Wood shavings alternatives as bedding for rabbits? 3 April 2022 at 1:42AM in Pets & pet care 6 replies 143 views

Peggy0628

Hi, 
I have a couple of indoor kept rabbits. I'm using wood shavings as bedding (to soak up pee etc) in their cage but it's becoming more and more expensive. The price has gone up almost 25% in the last 2 years and the shop no longer does home delivery (it's a large 20 kg bale so impossible to get home on a bus and taxi drivers don't like transporting 'messy' items like that). I have feeding hay but don't use it as bedding because it's even more expensive than wood shavings (straw costs the same as hay so no good either).
What else could I use that would do the job but not cost as much? I don't buy newspaper, before anyone suggests that. Thanks!

Emmia

If you're willing to wash it, the big river site has reusable fleece absorbent bedding, or bales of a paper based product - I wouldn't use newspaper as they may chew the bedding, and I'm not sure the ink would be that great for them. 


Traditional Grey High-Grade Vet Bedding 30mm Cut in Squares & Rolls. THICK WHELPING FLEECE DOG PUPPY PRO BED https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C1OBH68/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_i_B17APP59A6K30EQKPEXQ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Small Pet Select Natural Paper Bedding, 56 L https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01NAQUX1I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_i_35HNFT4X8MN509P258KH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=

Personally I'd use hay, but that's pricier...

TBagpuss

How much storage space you have, and how are you buying your hay? Straw and hay are expensive if you buy via pet shops but if you were able to buy a bale or two at a time then it's less expensive - most farms aren't going to deliver for small quantities but if you have a friend with a car you might be able to pick up a couple of bales for the price of their petrol nd you vacuuming the car afterwards .(I have also seen large zippable bags for sale, designed to hold one bale, which might be worth looking into if you need to transport it in someone else's car)

You can buy 20Kg bags of wood shavings on Amazon  - if you or anyone you know has Prime you can get it delivered for free

You could also look at options sold for larger animals -  for instance straw or paper pellets sold as bedding for horses - 85l bag for around £15, although you may be able to get it cheaper if you shop around 

theoretica

When I had a rabbit years ago I spent ages tearing newspaper into thin strips by hand... though I gather it is good to check what the ink is.

sheramber

Have you looked online e.g Amazon have a selection

Carpetto

I use Megazorb, not sure how the cost compares but it is compostable 

Ms_Dee

Shavings can cause health issues with rabbits and are no longer recommended.

Straw is great for bedding and it helps them keep warm.
Hay should always be supplied and should be at least 80% of their diet.
You can use a litter tray (but put hay in a pile one end, as they like to eat and poop at the same time)
Litter tray can be filled with 100% wood based pellets or 100% paper based pellets/bedding, please check that it isn't a clumping litter and that it doesn't contain any baking soda - as that can kill.

You may be better off buying from an equestrian store or farm as they do bulk sales, rather than the 'small animal litter' in pet stores. You will also usually find in pet stores the same products for small animals and cats, but they have different packaging, the cat bags usually contain more for your money.

Most other products aren't recommended for rabbits as they are quite sensitive creatures.