A Money-Saving Hack to Bed Meat Rabbit Cages

Here’s a simple way to save money on bedding for your meat rabbit cages:

Mix shredded paper into your shavings or bedding!

This started as a way for me to deal with all the junk mail that I get while protecting the privacy of the household and not exposing ourselves to identity theft. And then I realized there might be an even higher use for all that unsolicited mail.

Jump to:

• Mixing Paper Shreds to Extend Shavings and Bedding
• Can Shredded Paper Be Used Alone?
• Is Shredded Paper Safe for Rabbits?
• What About Shredded Cardboard?
• Can you shred and use it for bedding? Is it safe for meat rabbits?
• What About Nest Boxes?
• Can you use shredded paper in meat rabbit nest boxes?
• Shredder Buying Tips and Tips for Shredding

Mixing Paper Shreds to Extend Shavings and Bedding

What am I doing?

Simple. I’m using a standard home office paper shredder to shred any kind of paper that is absorbent and safe for use in my garden. It turns out that this is a vast amount of paper that comes through my home and office.

I’m just shredding paper as it comes in, saving it up, and then mixing it into the shavings that I normally use to bed the rabbits.

I mix somewhere between a 25/75 and 50/50 paper-to-shavings ratio.

This helps me get rid of the paper and helps me cut down on the cost of the shavings, which have probably nearly doubled in the last five years or so.

Can Shredded Paper Be Used Alone?

You might wonder why I bother to mix the paper shreds or use shavings at all. Two reasons:

• The mix of shavings and paper is more absorbent
• I wouldn’t have enough paper to keep up with all my cages

I did an experiment on a couple of cages and bedded them with only shredded paper. I will say that it worked better than I expected. I expected the shredded paper to mat and clump too much to be effective.

Here are some things I noticed about using only shredded paper with no shavings:

• The paper did not mat too much and did have good absorbency – better than I’d expected
• Absorbency was not quite as good as shavings alone or a mix of paper and shavings
• The paper did not absorb odors as well as the shavings did
• The experiment was done in the cool autumn/winter
• I'd expect the paper/odor control would be more of an issue in the summer
• Bottom line: You could use only shredded paper if you have enough, but I still prefer to mix the paper and shavings.

Is Shredded Paper Safe for Rabbits?

To be honest, it’s difficult to find expert advice on this matter, and a lot of the information and discussion out there comes from pet rabbit keepers. That’s not that surprising to me because meat rabbit keepers have a lot of animals to bed and, like me, probably don’t have enough shredded paper products to bed all their animals all of the time, anyway.

There are a lot of paper-based products sold for bedding rabbits and small animal cages as well.

The bottom line, though, is that, yes, shredded paper is safe for rabbits. Mostly.

• Glossy paper, coated, or waxy paper are not good for use in rabbit cages. They’re not worth the time anyway because they absorb nothing.
• Newspaper is considered safe for use, and most are printed with vegetable inks (soy-based), so the ink is safe to ingest (if it’s near the animal—I don’t keep paper where it can be eaten).
• The quick trick to figure out if newspaper ink is vegetable-based is to see if it smudges when rubbed. Petroleum-based inks will smudge, but vegetable-based inks will not.
• Magazines made of newsprint are okay; glossies are not.
• Office paper may be safe in contact with rabbits, but you should know what’s in it if you can (I follow the not-waxed rule and use it where it’s not in contact or ingested by animals).
• Some printer inks are not vegetable-based
• Some office paper isn’t very absorbent but can be okay when used in this way and in a mixture—you may have to do some experimenting yourself
• Rabbits will chew paper just like they will chew anything else that’s within reach. Since it’s not a food source, provides no nutrition, and has the potential to cause intestinal blockage if ingested in excessive amounts, use it sparingly inside the cage.
• Paper dust can be an issue because rabbits have sensitive respiratory tracts, so limit exposure.
• I am bedding only drop pans below the cage, which means the rabbits never have a chance to eat the paper, and dust is not airborne (it settles, and then it’s spilled and peed on, so it’s not dust anymore—paper is no worse than shavings or any other type of litter in this way, in my opinion, and experience).

Think of it this way—if it’s considered safe for your garden and compost pile, it’s safe for bedding in your rabbit cage. A lot of pet owners are doing this in cages for burrowing. Drop pans will be even safer than that.

I like to follow the “garden and compost” rule anyway because all of my rabbit waste ends up either in my garden, compost or as mulch for my elderberry field and other orchard and berry plants.

What About Shredded Cardboard?

Can you shred and use it for bedding? Is it safe for meat rabbits?

Cardboard is considered safe for use in rabbit cages.

• Remove any tape, shiny labels, or staples (you don’t want these in the cage or in your garden or compost)
• Many people “recycle” toilet paper tubes and paper towel tubes as chewable toys for rabbits, stuffing them with hay for the rabbits to dig and play with
• Don't use cardboard that is shiny or has a waxy or decorative-type coating
• Plain brown cardboard is best

What About Nest Boxes?

Can you use shredded paper in meat rabbit nest boxes?

Yes, some people are doing this. Again, many pet owners are using paper inside the cages, too.

I choose not to use shredded paper as nest box lining.

For nest boxes, I’m sticking with kiln-dried shavings and hay or straw—all-natural, untreated materials.

One of the major reasons for this is that these natural products are more absorbent, which keeps the nest box cleaner and drier—that's really important!

Another major reason is that the kits may start to nibble the hay in their nest box; hay has nutritional value, and the fiber is healthy for their guts.

I don’t want kits filling up on anything that is devoid of nutrients. Consuming and growing healthily is their one job!

Shredder Buying Tips and Tips for Shredding

There are a few things I learned when I was shopping for a shredder. I knew that one of my biggest waste problems was cardboard, so I wanted to be able to shred that, too. Here’s what I found (based on manufacturer recommendations):

• Shredders are sold in “sheet” capacity
• In other words, you might buy a six-sheet, 12, 18-sheet (or higher) shredder
• The price goes up with sheet capacity
• 6- and 12-sheet shredders are fine for a lot of home use, but for any quantity of shredding, I would recommend a 12-sheet minimum
• If you want to shred cardboard, you need at least a 12-sheet shredder

Of course, you could also use paper and cardboard without shredding it, but in that case, it only mats, and there isn’t enough surface area for good absorbency. I personally wouldn’t recommend it. A decent shredder won’t break the bank, and it’ll pay for itself soon enough if you can reduce your bedding costs by 25 to 50 percent.

This is just one of those meat rabbit-raising hacks that works for me! If you have a hack to share, please leave it in the comments.