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what are the benifits ?

jazzywoo

Mama Doe
before i start i do not want this you turn into a fight
i just want to ask a question thats all

ok here goes well on puppy duty at 3 am i decided to have a look through all the photos on here to coo over bunnies and i have noticed that some people use news paper as a bedding including rescues and was wondering
what are the good and bad points of this ?
what do you put under it to stop the wooden hutches from rotting?
do the bunies eat it?
for those who use it in outside hutches what else do you use to help keep them warm ?
and just how often a day do you have to change it ?

thanks guys
ann xx
 
before i start i do not want this you turn into a fight
i just want to ask a question thats all

ok here goes well on puppy duty at 3 am i decided to have a look through all the photos on here to coo over bunnies and i have noticed that some people use news paper as a bedding including rescues and was wondering
what are the good and bad points of this ?
what do you put under it to stop the wooden hutches from rotting?
do the bunies eat it?
for those who use it in outside hutches what else do you use to help keep them warm ?
and just how often a day do you have to change it ?

thanks guys
ann xx

Do you mean with hay on top of it? and in litter trays? I use it because its cheap, absorbant and readily available. It also makes taking everything out of the litter tray or off the shed shelf much easier because you can just roll it up
 
I use a think layer of newspaper in my outdoor hutch and at the bottom of the litter tray. I have got lino on the bottom of the hutch but use the newspaper as extra protection to stop the hutch getting wet from wee. I find using newspaper makes the hutch easy to clean out too. I just roll every thing up in the newspaper and put it in the composter.
On top of the newspaper I use straw and put hay in the litter tray and in the hay rack. I also put a large tray of hay into the 'sleeping area' of the hutch so that Larmee is nice and warm.
Larmee does sometimes rip up the newspaper but I don't think he eats it.
The litter tray is done everyday but the rest of the hutch gets does once a week.

eta-I get the newspapers for free too.
 
I have newspaper lining the bottom of the litter tray to make it easy to clean, In my hutch i've bought some lino type tiles from Pound land to line it to stop the wood from rotting, and they have fleecey blankets.
Have you tried anything like that
 
I use newspaper in the litter trays only. I prefer it to things like Megazorb, as it doesn't cost me anything and, as someone said above, I can take everything out of the litter tray together with the soggy newpaper. I have a thick layer of straw on top of it, and then hay. I hate wood chips/sawdust, I think it is really bad for my eyes and nose, and probably even worse for the bunnies, who have to sit in it.
 
I have newspaper lining the bottom of the litter tray to make it easy to clean, In my hutch i've bought some lino type tiles from Pound land to line it to stop the wood from rotting, and they have fleecey blankets.
Have you tried anything like that

i used to have newspaper under the shavings but found it was getting eaten all the time but decided it was a bad plan lol
lino is a great idea ;)
 
I use it in litters trays because it's free. :) and easy to clean out cos I just roll it up with all the mess inside.

When I had outdoor rabbits, the hutch was lined with vinyl, then newspaper in litter tray only, then a box of straw for snuggling in.
 
what about people who just use it in the hutch its self do you use other bedding too ?
i think its a great idea for litter trays etc
 
I don't use it as I've found all mine shred it up and nibble it, I worry about them eating too much so I stopped using it under their megazorb, I just use straw then hay on top in living areas, megazorb with hay in litter trays.

Is the ink on newspapers generally safe now then?
 
I don't use them purely because I (a) don't need them, the litter trays just get tipped on the compost heap (b) we don't get any free ones anymore and (c) I find mine dig in their trays if I use it.

Seems to me they are good if you need something you can roll all the litter up in or if you use lino and have litter trained rabbits and just want something around just in case.
 
whilst it has been colder i ahve been lining my hutches with it for extra insulation. I then put a layer of megazorb for wee soaking up purposes and also a layer of straw on top of that to insulate again. Ruby eats the newspaper though! :roll:

I don't use it usually though, just this winter to try and keep the bunnies warmer.
 
Jenson doesn't like newspaper, before I had a run I tried putting it on the kitchen floor while he ran round but he didn't like it. Also I worry about him eatting it and the print ink. (not to mention that it makes his paws dirty!).
 
I use newspaper in my rabbits crate where they sleep, with blankets on top so it's more comfy and they are less likely to chew it. I also use it in litter trays with hay on top. I find it is cheap (well I don't pay anything for it as it is from the papers that my parents buy and read) and it insulates. My bunnies do have a rip at it though but don't actually eat it, they will just throw it about a bit.
 
in days of old i used newspaper and sawdust then hay my hutch never rotted and it was cleaned once a week for one bun, she had a huggggggggggge hutch and was yes fed mulisi mix but she ate it all and live to 8/9 years old unneutered



now its newspaper and hay for indoor buns
same for outdoor but if cold it would be newspaper layer of straw then thick layer of hay along with some extra cover outside the hutch


the only time or area in the hutch that rotted was where the bottle leaked so i use a bird water dish to catch drips now
 
I hate using newspaper, for a start I can never find any, and when I do it's only a small ammount which easily gets wet and has to be peeled off. Mine just rip it up anyway :lol:
 
i use it cos it free when you get your family to keep them after
they have read it :lol:
 
:?

All my foster hutches are lined with lino. I then use a layer of newspaper on top of the lino, and then add a thick layer of hay.

Its much more hygenic, surely if you put the hay directly onto the lino, the lino would get ruined easier? Of course, the buns that come into care are always litter trained if possible, if they are litter trained then they just have newspaper and hay in the litter tray and then vetbed or fleece in the rest of the hutch with straw in the bedding area.
 
Although I've never used newspaper, some of my friends use it as an underlay to help to improve cleaning out other bedding, or a litter tray.

Although the ink is reasonably safe, paper & cardboard have non toxic "sizing" materials. These prevent the wood pulp from breaking down. If ingested in large quantities it can cause a gut blockage.

No probs under a good layer of hay etc. tho. :)
 
As Becky has said - I think most people line their hutches with lino' before putting newspaper or anything else down.

I have non-slip lino' on the floor of the rabbits' shed - then they have a litter tray with newspaper and Aubiose (which has their hay in) and they have Vetbed 'rugs' to lay on which take up most of the shed floor. They also have a small 'house' which has a layer of corrugated plastic on the floor to protect the wood and is stuffed with fleece fo them to snuggle in. I know if I used any substrate in the house they'd use it as a litter tray.

The newspaper in the litter tray is an absorbent layer and makes it easier to roll everything up to go in the bin. I do compost waste but at this time of year it's not composting lol.

ETA: Hollie is a real 'digger' but she's never dug at the newspaper nor has either bunny attempted to eat it!
 
All of my hutches are tiled or have lino in them and then I put newspaper with a thick layer of hay on top, litter trays have newspaper and then hay on top, makes everything so much easier when cleaning out.

I wouldn't use shavings because I value the health of my rabbits and shavings can cause chest and eye infections
 
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