Straw/Bedding Question

Scruffy · Jul 9, 2014

Hi Folks,

I have recently stopped placing straw in with my two as my doe eats it all the time and I *think* it's the route of her frequent stasis/colic/tummy issues.

They have been straw free for over 2 weeks, she seems much brighter than usual and her gut is softer than I have ever know it. So I think it's working?

My concern is what to use as a replacement, mainly for the winter months of course. I'm not overly concerned in this weather. Is a cheap hay & newspaper mix advisable?

Thanks in advance!

fruitandnutcake · Jul 9, 2014

If she is getting lots of good quality fresh eating hay, then I would suggest cheaper hay for bedding. I find my buns turn their eating hay into bedding during the day as I put it in their indoor litterbox (buns tend to like eating & pooping at the same time!:lol

tonibun · Jul 9, 2014

Rabbit's diet should be around 80% hay as straw has no nutritional value . The hay helps their gut to work properly and keeps their teeth worn down. A lot of us have big litter trays lined with newspaper and topped up with hay as bunnies like to chew while pooping.

Scruffy · Jul 9, 2014

fruitandnutcake said:
If she is getting lots of good quality fresh eating hay, then I would suggest cheaper hay for bedding. I find my buns turn their eating hay into bedding during the day as I put it in their indoor litterbox (buns tend to like eating & pooping at the same time!:lol

Yeah she has expensive hay and munches that throughout the day. I will get some cheap stuff for litter and bedding then thanks!

tonibun said:
Rabbit's diet should be around 80% hay as straw has no nutritional value . The hay helps their gut to work properly and keeps their teeth worn down. A lot of us have big litter trays lined with newspaper and topped up with hay as bunnies like to chew while pooping.

I didn't feed her straw, she just ate it :?

Breandan4Buns · Jul 9, 2014

Went out and bought some straw today, for bedding of course. I did this to have a base for the bedding, something which Sylvie can dig into, with hay on top for a bit of night time nibbling.

Little bit wary now, since I don't want her to be eating it. Any ideas? hopefully I haven't wasted any money...is it more needed just in the winter months?

Angie B · Jul 9, 2014

You can use hay for anything; bedding, eating (obviously), litter trays. I use it as a thick soft substrate for both the shed and outdoor run as my girls get sore hocks so this helps them not to be so sore. They have straw bedding but don't eat it.

Hay is a better option for anything/everything, particularly if your rabbit/s have a tendency to eat it. Cheap or expensive; it's up to you. My rabbits eat relatively cheap hay and seem to enjoy it; they're the right weight so it must be okay.

Not all rabbits chew while pooping either as mine never have yet. They have a newspaper in the bottom of their litter tray topped with a handful of wood shavings to absorb the wee faster (it sits on top of newspaper for a while before sinking in and this is bad for hocks).

catkins · Jul 11, 2014

I use shredded paper in my buns litter trays, which would probably be great for keeping them warm outside in the winter as it creates lots of pockets of air. Some would advise against it, depending on whether they are likely to munch it and the ink that's on it, but I use paper from my office and they've been munching it for years and never had any problems... so... give it a go? Plus it's free if like me, you can get it from an office that shreds literally everything de to confidentiality! ;-)

Shimmer · Jul 11, 2014

I would just use hay for bedding. If they are kept outside in winter, shredded paper gets colder and goes mouldy if damp. Hay does the job better and they are ok to eat it as well. Putting a layer of newspaper underneath makes it easier to clean out.

dominoid · Jul 11, 2014

We had the same problem with ours and eating straw when we used it for bedding but they used to eat the hay we put there too! They seem to like breakfast in bed. The only solution we found was to stuff an ungodly amount of hay in there and let tehm eat half of it and sleep on the other half.

Scruffy · Jul 12, 2014

Angie B said:
You can use hay for anything; bedding, eating (obviously), litter trays. I use it as a thick soft substrate for both the shed and outdoor run as my girls get sore hocks so this helps them not to be so sore. They have straw bedding but don't eat it.

Hay is a better option for anything/everything, particularly if your rabbit/s have a tendency to eat it. Cheap or expensive; it's up to you. My rabbits eat relatively cheap hay and seem to enjoy it; they're the right weight so it must be okay.

Not all rabbits chew while pooping either as mine never have yet. They have a newspaper in the bottom of their litter tray topped with a handful of wood shavings to absorb the wee faster (it sits on top of newspaper for a while before sinking in and this is bad for hocks).

Mine occasional poo and munch, I think a cheap hay/expensive hay combo might work!

catkins said:
I use shredded paper in my buns litter trays, which would probably be great for keeping them warm outside in the winter as it creates lots of pockets of air. Some would advise against it, depending on whether they are likely to munch it and the ink that's on it, but I use paper from my office and they've been munching it for years and never had any problems... so... give it a go? Plus it's free if like me, you can get it from an office that shreds literally everything de to confidentiality! ;-)

Newspaper ink is actually animal safe (well British ones anyway.)

Shimmer said:
I would just use hay for bedding. If they are kept outside in winter, shredded paper gets colder and goes mouldy if damp. Hay does the job better and they are ok to eat it as well. Putting a layer of newspaper underneath makes it easier to clean out.

Ah didn't think of it going moldy and/or soggy :S

dominoid said:
We had the same problem with ours and eating straw when we used it for bedding but they used to eat the hay we put there too! They seem to like breakfast in bed. The only solution we found was to stuff an ungodly amount of hay in there and let tehm eat half of it and sleep on the other half.

haha looks like this might be the same for me too!

Thanks for all the replies

Straw/Bedding Question

Scruffy

Banned

fruitandnutcake

Mama Doe

tonibun

Wise Old Thumper

Scruffy

Banned

Breandan4Buns

New Kit

Angie B

Wise Old Thumper

catkins

New Kit

Shimmer

Warren Veteran

dominoid

Warren Scout

Scruffy

Banned

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