Safe suitable bedding

[Howard cordingley]

I have two indoor rabbits in seperate cages. I wondered what type of bed or bedding I can place in the cages for them to sleep in to keep warm overnight? I am wary of putting in cloth incase they chew and eat it.

 

[Catlyn]

There are many posts already created for this topic. Have you tried searching the keywords "safe bedding" and "safe litter" in the forum search(tick the box of titles only if you need extra specific)?
Although it is more of a hassle than having people just dump their reccommendations here, questions about safe bedding are pretty common so you can easily find the answers if you go through some of the posts that already have people's replies.
Unless it's some very unique case like health issues, housing with specific quirks, an extremely difficult bonding or anything like that, we usually tend to look up past posts to stop clogging the forum with the same questions all over again.

Just the bare bones minimum:
Equine bedding, newspaper litter, pelleted litters are all pretty much fine. You do best staying away from shavings for their mess and poor absorbent power, untreated pine products and cedar for their chemicals that are bad for sensitive lungs of rabbits.

 

[Diane R]

Maybe too messy indoors but a thick layer of soft barley straw would be good.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Do you have heat in your home? Do the buns have litter boxes with equine pellets? Are there cages in a draft-free zone?

 

[Howard cordingley]

Do you have heat in your home? Do the buns have litter boxes with equine pellets? Are there cages in a draft-free zone?

Yes they are kept in the conservatory which is warm until we sleep. They have litter trays with hay in them no drafts. I usualy cover cages with a large towel too.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

You could try a rug or some carpet squares! Towels and blankets are fine too, my rabbits don’t have any problems with them, especially if they have better things to chew (like toys)

 

[Blue eyes]

Yes they are kept in the conservatory which is warm until we sleep. They have litter trays with hay in them no drafts. I usualy cover cages with a large towel too.

How cool does it get? They love temps around 60-65F. Regardless of the temp, it's nice for buns to have some soft places to lay upon.

For something soft to lay on, much of the options will depend on your individual rabbits. Since some will chew what others will not, it really is a matter of trial and error. You'll just have to test out different options. Try something you think might work and monitor.

Unlike @Apollo’s Slave , my rabbits chewed towels and blankets. I would still allow them to play with towels during the day when I could monitor them though.

I've used foam bath mats which they seemed to love. Provided a nice, cushy area. But one bun decided to start chewing it after many months of use.

Here's a list from my website showing a number of various flooring options. As I said, some will work great for some rabbits but not for all rabbits.

• carpet
• linoleum
• stick vinyl
• floor tile (not too slick)
• area rug
• bath mat
• puzzle mats
• rubber mat (like for car trunk)
• fleece blanket
• cat/dog beds
• heavy duty tarp
• cardboard (will be destroyed)
• seagrass mats (edible)
• wicker mats (edible)
• padded mats (floor kitchen sink)
• woven fabric mats
• towel

 

[Howard cordingley]

Wow some good ideas there! Only one rabbit chews the older one he’s 10 don’t chew. I would say after 10 at night it’s around 60/65. No draughty and one rabbit used to be outdoors so I guess indoors is a plus for her. I will try the ideas you said.