Best Rabbit Bedding For Comfort & Cleanliness

Keeping your rabbit’s cage or hutch tidy and comfortable is essential if you want to keep them happy. Even if you give your rabbit a lot of free time around your house (as you should), you need to ensure that their time in their cage is comfortable. One of the best ways that you can do this is by providing them with a high-quality bedding.

Providing your bunny with the best rabbit bedding can help maintain a clean, dry, comfortable environment for them. You’ll want something that’s comfortable and absorbent that doesn’t have toxins and harmful additives. That’s why we’ve created our comprehensive buying guide as well as compiling and reviewing the 5 best rabbit bedding options!

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OUR #1 RATED

Small Pet SelectPremium Soft Paper Bedding

Bedding that’s extremely soft and fluffy while remaining very dust-free and is an excellent value for the price.

VitakraftFresh World Strength Crumble Bedding

Featuring 14 days of odor control with excellent liquid absorption and made from 100% recycled paper.

Fresh News​Paper Animal Bedding

100% biodegradable bedding that’s soft, comfortable, and uses baking soda as an odor eliminating ingredient.

Healthy PetHPCC Natural Bedding

Absorbs up to 3 times its weight while being extremely soft, comfortable, and gentle on the environment.

CarefreshComplete Pet Bedding

Controls odors for 10 days and excellently absorbs liquids while lacking dust and being made from 100% sustainable materials.

What Is Rabbit Bedding?

Rabbit bedding is the material that you place at the bottom of your rabbit’s cage or hutch that provides them with a comfortable place to sleep, hang out, and even go to the bathroom. Providing your rabbit with quality bedding is essential because it’s a lot more natural that way!

In the wild, rabbits don’t sleep on cold hard surfaces. Instead, they sleep in dens or burrows, which they often customize with nests to sleep on. This environment is something that they need to feel comfortable and safe, so a quality bedding will help fulfill their instinctual needs.

This rabbit bedding serves more purposes other than being comfortable, though. One big factor is absorption. Rabbits may be slightly messy creatures, but they don’t like to live in filth. Bedding absorbs fluids and keeps the environment nice and dry very easily.

Additionally, bedding provides warmth. A good bedding will trap the body heat of the rabbit on top of it and keep the rabbit nice and warm throughout the night. In colder environments, especially if you opt to keep your rabbit in an outdoor hutch, this warmth is essential if you want your rabbit to stay healthy.

Are There Rabbit Bedding Alternatives?

We have compiled some amazing bedding that is very affordable and effective at doing what the best rabbit bedding should do. However, taking a more DIY approach may be in your best interest. Fortunately for you, there are several materials that would make for an awesome bedding for your bunny — materials that you likely have in your home already!

• Newspaper – Newspaper is something that most people have just sitting around their house, and it acts as a great base for your rabbit’s cage. However, it shouldn’t be the only bedding you provide — it’s recommended that you place hay or straw over the newspaper to complete it. Make sure that the newspaper uses non-toxic ink, and look out for destructive bunnies that will easily tear up the paper.
• Straw – Straw makes for a great, comfortable bedding for rabbits. The insulation of stray is excellent, so it’ll keep your rabbit’s temperature controlled during both winter and summer.
• Hay – Hay is something that you should have an abundance of if you’re a rabbit owner. This material should be dust and mold-free in order to provide the best bedding and food. However, rabbits don’t like to eat their bedding too much, so make sure that you provide your bunny with plenty of fresh hay, too.
• Wood pellets – These are frequently used in cat litter trays, but they can also make for an excellent bedding, especially in an outdoor rabbit hutch.
• Shredded cardboard – This is another material that most people will have around their house. Shredding a cardboard box into thin strips is a great safe and insulated rabbit bedding. This makes for a better bedding than newspaper as it’s thicker and generally doesn’t have harmful ink.

Helpful Tips For Rabbit Bedding

While rabbit bedding may seem pretty straightforward, and it is, there are still a few things that you should know in order to provide your rabbit with the best environment.

• How do I arrange rabbit bedding?

• Arranging your rabbit’s bedding properly isn’t difficult, but it’s important to understand why you should lay it out in a specific way. This video below goes over this idea very well:

• Where do I put rabbit bedding?

• Bedding in your rabbit’s cage should be placed basically everywhere. To keep the area neat and easy to clean, you should put the bedding in a tray with raised sides that can be removed from the cage or hutch. While the bedding can be spread out throughout the cage, bathroom, eating, and sleeping areas should still be separated and cleaned appropriately.

• How often should I change my rabbit’s bedding?

• In order to keep your rabbit’s cage clean and to their liking, you should change their bedding and wash their cage at least once a week. You will want to rinse and thoroughly scrub the tray underneath the bedding, and then replace it with fresh bedding — never reuse product even if it looks clean! This thorough and consistent cleaning helps prevent ammonia build up and sickness in your rabbit.

What Defines The Best Rabbit Bedding?

Not all rabbit bedding is created equal. In fact, some bedding that we have found is downright not safe for rabbits! So, when choosing the best rabbit bedding for your bunny, you’ll want to keep these key characteristics in mind:

• Odor control – Rabbits can get a bit smelly at times, so having a bedding that’s good at odor control is one of the best ways to take care of this. Some bedding, such as this one by Vitakraft, has built-in odor control to eliminate unpleasant bunny odors.
• Safety – Rabbits are smart creatures, but they’re not smart enough to know if their bedding is dangerous for them. Your rabbit will spend a good amount of time right on top of their bedding, so you’ll want one that is non-toxic. Rabbits will eat their bedding, so safe paper bedding is an excellent choice.
• Absorbency – The best rabbit bedding is very absorbent. When a bedding is absorbent, it means that you’ll have to change it a little less frequently. Additionally, it keeps the bedding drier, cleaner, and more comfortable for your rabbit to lay down in and sleep on.
• Dust-free – The dustiness of a rabbit bedding is something that’s very important to consider. A bedding that is dust-free makes the process of changing bedding a lot easier, and it’s also much better for your rabbit’s respiratory health.
• Eco-friendly – Because of the fact that you’re going to be using a lot of bedding every week, especially if you have several rabbits, it’s a good idea to get an eco-friendly bedding. Your bedding should be 100% biodegradable and compostable in order for it to have a minimal effect on the environment.
• Comfort – Comfort is obviously very important too! Your rabbit is going to spend a lot of time laying and sleeping on their bedding, so a bedding that is comfortable is going to keep them a lot more relaxed and happy.

What Is The Best Rabbit Bedding?

There is a large amount of rabbit bedding available on the market, and it can be overwhelming to look at what’s available and try to choose the best for your bunny. That’s why we’ve compiled five of the best rabbit bedding options and gone over their individual pros and cons.Remember, cleanliness is important. You could supply your rabbit with the best bedding in the world, but if you don’t maintain their cage, they will experience negative effects on their health.

our #1 rated

OUR TOP PICK

Small Pet Select

Premium Soft Paper Bedding

Quality​

Value​

Our Rating

This bedding is easily one of the most popular options available, and it’s very clear why once you look at it. To begin with, the value of this bedding is insane. With none of the added fluff and fancy branding, this bedding is generally much less per liter than its competitors. The great value doesn’t impact the quality, though. This bedding is 100% safe and made in the USA without the addition of any harmful chemicals. It’s also a bedding that expands up to 3 times its volume when released for the packaging, giving you even more product than you may have thought. The paper used within the bedding is unbleached and was never printed on, removing the possibility of it containing harmful ink. On top of all of this, it’s comfortable and super absorbent to round out the value that this bedding brings.Most rabbit owners that decided to go with this bedding are very pleased with their decision. The most common way that this bedding is described is that it’s soft, dust-free, fluffs nicely, and is surprisingly decent at absorbing odors. In addition to the quality, the amount of bedding is a big focal point for owners. Most of them state that they’re able to get a ton of uses out of a single bag which is great for money saving.There are two things to note with this product. First of all, it’s advertised as one volume but the package is another volume. This is because the bedding expands when out of the bag, but there are some discrepancies in measurements. Additionally, it isn’t designed for odor-elimination, so another bedding based around odor control may be better to use in the bathroom spots.

PROS​

• Excellent value
• Very soft and fluffy
• Dust-free

CONS

• Not the best for odor control

our #2 rated

Vitakraft

Fresh World Strength Crumble Bedding

Quality​

Value​

Our Rating

If you’re wanting a bedding that’s a lot better at odor control while remaining safe, then this bedding by Vitakraft would be excellent for you. Fresh World bedding boasts the ability to control odor for up to 14 days with their odor blocker formula. Not only does it keep the cage smelling great, but it’s also very absorbent — absorbing up to 3 times its weight in liquid. Composition is great too, as it’s made from 100% recycled paper that’s both non-toxic and unbleached which makes it very safe for rabbits to sleep in. As far as dust goes, this bedding is 99.5% dust-free, making it great for respiratory health and easy to clean up.Owners that opt to use this bedding are also very happy about it. Rabbits that are sensitive to dust mostly react very well to this bedding due to it being very dust-free and odorless. The odor control is great, too, with most owners either hardly smelling the cage and rabbit waste or not being able to smell it at all. It’s also very soft and crumbles apart easily to make it very comfortable.While most owners don’t have a problem with dust with this bedding, a couple of owners do. It’s been occasionally noted that this bedding is pretty dusty and crumbly. Additionally, a few owners have made it known that the odor control doesn’t work phenomenally for them.

PROS​

• 14 days of odor control
• Great absorption
• Made from 100% recycled non-toxic paper

CONS

• Dusty and weaker odor control for a couple of owners

our #3 rated

Fresh News

Paper Animal Bedding

Quality​

Value​

Our Rating

Fresh News is a lesser known company in the pet space, but they have created a phenomenal rabbit bedding product. This bedding was created with a focus on odor elimination, using baking soda as an ingredient to fight ammonia. This results in a much fresher and cleaner environment. In addition to that, this bedding is very soft and made from recycled paper that is 100% biodegradable. Fresh News also boasts that they are more absorbent than the leading brand of bedding, and this helps you get more bang for your buck.Owners that tried out this bedding with their rabbits tend to really love it. The main two compliments it seems to get are in regards to its softness and its odor controlling abilities. Rabbits love to play and sleep on this bedding, and it wonderfully contains odors from a rabbit’s waste. It’s also easy to scoop out and clean when needed.There is a nice lack of legitimate complaints about this bedding, which is always nice to see. A couple of owners have noted that the bedding is too lightweight which allows it to get kicked out of the cage pretty easily, and one owner said it’s a bit pricey, but that’s about the extent of the complaints.

PROS​

• 100% biodegradable
• Uses baking soda as an odor eliminator
• Very soft and comfortable

CONS

• A bit too lightweight – can be kicked around easily

our #4 rated

Healthy Pet

HPCC Natural Bedding

Quality​

Value​

Our Rating

This Healthy Pet HPCC Natural Bedding is very similar to the bedding above by Vitakraft. Like that bedding, this product is designed to absorb up to 3 times its weight in liquid, making for a drier and cleaner environment. As far as odor control goes, it’s great at stopping odor by suppressing the ammonia in rabbit urine. It’s also virtually dust-free, making it safe and comfortable for rabbits to sleep on. A final point is its expansion, as it grows to twice its volume when out of the packaging, giving you more of a value than you may initially think.Rabbit owners that went this route are just as pleased with their choice. It’s commonly said that this bedding holds up well to the abuse that rabbits can put it through and does its job very well for the price. It’s very fluffy and comfortable for rabbits to sleep on while still being functional in its absorption. The fact that it’s made from recycled materials and is gentle on the environment is another huge plus that owners like.The main concern with this bedding lies in the smell. A handful of owners don’t see too much odor blocking going on with this bedding and opt to sprinkle some baking soda underneath to help with that. Additionally, some owners have said that it’s a bit rough and dusty. The fact that these owners are in the minority raises the possibility that these issues come from quality control problems and isn’t a common flaw… But we can’t be certain about that.

PROS​

• Absorbs up to 3 times its weight
• Nice expansion out of package
• Dust-free

CONS

• Doesn’t control odor extremely well

our #5 rated

Carefresh

Complete Pet Bedding

Quality​

Value​

Our Rating

Carefresh is easily one of the most popular brands in the rabbit bedding space, and it’s for a good reason. This long-standing company has developed a great rabbit bedding that checks all of the boxes of the best rabbit bedding. Boasting 10 days of odor control abilities, this bedding helps to contain odors and keep cages and hutches fresh. Additionally, it’s 99% dust-free to make it easy to clean and safe to sleep on. It’s also made from 100% sustainable and renewable wood fibers that are biodegradable and compostable. Overall, it’s a very solid bedding for one or several bunnies.Rabbit owners that use this bedding are predominantly pleased with their choice. The value of it is something that is noted a lot in customer reviews. Additionally, owners note that it’s very absorbent and does help in reducing the odor in the cage. Very few owners notice any irritation for their rabbits or themselves, which gives proof of the lack of dust.A couple owners note that the bedding is brittle and not very absorbent, while other owners have no problem with either of these points. This issue could be due to a bad batch of bedding and is not standard quality. Additionally, a handful of owners have concerns about the odor blocking abilities not being the best.

PROS​

• 10 days of odor control
• 100% sustainable materials
• Virtually dust-free

CONS

• A couple quality issues

Our Choice

All of the bedding that we have reviewed are more than suitable for rabbits and meet all of the criteria to provide your rabbit with a great environment. Rabbits are picky creatures with needs that must be met to ensure their happiness, and choosing the right bedding is one of the best ways to do that.

After analyzing all of the bedding available, we have determined that the best rabbit bedding is Small Pet Select Premium Soft Paper Bedding​.

This well-priced and trusted rabbit bedding easily meets the needs of rabbits and is trusted by thousands of rabbit owners. The qualities of this bedding combined with it’s phenomenal value make it a great choice for all rabbit owners.