or soggy surface.
Rabbits enjoy sleeping on soft and comfortable materials. Consider providing your bunnies with pillows and blankets. Some animals may require extra bedding cover during winter. However, avoid providing your rabbits with too many blankets and pillows because the bunnies can quickly overheat.
The best bedding for rabbits can help to keep your pet healthy for longer. A rabbit's bedding must keep them safe, comfortable, and warm. Rabbits often eat their bedding, so it cannot be toxic. Shredded paper, Aspen shreds, specialist litter or pellets, and hay are all safe options.
Straw bedding
We recommend a good quality soft straw as the ideal bedding for warmth and comfort, particularly for outdoor rabbits.
Rabbits prefer temperatures of about 60–65 degrees Fahrenheit, but they are comfortable in lower temperatures as long as they are appropriately housed. An outdoor rabbit hutch must be waterproof and should have a solid roof with a slight overhang to keep rain and snow out of the hutch.
An untrained rabbit probably should be kept in an enclosure while you're not home to supervise and at night when you sleep. Rabbits are crepuscular, which means that generally they sleep during the day and during the night but are ready to play at dawn and at twilight.
Hammocks: While neither one of our bunnies would ever willingly hop onto a moving surface, some rabbits enjoy the comforts of a hammock. There are different versions out there, but we like the one that looks like a mini side table with a hammock underneath. That way the rabbit can sit on top of the frame, too!
Rabbits like to play and need plenty of exercise to stay healthy and happy. Ideally you want to provide them with up to 4 hours daily of supervised time out of their cage. Rabbits are subject to depression and poor health if they're not provided with daily interaction and mental stimulation.
"Carrots should be fed sparingly, as they are very high in carbohydrate and may upset GI bacterial flora." Particularly good vegetables include the dark leafy greens like romaine lettuce, bok choy, mustard greens, carrot tops, cilantro, watercress, basil, kohlrabi, beet greens, broccoli greens, and cilantro.
To keep your rabbit happy and healthy, let it out of its cage at least once a day, giving it time to roam. Though at least one hour is necessary, aim closer to three or four. As a rule, never keep your rabbit cooped up for 24 hours at a time.
Rabbits can actually sleep on hay or straw, but as we mentioned above, straw is warmer bedding for rabbits than hay, keeping your bunny more comfortable in the winter months. However, make sure you don't purchase old, stale, brittle straw, which can irritate your rabbit.
Polar fleece is the only safe fabric for buns, because the fibers are short enough that they will not cause digestive problems. Pile these in front of your bunny and let him dig to his heart's content. Tie knots in various parts of the blanket to give him something bigger to chew and work on.
Rabbits do not require routine bathing and in fact frequent washing, either with or without shampoo, strips the rabbit's fur of its natural oils, which helps to keep the rabbit's coat in good condition. Bathing is also extremely stressful for rabbits and has many potential and serious dangers.
What Does a Rabbit Need in Their Cage? Provide 1-2 inches of high-quality paper-based bedding in their main enclosure. Other items needed are a litter box in the corner with paper-based products, a cardboard hide box, a hay rack, a water bottle, a small pellet dish, and toys.
Hay and straw are ideal bedding materials. First and foremostly, because it's natural for your bunny to be surrounded by them. These materials are completely bunny safe. In fact, your rabbits should be eating it.
Consider euthanasia if your rabbit: Is suffering untreatable pain from a large tumour. Is no longer able to eat or drink normally. Has such severe disease in the lungs that it is unable to breathe properly.
Rabbits don't have the same sleep cycles as humans. On average, a person will get 8 hours of sleep a night. Rabbits on the other hand will wake up periodically during the night and catch up on sleep during the day. They have to be awake at night in order to stay alert against attacks from predators.
This is because buns like to mark their territory, and if a space smells unfamiliar, they claim this space by 'marking' it - i.e. leaving their scent in the form of their pee and poop.