What do you put on the floor on a pet rabbit's cage?

Answer 1

Rabbits should ideally have a well-cushioned flooring that has good grip in their habitat -- something that is soft on their feet and that easily allows them to hop and jump.

A rabbit's natural flooring is grass. Rabbits don't have any pads on their feet, so slippery floorings like hardwood and linoleum are uncomfortable for them. Rabbits can slip, fall, and injure themselves on slippery floorings. Slippery flooring might also increase feelings of anxiety and insecurity in rabbits, and this can get in the way of a bunny's adjusting to her new home, and acting like the happy, fun, and social bunny you want as a pet. Hard surfaces (including wire grid flooring) also lead to sore hocks in rabbits (inflammation and infection of the heels and feet). It has also been suggested that slippery floorings can lead to mobility issues over time, because of the bigger strain on the rabbit's muscles and skeleton that it puts to stand and move on a slippery floor, versus a floor with good grip.

Some common floorings for rabbits include:

• squares of carpeting
• indoor/outdoor rugs
• foam puzzle mats (often sold as flooring for children)
• big blankets

BUT, THESE FLOORINGS AREN'T SAFE FOR SOME RABBITS. Some rabbits will destroy these kinds of materials and eat them. It's very important that rabbits never be allowed to consume non-food items like carpetting, fur, foam, rubber, textiles, and so on. Rabbits can't vomit, and their digestive systems are very sensitive. If your rabbit is the type to eat these materials, you can't use them as flooring in your rabbit's cage, because when your rabbits eat it he will get sick.

Some floorings that are safe for rabbits to destroy and even eat include:

• layers of cardboard or paper (use unbleached, minimally died, plain, clean paper)
• woven dried grass mats (make sure the variety of grass is safe for rabbits to eat, and make sure it's untreated -- no varnishes or other toxic chemicals)
• your rabbit may be fine with an indoor/outdoor rug that has no loose ends (or rough edges, holes, etc.), a very dense weave, and minimal pile
• thick layer of hay or bedding

Answer 2

Generally, a pet rabbit can use any type of litter tray. If the rabbit is kept in a cage all the time, the tray should be large enough for it to fit in, but not so large it takes up a lot of room in the cage. (Bunnies love to run around and play, and keeping one in a cage 24 hours a day can shorten its life span.)

I made a cage for my bunny, using a "do it yourself" storage system, which happened to be perfect for a cage (18" x 18" grids with connectors). I use a small plastic litter pan (meant for kittens), and this is enough for my bunny. "Disposable" litter pans work nicely, too. Just remember that while a bunny's feces are small and hard, it's urine is not. If a disposable pan is used, it must be disposed of every few days. Otherwise, the urine will begin to leak through.

Answer 3

Do not use clay cat litter or any oder-control litter! Rabbits eat their own feces sometimes and the clay/chemicals can make them sick. Use a litter made from recycled paper, available at a pet store. Normal department stores usually only carry cat litter.

Answer 4

No, the cat litter has a chemical that is toxic to rabbits. The chemical will make the rabbit have a cold, and VERY bad diarrhea!