Bedding

Just reading through the post about megazorb and started to think about Shadows bedding!!

I've just ordered, from the hay experts, a bag of megazorb and some barley straw for his hutch/loo. Up until now I've been buying all his "products" from pets@home and have been wanting to avoid giving them my time and money but not been able to find an alternative place to buy. I had been using the wooden pellets for his loo with straw/hay on top but reading how good the megazorb is have swapped over.

At the moment Shadow's bed is shavings with straw on top, so do I not need the shavings? Will a good layer of straw suffice, with newspaper underneath? Also will the barley straw be suitable for this job?

Ive also ordered a bag of science selective nuggets to swap him over from the p@h nuggets, I know I need to gradually change over so what is the best way to do it?

Thank you hoppers
E xx

you will have to let me know how you get on with it and how long they take to deliver,when i do get round to it,thats were iam going to get it from,iam swapping pellets to the excel ones and iam just doing it very slowly,its taking me agers lol

How I do it (my pigs get swapped around with their pellets all the time) is to chuck an handful into the old pellets one day then stir them in. do the same the next day and the day after and so on until all your new bag has been mixed in so every day there is more new pellet and less old pellet but the buns will probably not notice too much.

As for megazorb try asking at your local horse suppliers for it. It will be cheaper than ordering mail order.

I just use hay as bedding. I always think buying 2 bags of stuff is a false economy. And the straw is quite hard - but that is personal choice. But no, you definitely do not need shavings.

fall3n-ang3l wrote:you will have to let me know how you get on with it and how long they take to deliver,when i do get round to it,thats were iam going to get it from,iam swapping pellets to the excel ones and iam just doing it very slowly,its taking me agers lol

i live in the Somerset area and they take a few days to ship a order to me [always under 5 days] they even email you the morning before if its delivered by courier to tell you the time they will be there.

Amelia66 wrote:

fall3n-ang3l wrote:you will have to let me know how you get on with it and how long they take to deliver,when i do get round to it,thats were iam going to get it from,iam swapping pellets to the excel ones and iam just doing it very slowly,its taking me agers lol

i live in the Somerset area and they take a few days to ship a order to me [always under 5 days] they even email you the morning before if its delivered by courier to tell you the time they will be there.

thank you

We use newpaper first, megazorb and then hay in the litter trays, and we use newspaper first then hay for the beds. Deep and snug hay beds for Winter and less hay for Summer beds. We don't use shavings or sawdust at all as it's not good for rabbits with respiratory problems and sometimes the sawdust/shavings can irritate the eyes .
Always angers me when I look in the Pets@Home adoption part and they have rabbit's with respiratory problems on shavings

To change over pellets, use the 10% rule daily. You should be completely changed over within 10 days. Just swop 10% of your rabbit's usual food for the new food, and then add another 10% every day until you are completely changed over. Monitor your bun's poops very carefully to check that they are coping with the changeover. Don't add any new veg while you are doing this so you be sure any loose stools are due to the pellets rather than veg etc.

I don't use any sawdust or shavings for the reasons Maysie says above. I line my buns' litter trays with newspaper and then put in hay. They tend to sit in the tray and have a nibble, then poop and nibble. Delightful creatures!

Same as Tuckerbunnies.

Never liked straw... too sharp and risk of eye damage.

Thank you everyone!
I always used hay in his bedding but I was once advised by a p@h staff member to use straw instead! Grrrrrr. So glad I have you lot, but tbh I should really have used my own head on that one.
E x

Dont want to take over this thread, but while were on the subject of what to use for a bed...

Im wondering what to do to keep the buns warm this winter. They have a top shelf in the playhouse and love snuggling up on it. I was thinking of putting bedding on top, but i dont want them peeing all over the place...which i think they would do if i used hay/straw. What else can i use so they can snuggle up and keep cosy?

I recon they will pee all over anywhoo lol, Ive just bought a new hutch yesterday and you should see the state of it this morning lol.

4390evans wrote:I recon they will pee all over anywhoo lol, Ive just bought a new hutch yesterday and you should see the state of it this morning lol.

They are litter trained and do all of their wees in the tray, but if i put hay anywhere else, they will likely pee in there too. I could always get some of that correx stuff and put that on the shelf so urine doesnt ruin the wood.

If they are outside hutch bunnies you could buy a hutch cover that will keep them nice and snug, give extra hay, a couple of heat pads are always welcome when it's really cold

Have you considered covering the shelf in lino or sticky back plastic? It would make the shelf easily wipeable and allow the buns their snug space. Bearing in mind in the mid winter they will be much warmer sleeping off the floor.

Tuckerbunnies wrote:If they are outside hutch bunnies you could buy a hutch cover that will keep them nice and snug, give extra hay, a couple of heat pads are always welcome when it's really cold

They're in a playhouse and last winter they were indoors, but they arent allowed this year
The sticky back plastic sounds like a good idea! But correx will be easy to remove and take out, like a giant litter tray.

My guinea pigs hutches are line with sticky back plastic on the walls and lino on the floors and it makes such a difference to cleaning time and effort. Not matter how digusting they have been there is not often any call for more than a dustpan and brush and a damp cloth.