There are several different kinds of bedding you could use in your rabbit's hutch or cage. Softwood litters have been shown to cause liver disease in rabbits...
There are several different kinds of bedding you could use in your rabbit's hutch or cage, as follows:-
Newspaper
This is a good base to line the floor of the hutch or cage with. However, many rabbits, especially if bored, will rip it up and the ink on newspaper can be harmful to rabbits if they ingest too much of it.
Softwood litters i.e. pine shavings or sawdust
Studies have shown this to cause liver disease in rabbits and other small animals. The dust can also affect your rabbit's respiratory system. Unfortunately, this is the most commonly used and widely available type of litter. We recommend not using this type of litter but if you have to make sure the hutch or cage is well ventilated and cover it with a thick layer of hay or straw.
Megazorb (UK only)
Megazorb is an excellent and very cost effective bedding. It is primarily used for horse bedding but is very popular amongst rabbit owners also. It is highly absorbent and reduces odours significantly. It is dried and sterilised at temperatures up to 500 degrees celsius killing mould, spores and bacteria and is dust extracted twice.
Paper pulp bedding
This is a relatively new product on the market and is made from recycled paper so is environmentally friendly. It is highly absorbent, taking in over three times its weight in liquid so you don't need to use as much, making it very cost effective. It also controls odour very well and is virtually dust free so is a good bedding for use in indoor cages.
Wood pellets
Again, this is quite a new product and is often used in cat litter trays. Good absorbency but tends to expand and break down into dust when wet and is also quite heavy so not ideal for larger litter trays.
Paper pellets
Similar in look and feel to wood pellets but made from recycled paper. An absorbent, safe and eco-friendly bedding with a distinct advantage over wood pellets - it does not expand significantly when wet and is considerably lighter in weight.
Shredded cardboard
An eco-friendly bedding which provides very good insulation and some absorbency in hutches - a good alternative to newspaper.
Straw
This is not very absorbent at all but provides good insulation in hutches and is a good surface for your rabbit to sit on.
Hay
Hay should always be freely available for your rabbit to eat but it also makes a good bedding and helps to keep hutch rabbits warm and cosy. If you intend to use hay as the main bedding and have space to store it, it will be a lot cheaper to buy by the bale from a local farmer or riding stables. When choosing hay make sure it is sweet smelling, not too dusty and has no mould in it.
