Nestbox bedding Q

[Nyctra]

My dad ends up with a lot of fir shavings from his wood projects; are they OK to use in the bottom of the nestbox, or would it be better to buy something? :?

edit; Also, is it OK to shave a rabbit pelt for extra fluff if a mamma doesn't pull enough fur? I've got some pelts in the freezer that I screwed up... lol

 

[Bad Habit]

I tried using shavings in my nest box this time, and it made SUCH A MESS. I do have mesh at the bottom of the nest box, though, because I normally put in a thick layer of hay and then put a cage liner underneath to catch the pee.

 

[Nyctra]

When I got one of my rabbits, I got a litter in the nest along with her. The fluff stuck to the woodshavings and made a nice mat, and didn't fly everywhere and get all over me and make me sneeze quite like it did with just hay... lol This last litter kept burrowing under the hay until they were laying right on the wire bottom.

 

[akane]

Fir is a save bedding. It's actually better than pine because it has fewer volatile oils which are toxic. I use to get fir/pine mix listed as "softwood shavings" from one store but they kind of got annoyed they kept asking for one specific type when they just order shavings and get in whatever the distributor sends them.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

My dad ends up with a lot of fir shavings from his wood projects;

Are you talking about sawdust from his saw, or are the shavings from a planer or something like that? If they are similar in size to what you can buy, I would use it.

 

[Nyctra]

Not sawdust, they're like...curly strips of wood? I think it's from peeling poles.

 

[luvabunny]

pine, aspen, or the like shavings are fine to use. Cedar is not. Never use cedar around your rabbits - not in bedding, not in pans and definitely not in nestboxes.

Sawdust is something you want to stay away from in nestboxes. The same goes for kitty litter, or those pellets that turn into sawdust when they get moist.

Personally, I only use shavings for a litter during very cold weather. Otherwise, I simply use some type of grass hay. The type doesn't really matter, but I prefer a long stem such as bluestem over orchard grass or bermuda. Just make sure it doesn't have any stickers or goatheads.

As far as the extra fur, I would never use anything that didn't come from the Mama rabbit. Luckily, Mama's fur gets very loose around kindling time and stays that way for a couple of weeks. If Mama doesn't pull enough, its easy enough to pull more from her from around her flanks. I've even pulled extra after 10 days to 2 weeks when the box needs cleaning. A bald Mama flank is a much better thing than cold babies.

 

[3mina]

I use shavings and straw in my nestboxes, the does and kits like both.

 

[Jessykah]

Shavings are good in the bottom of nestbox, I always use them to absorb the urine, but make sure to change at day 9... use straw on top. Straw is a better insulator than hay. You can definitely shave the pelts and use the fur. I always save fur from other rabbits that have pulled too much. I put it in a container with a lid. The doe doesn't mind you adding another doe's fur. I always do it.

 

[MaggieJ]

I like at least some grass hay in the nest box. Kits begin to nibble very early and grass hay is the best first solid food.

 

[Nyctra]

Last time, I used just hay, but the babies burrowed under it to lay on the wire.... lol

 

[Jessykah]

I add a small handful of hay later on at about 2 wks old.

 

[akane]

I put down a layer of pine pellets for absorption, pine shavings to cover that, and then hay or straw for insulation. I never have to change my nest boxes. They remain clean enough and dry even in winter when the kits don't come out until 4 weeks.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I use the same bedding as Akane, but I also add brown paper bag shreds that I put through our paper shredder.