Rabbits are sensitive animals, so offering food and hutch aren’t enough to maintain their well-being. You must also ensure they stay safe, warm, and comfortable.
That’s why choosing a suitable substrate for rabbit bedding and litter is essential to keep your pet rabbits healthy for a long time. You need to look for materials that are non-toxic and 100% safe for rabbits because these little animals have a habit of chewing their bedding. Plus, it would be best if you considered the affordability of these materials to avoid any budget crunch.
When looking at all these factors, it’s natural to feel confused when choosing the best rabbit bedding and litter options. So today, we’ll discuss different rabbit bedding and litter options to help you select the most suitable material.
Without wasting any more time, let’s get going!
Is It Necessary To Have A Bedding In Your Rabbit’s Hutch?
When rabbits get tired after long hours of play, they usually roll over and sleep on the spot. However, arranging comfortable bedding inside the hutch can help rabbits feel well-protected and safe while regulating their body temperature.
Even though rabbits take short naps frequently, they enjoy uninterrupted eight-hour sleep, usually between afternoon and early evening. They also snooze off at night when the temperature is cooler, and proper bedding can keep them comfortable.
Bedding also helps these bunnies create a special zone within their hutch, appealing to their inherent territorial nature. They can learn that the bedding is for sleeping and not littering, which will help the rabbits avoid sleeping in their urine or faeces.
Best Straw Bedding Options For Your Rabbit
1. Natural Straw Bedding
An excellent straw bedding is arguably the best option for rabbits because it offers comfort and warmth and is reasonably affordable. The straws remain warm for a long time because their hollow strands trap warm air, helping to regulate your pet’s body temperature when it gets cooler at night.
On top of this, since straw is essentially the dried stalks of grain crops, it is highly absorbent and keeps the rabbit’s hutch warm and dry. You must be careful when choosing the straw because it should be sweet-smelling, dust-extracted and extremely soft to avoid eye damage to the bunnies.
However, try not to confuse hay and straw for your rabbit bedding. Hay has a high nutritional value and is mostly used as rabbit fodder. On the other hand, even though straw is safe for chewing, its nutrition is pretty low, making it an ideal bedding material for rabbits.
2. Pelleted Straw Bedding
While regular straw purchased directly from the farmers for rabbit bedding can be pretty cheap, they might not offer your pet rabbits the best comfort or safety. In contrast, high-quality pelleted straw has low dust content and decent odour control, making it a much better choice for rabbit bedding.
Additionally, it is carefully processed and contains no artificial fragrances or chemicals that can cause health hazards to these sensitive animals. The pelleted straw is also 100% safe to ingest, so the bunnies can safely chew on their bedding all-day long. But, on the downside, it is more expensive than regular straws, which can be an issue for some rabbit owners.
Best Rabbit Litter Options
1. Paper-Based Pellet Litter
Most paper-based pellet litters are made with fully recycled paper compressed into absorptive pellets. These litters are excellent in absorbing rabbit urine and keeping the hutch dry for a long time. So, you don’t need to refill these pellet litters regularly.
They also control odour, so the hutch doesn’t give off a foul urine stench. Hence, these paper-based pellet litters can be excellent in maintaining the health and hygiene of your pet rabbit inside the hutch.
2. Aspen Shavings Litter
It is made of wood shavings that are completely safe for rabbits and won’t cause any health damage to these small pets. This litter is quite good at maintaining odour control inside the rabbit hutch.
But, it doesn’t have the best absorptive quality, so you might need to use a lot of the litter regularly to keep the hutch dry. Aspen shavings have a strong scent that may drive some rabbits away from the litter box.
3. Compressed Sawdust Pelleted Litter
Leftover sawdust is often compressed to form absorptive pellets that can be effectively used as rabbit litter. This pellet litter is quite common among rabbit owners, and you can buy it in bulk at an affordable price. It offers good odour control inside the rabbit hutch but might not be as good as the paper-based pellet litters.
4. Shredded Paper Litter
The cheapest rabbit litter option is to get some shredded paper for the litter box inside your rabbit hutch. You can make it home without hassle if you have a paper shredder. It’s entirely safe for the rabbit and won’t cause any health hazards. However, its absorptive quality is pretty low and can take some time to absorb rabbit urine.
What Makes A Bedding And A Litter Good For Rabbits?
1. Comfort
Rabbits prefer soft materials that are super-comfortable and won’t poke them while sleeping. So, carefully check the softness of the material before using it for your rabbit bedding.
2. Differentiation
Make sure to differentiate the rabbit bedding from the rabbit litter so that the animals can’t pee or eliminate faeces right where they sleep. It will help maintain the bunnies’ health and hygiene, and they won’t get confused about where to excrete and sleep.
3. Absorbency
Absorbency is important when choosing the right material for your rabbit litter. It’s always best to go for a material with high absorbency so that using small amounts of the material will be enough to absorb rabbit urine effectively.
4. Safety
Rabbits habit of chewing on their bedding materials, so you must choose a bedding material that’s 100% safe for ingestion and doesn’t contain toxic chemicals. Also, make sure that the material is safe for breathing and doesn’t have any allergens.
5. Temperature Regulation
Rabbits get cold at night when they sleep due to the temperature drop, and keeping them warm becomes challenging. But with suitable bedding material, it’s possible to successfully regulate their body temperature and keep them warm and comfortable while they take a long nap.
Which Option Is Best For Your Rabbit?
Taking care of your pet rabbits is like raising a baby, so you can’t ignore their health and wellness. That said, it becomes easier to maintain their proper growth and keep them healthy for a long time by choosing the right bedding and litter options.
Always look for bedding materials that can offer your rabbits safety, comfort, and warmth to feel well-protected and remain stress-free inside their hutch.
Choosing the best rabbit litter is essential to maintain the hygiene of these small animals so that they don’t get sick while being exposed to their faeces. So, carefully consider each material’s quality before using it as rabbit bedding or rabbit litter. If you are still considering whether to buy a pet rabbit, make sure you check out our guide on Guinea Pigs VS Rabbits!
Make sure you check out our extensive range of pet supplies on our online store. And, if you still need assistance choosing bedding options for your pet, make sure you get in touch with us!
With that, we’ll sign off. Until next time!
