Because of their sensitive feet and fondness for play, choosing the right flooring for your rabbit can go a very long way toward keeping them happy and healthy. Whether it’s for their enclosure or to help give free-roaming rabbits better traction on smooth floors, the best flooring options will all make your rabbit feel more comfortable and at home in their environment.
An indoor rabbit, left to their own devices, is bound to get into mischief. When they’re feeling energetic, many rabbits will decide to nibble, nose, and nudge their way all around the house—sometimes chewing and scratching at furniture and shoes that we’d rather they leave alone. Thankfully, choosing the right type of flooring and providing enrichment for your rabbit can go a long way towards preventing this behavior!
Today we’ll be looking at three types of flooring for rabbits and giving you the pros and cons of each to help you decide what sort of flooring is best for your home and your rabbit. Read on to find out more!
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The 3 Best Types of Flooring for Rabbits:
1. Rugs and Carpets: Ideal for Free-roaming Buns
If your rabbit has free run of the house for even part of a day, covering large areas of your floor with a selection of rugs and carpets is a fantastic way to encourage them to run, play, and lounge at ease. By giving them better traction, you also reduce the chance of any injuries that could occur from slipping and sliding on tile or hardwood floors.
It is worth taking the extra time and effort to find untreated, natural fiber rugs and low-pile carpets for your rabbit. Why? They are easier to clean and, if nibbled on, your rabbit’s health is at much less risk than if they ingest pieces of synthetic materials and plastics. Look for tight treading that your rabbits can not nibble on to ensure your carpets last and your rabbits stay safe. Regardless of what you choose you should always monitor your rabbit’s habits and ensure they have plenty of wooden toys and hay that is always available to reduce the pulling of carpet materials.
- Provides great traction, preventing injuries
- Less dangerous if ingested
- Carpets are inexpensive and readily available at flooring stores
- Too much chewing can lead to GI obstruction
- Difficult to clean when wet
2. Vinyl Flooring: The Best Flooring for Rabbit Cages, Pens, and Hutches
For ease of use in cleaning up around the litter box, vinyl flooring is ideal. As a cheap option for covering large areas, it’s our recommended flooring material of choice for placement beneath rabbit cages, especially around their bathroom corner. Simply sweep and wipe it clean when it’s dirty.
When cutting and arranging vinyl flooring, be sure to leave an extra lip outside of your rabbit’s cage. This helps to minimize how many corners and edges are accessible for easy chewing. If your rabbit is especially fond of chewing, be careful to make sure that they aren’t allowed to eat any synthetic materials!
- Easy to clean, even when wet
- Inexpensive, even for large areas
- Perfect for around the litter box
- Synthetic material can cause harm if chewed
- Provides no cushion for sensitive rabbit feet
3. Straw and Grass Mats: Functional and Chewable
Sometimes, no matter how many toys and chewing alternatives you give your rabbit, it’s just not possible to keep them from munching away on their flooring. If your rabbit is a heavy chewer, even natural fiber rugs and carpets can begin to threaten their health with the risk of GI obstructions.
So, what’s a responsible rabbit owner to do in a situation like this? Though it may end up being a bit messier and more expensive in the long run, untreated straw and/or grass mats are a sophisticated solution to this problem. They’ll give your rabbit the traction of a rug or carpet, but in an entirely edible format.
Try to keep your grass and straw mats away from the litter box corner of your rabbit’s enclosure. Once they get wet, there’s a good chance of mold, especially if your rabbit urinates on them. At that point, it’s better just to throw the mat out.
- Safe for heavy chewers
- Good for traction and preventing slip injuries
- Commonly available at pet stores
- Not as durable as carpet, rugs, or vinyl
- Molds easily when wet
Rabbit Flooring to Avoid
We don’t recommend using chunks of carpet. This is because your rabbit is very likely to chew them when they get bored. This could potentially cause your bunny to get sick. Not to mention they’re also fairly absorbent, so again, these would lead to foul smells.
Plastic flooring may be a bit too slippery for your rabbit so we don’t recommend using this as an option. If your rabbit decides to chew the plastic, they are also likely to get sick. This is because you’ll probably be reusing old materials that aren’t necessarily fit for use with rabbits.
Conclusion
The right flooring can make a great difference in your rabbit’s quality of life and enjoyment of their environment. Try to give them plenty of natural fiber to run and play on, with vinyl flooring inside of their enclosure for ease of cleaning. While there may be no one best flooring for all situations, we hope this article has taught you everything you need to know to make an informed decision for your rabbit’s home!
- See Also: How to Set Up a Rabbits Cage: 6 Key Tips
Featured Image Credit: Chan Swan, Unsplash
