What’s the Best Bedding for Rabbits? Do They Even Need It?

What type of rabbit bedding is best? Do rabbits even need bedding?

Rabbit bedding isn’t always necessary. But that doesn’t mean you can just let your rabbit use the floors! As my mother said, “You’ve got to keep those rabbits clean. You don’t live in a barn.”

In this article, you’ll learn whether you really need bedding for rabbits. And if you do, what the best type of rabbit bedding is. Let’s get started, shall we?

Do Indoor Rabbits Need Bedding?

Here’s the thing. All those rabbit cages you see at the pet store? They’re way too small for a rabbit to live happily and heathily. Your rabbits are much better off in a large enclosure like a playpen. Or better yet, free roam.

So, unless you’re using a smaller cage inside an enclosure or as a main station for a free roam rabbit, you don’t really need traditional rabbit bedding. All you need is a litter trained rabbit and some boxes equipped with the right kind of litter.

Why You Don’t Need Traditional Rabbit Bedding

If your rabbit is free to roam and properly litter trained, you won’t need any bedding. But, even in a playpen, traditional rabbit bedding isn’t the best choice. And honestly, it’s a waste of money.

Rabbit bedding is also incredibly messy, without a cage or litter box to contain it. And, when there’s no cage, that basically means that all that bedding will be on the floor. Even in a playpen, it’s impossible to keep clean. So, you’re much better off just omitting traditional rabbit bedding.

What to Put on the Bottom of a Rabbit Cage

Even though you won’t need traditional rabbit bedding, you still need to have something on the bottom of the enclosure to protect your floors from the damage rabbit urine can do. (R.I.P to the beautiful hardwood flooring I had before I smartened up).

Here are some of the best and most popular flooring choices for your rabbit’s enclosure:

• Vinyl Flooring: Comes in rolls or tiles that are easy to cut to fit your enclosure. And both are easy to apply to your current flooring.
• Splat Mats: These protective mats are waterproof and easy to clean. The mats by Moonsea and Womumon are a great option and the perfect size.
• Rolled Linoleum Flooring: Like vinyl flooring, it comes in a roll that can easily fit into your rabbit enclosure and protects the flooring underneath.
• Whelping Mats: These mats are like splat mats but heavier-duty to suit dog enclosures. So, it’s safe to say they can handle a rabbit’s mess.
• Surface Protection Sheets: Usually, these protective barriers go under the carpet, but they’re also a great floor barrier for an enclosure, repelling pee, scratching, and more.
• Large Dog Kennel Tray: These plastic trays may not fill your whole space but can be put under the litter box to catch any mess. Or, you could double up to cover the area.
• Seagrass Rugs: This woven rug is safe for rabbits to chew and dig but also saves your floor from accidents.
• Bath Mats: These fuzzy mats are comfy, cozy, and extremely absorbent. Plus, they’re easy to clean!
• Fleece: You can use fleece blankets with an absorbent layer under it (such as old towels) in case of accidents or buy ready-made fleece liners.

What to Use as a Bed Instead of Rabbit Bedding

Even though your rabbit doesn’t need bedding, he does need a bed in his enclosure (or in the main station if he’s free to roam). After all, who doesn’t need somewhere nice and soft to sleep?

Here are some suggestions:

• A cat bed is the perfect size for a rabbit to cozy up in for a snooze!
• A box stuffed with fleece or cotton blankets is the best little nest.
• Blankets stuffed into a ball make a snuggly den.

What Material to Use in the Litter Boxes

Now that we’ve got the sleeping arrangements handled, it’s time to talk about what to put in the litter boxes. Now, you could put what you were using as bedding, but again, that can get expensive, and it’s really not necessary.

There are plenty of litter options that are safe for your rabbits and effective in absorbing odours and urine, like:

• Paper pellets such as Yesterday’s News Cat Litter
• Recycled paper bedding such as Small Pet Select Natural Paper Bedding
• Pine pellets like Tractor Supply Pelletized Bedding (pellets are heat-treated to remove phenols)
• Aspen shavings
• Shredded paper

What Not to Use in the Litter Box

Just like the cages, certain litters that are recommended for rabbit cages aren’t really healthy for rabbits. We’ve gone over some of the safe options, so let’s take a look at what to avoid and why.

Cedar & Non-Kiln-Dried Pine Shavings

Cedar and pine shavings were once thought to be a top choice for rabbit bedding and litter, given that softwood is extremely absorbent and has a pleasant aroma. However, studies have shown that the phenols in cedar and pine are actually harmful to rabbits, causing severe breathing and liver issues.

Pine shavings can only be used when kiln-dried which removes the dangerous phenols.

Clumping Cat Litter

Clumping cat litter is absorbent, yes. But anything clay-based creates dust that causes lung damage. Plus, the litter can clump and stick to your rabbit’s feet, which not only creates a mess, but is also notoriously hard to get out of rabbit fur.

Sawdust

You’d be surprised at the amount of people who don’t know the difference between sawdust and wood shaving. Sure, they’re both made from the same thing, but there’s one vital difference. Saw dust is so fine that it’s easily inhaled. Even in large animals like horses, it can cause irreparable lung damage.

Best Bedding for Outdoor Rabbits

Now, it’s always best to keep your rabbits inside, but if you have a safe, warm, and dry place for them with lots of room, then they will be just fine. Now, with outdoor rabbits, you need to pick a bedding that can absorb enough moisture without leaking.

That’s because even without being used, the bedding will still absorb moisture out of the air, making it damp. And for the same reason, it’s also a good idea to change it more often than you would for indoor bedding.

Here are some comfortable and absorbent options for outdoor rabbit bedding:

• Straw
• Recycled paper bedding
• Aspen shavings
• Hemp bedding

So, Is There Such a Thing as the Best Rabbit Bedding?

Ideally, indoor rabbits should be free to roam or have a large enclosure with plenty of space to run around and play (while also getting at least a few hours of free roam time around the house in a day). So traditional bedding is not needed for rabbits as they’re not meant to live in small cages. You only need something to protect the floors in their enclosure in case of a pee accident or, if your rabbit is litter trained and free to roam, you don’t necessarily need that either.

If your rabbit currently lives in a small cage you purchased at a pet shop, we strongly advise you to think over their living situation and consider getting them a large playpen as their home. Not only will your rabbit be much happier, but you’ll also save money on bedding!