what to use for resting board

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

I need a idea on what to use for the resting board in the cages.. right now I am using plywood .. I have to change them. I want something that I can wash and put back in.. what do you use?

 

[Sagebrush]

I have used those plastic cutting boards in the past. Usually cheep or free at garage sales.

 

[Dood]

Summer I use ceramic tqiles

Winter I use wood as most of my buns don't gnaw too much but for the 2 bad chewers I use plastic trays from IKEA

 

[jimmywalt]

For some we use 1/2" x 9" x 12" pine board. They love to chew on the edges which is probably good for their teeth. They also clean easy with a brush and garden hose.

For others we use the sink mats from Dollar Tree for $1. Easy to clean too.

 

[Zass]

I tried those out, jimmywalt. My rabbits did so much damage to them in 12 hours that I removed them and called it a fail.
Definitely for non-chewers, which I don't seem to have.

 

[jimmywalt]

I tried those our jimmywalt. My rabbits did so much damage to them in 12 hours that I removed them and called it a fail.
Definitely for non-chewers, which I don't seem to have.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Yes some of ours end up like that too, but we just leave them in there until there is almost nothing left to lay/chew on.

Dollar Tree's have 2 different types of these. One store will have one type and then another store will have the other. They both look the same but one is MUCH thinner. The "Thicker" ones have the STICKER on them like in my picture, the "thin" ones have a cardboard type label with twisties to hold it on.

Get the ones with the STICKER!!!

<br /><br /> -- Sun Sep 28, 2014 1:14 pm -- <br /><br /> Tractor Supply has HEAVY duty plastic ones for $6.99........... but that's too expensive for my blood.

 

[Zass]

The ones my dollar tree carried had the cardboard packaging. I'll have to keep looking around for some thicker ones to try out.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

THANKS guys,, I went to the dollar store and got the cutting board.. I will see how long they will last.. thanks for the tips..

 

[bantambunnies]

I use ceramic tiles in my cages (at least in the summer) although I don't see them using them much. :/ We got the floor replaced in one of our bathrooms and rescued a whole bunch of the tiles the workers were going to throw away. :roll: But before that we picked up a few tiles at the hardware store. Not many rabbits so not too expensive.

But wood in the winter is good. Always untreated wood... a lot of scrap lumber will be treated (especially if it's an unnatural color.) Heat-treated lumber is (I think) okay, but pressure-treated is not.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I just have my "BunnyBuckets", but lots of people (including one of our members, Caroline) buy 4' x 8' sheets of plastic lattice and cut it into smaller pieces. This style has grid openings of 1 1/8", which will allow the droppings to fall through, yet still provide plenty of support for the rabbit: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Veranda-0-2- ... /202847974

 

[weissangst]

I get cardboard boxes from the wine store (they have a cage they throw all the boxes into in the back) I get 4-5 a week, and cut them into small pieces One piece lasts about 2 days in a cage. Often the girls will chew them as part of their nesting material.

When they have wrecked it good and proper, it goes into the manure bin below, with the worms, and is part of the 'natural process'

I have not had the girls long, but I know exactly who my chewers are, and she wont ever get anything but cardboard from me.

 

[Miss M]

I just bought some of these Dollar Tree sink mats (with the sticker). They seem like they might do the trick. I guess they weren't treated well in storage or something, as they don't lay flat. We zip-tied them to the floors... which, incidentally, may help with chewing, too. We'll see.

 

[HendricksHearth]

I use these resting mats:

I pick them up from the local rabbit show and I don't remember how much I paid, but I want to say ~$3-4 and out of 30+ rabbits I've had to use them over the years, I've only ever had 1 chew the mat more than a tiny bit at the edge and this rabbit also destroyed the rest of the cage wire guards, ripped the urine guards out, etc. Should have named her Destructo.

Best of luck!

Lauren

 

[WhWRabbitry]

:thankyou:
This thread was helpful to me. Klubertanz cages coming in the next couple weeks and I've been thinking about what to put in for resting on. I actually had seen these sink mats you all are discussing at Dollar Tree and had wondered if that would do the trick! Looks like it's worth the try. And I thought I was the only one walking through Dollar Tree thinking of such a thing.

 

[Zass]

I use these resting mats:

My rabbits destroyed those too.
I'm serious. :-| They did.

They didn't chew them, they BROKE them somehow.
I'm using plywood scraps right now, because if they shred them, I can just replace them. It's a compromise, since It's not as sanitary.
I'll get them some tiles in summer, but I feel it's too cold for ceramic tiles right now.

 

[Celice]

for some larger hutches I use plywood too.

 

[Silver Cloud]

I use these, and it was the best price I've found.

http://www.woodyswabbits.com/matsresting-c-48.html

 

[Hoyt]

Can anyone tell me if Oak wood is bad for rabbits? (I just got 3 New Zealand whites) I had wondered what I could use for resting boards as well. I have plenty of fire wood and thought about just cutting off some thin slices from a large oak log. They could act as a resting board AND gives them something to chew on. But...I certainly don't want to use this if it's toxic in any way. Thank you!

 

[Homer]

I wouldn't think the tannic acid in oak would be too good for them. I think I'd find something else.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Can anyone tell me if Oak wood is bad for rabbits?

I wouldn't think the tannic acid in oak would be too good for them.

Oak is on the unsafe list for rabbits, but from personal experience I haven't found it to be a problem.

My rabbitry is surrounded by oak trees, and when the leaves blow into the cages, the rabbits pounce on them like they are candy.

As for the wood itself, we had a pet mini Rex years ago that I kept in a large bird aviary. The only shelter from the elements that she had were two hollow oak logs. She ate all of the decomposing oak out of the centers and stripped all of the bark from them. The wood itself seems to be too dense for the rabbits to chew.