I have one pet rabbit, the bedding you put down in the cage is expensive, is there anything else I could use and still keep the rabbit happy and healty.
2006-06-13 04:53:24 · 15 answers · asked by sidekick 6 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
PLEASE PLEASE Do NOT use pine or cedar.........I have been reading alot of stuff about the effects of the fumes on small animals. It can cause liver trouble. My cage has cheap tile from home depot on the bottom so its easy to clean up and my bun uses his litter box, so I don't need to but stuff like that down. Hope this helps!!!!
2006-06-13 07:07:17 · answer #1 · answered by samanthadk131 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You can use straw as bedding. You can get it from most farmers for about $2-3 per bale. Or you can go to a local feed co-op and get ground up corn cobs. Normally they collect corn cobs from when farmers bring in popcorn or seed corn for shelling. Corn cobs are very absorbant and work very well. You can also check out some local lumber mills or wood shops and see if they will let you take their wood chips for free, most will. Make sure to get small wood chips instead of saw dust. Saw dust can get up inside a rabbit's nose and cause it to sneeze. I recommend against using hay. Hay has more of a chance of containing mold or insects, which can give the rabbit diahrrea or fur problems (fur mites, etc).
Pine and cedar wood chips are ok for a rabbit. After a day or two the chips loose their odor and with half-way descent ventilation the chips will not affect any of their internal organs.
Have been raising rabbits for 24 years and learned off a guy who had been raising them for over 40 years when I started.
2006-06-14 07:20:08 · answer #2 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What type of cage is your rabbit in and where are you placing the bedding? If you have a solid bottom cage or hutch, you can get wood chips (NO PINE) or hay. Timothy hay is preferred as rabbits will also use this to munch on. (Alfalfa hay may be too rich for their systems if you are also feeding pellet food).
Bedding materials are cheaper if you can buy in bulk quantity and also from a Farm & Feed store versus a small pet store.
The most important thing to remember is to keep the bedding -- no matter what kind -- clean. This is key to keeping your pet healthy and happy.
2006-06-13 06:35:45 · answer #3 · answered by hhnews 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My rabbits don't generally like the aroma of the cedar chips (and neither do I!), but the pine shavings work very well. Regarding the warnings of respiratory disease and cancers, proper ventilation and good hygiene (daily cleaning of litter trays) is all that is needed. Also, if you are using hay, make sure it is Timothy Hay and not alfalfa, which can causes urinary tract problems due to high mineral content (my bunnies don't ever get alfalfa!).
However, I have to say that my personal preference is for recycled paper pelllets, from both a health and environmental point of view.
2006-06-14 15:55:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Never, never, NEVER use cedar or pine shavings for a rabbit! PLEASE go to the House Rabbit Society homepage at www.rabbit.org and check out Rabbit 101
You should give your rabbit a litter box and use Care Fresh or Yesterday's News. Cleaning a litter box is far easier than cleaning out a whole cage.
To help you to have a healthier and happier rabbit with MUCH better litter box/potty habits you need to have him/her sterilized. An un-sterilized rabbit is not a very happy pet and will end up with health problems.
2006-06-13 09:01:07 · answer #5 · answered by darkpninja 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with using cedar chips because many of my friends who own pet rabbits used it for the bedding. Their rabbits are still healthy and I am sure of that.
2006-06-13 04:59:28 · answer #6 · answered by tzeweihing 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My bunnies do not care for bedding. They are out of the cage 24/7, and like to lay on the carpeting. When we got the bedding, Bunny peed in it, and Brownie didn't know what to do with it. If your place is hot in the summer, try a large cool tile it can lay on to cool down. Otherwise, I would try carpet.
2006-06-13 09:24:37 · answer #7 · answered by Nostril_B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We used to use cedar chips in our rabbit cage. I think they are relatively cheap and our rabbits were always fine with them. And they smell good!
2006-06-13 04:56:38 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Farm co-ops and feed stores offer bales of shavings and a quarter of the cost of pet stores. Just look up farm feeds/supplies in the yellow pages.
2006-06-13 10:52:42 · answer #9 · answered by iceni 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I like to use saw dust or cedar chips and my bunny is happy with it. She don't like the expensive stuff, makes her sick.
2006-06-13 04:56:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋