What's best to put on the floor of the hutch?

[jcottonl02]

Right now I am lining the floor of the main parts of the hutch with thick hay, and the bedroom with shredded paper. Newspaper is under all of this. Benji is litter trained, and so doesn't ever wee anywhere else, but occasionally poops in the main bit but not much.
I'm going through so much hay. Is that best to put on the floor? Or is sawdust? I don't really know- I thought hay was the best option cos I read it on the net, but is that right?
What do you guys all use?
Thanks

 

[Michaela]

I don't put bedding on the whole floor- they have a big playhouse that would be an awful lot of hay! :shock:

Their sleeping boxes are covered in a thick layer of hay, and their upstairs has towels and blankets, and they have wood pellets in their litter tray, but the rest is just bare wooden floor.

You don't actually need it to be covered in bedding, but you could use towels, vetbed, or wood shavings if you want. If you do use wood shavings make sure they aren't cedar or pine, it can be bad for their health, best to go for Aspen shavings.

~Michaela and the girls~

 

[jedichef222]

I don't use bedding over the whole floor either. I use Carefresh bedding in the litter box, and nothing on the rest of the floor (which is solid plastic).

Unless of course they decide to spill hay from the dispenser or dump out their litter box everywhere

If you want to put something over the whole floor, how about straw mats? I would think they'd last longer than hay and would therefore be cheaper...

 

[jcottonl02]

Yeah I have a straw mat for Benji- although that's where he decides to do the caecotrophes that he decides not to eat lol- and it takes a while to get off once they're dry. I think it's time I replaced that one anyway lol- I've only had it a few months!
Don't the rabbits little paws and feet get sore on such a hard floor? Or is completely bare floor okay? Even hard floor like wood?
Not sure I'd do that- I don't want him to have to sit on a bare floor......although too much hay is being used- maybe I'll use sawdust....or more straw mats.......

 

[naturestee]

Completely bare floor is fine. That's what I do, although my buns also have grass mats to lay on. It doesn't hurt their feet at all.

 

[Phinnsmommy]

I use towels and fleece dog crate mats for his sleeping area, and on the outside I use indoo/outdoor carpet. I cut a big sheet to size, and then cut another one so I have two, so that on cleaning day I can throw the towels into the wash, and hose down the carpet with some Simple Green (an all natural no-toxic cleaner)

It works great!

 

[babybunnywrigley]

I don't use bedding either...Wrigley would make a disaster...he already manages to as it is.

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

In my hutch Iuse vet bed to line the day area, then hay in the bed area.It works great for me, plus the vet bed is so soft and snuggly onthe buns'feet and really easy to clean (just chuck it in the wash and dryer).

 

[jcottonl02]

Vet bed? What is that? Sounds like a great idea, although I've never heard of it- the only ones we have at the vets are disposable ones- really really snuggly but they cannot be washed. Can you get these on the internet?

I just went out yesterday and bought them both a straw/grass mat, so now Benji has two and Pippin has one (Benji already had his before I got Pippin, and Benji's hutch is bigger). And Pippin adores his! It's incredibly cute- I put it in there, and he, almost obediently lol went, sniffed it, and then snuggled up on it- not even one paw or his tail off it lol!! So it seems like he likes it

 

[juicyjuicee]

I used peel and stick tiles then I placed little carpet squaresover top. He was litter box trained So i didn't have to worry about anything. I used woodypet in the litterbox.

 

[~Bracon~]

I use:

Newspaper on the floor: You can pick all the hay etc up with the newspaper, the ink also detears bugs.

Sawdust, then hay ontop of that: The sawdust absorbs any wee and the hay is comfy and is also a healthy snack.

I used to use a small blanket for Bracon aswell but that had to be binned within a week, great for an indoor rabbit though!.

 

[jcottonl02]

Yeah at the moment I use newspaper and then hay- I don't really need the sawdust to absorb nething cos Ben is completely litter trained. But I didn't know that about the bugs- thats good
Yeah I think I might just stick with the hay- I would just worry about their little feet and it not being comfy.

 

[Flashy]

I use newspaper and then hay, but in the summer months hay is hot to lie in, so I use hay on half the hutch and then leave half with just newspaper so that they can choose what they want to lie on.

 

[jcottonl02]

Actually that sounds like a really good idea.....I think i'll do that.
Thanks!
I don't think I would have thought of doing that but thats a fab idea