Is it normal for rabbits to eat newspaper

Paper is neither of these things. If your bunny eats it to excess, they can become ill. The main danger of a rabbit eating paper is an intestinal blockage. If not swallowed in small pieces and quantities, it can leave them constipated. If you spot these warning signs, see a vet. It does not take long for constipation to become an emergency. In the short term, offer small amounts of vegetable oil as a first-aid measure. The easiest way to prevent a rabbit from eating paper is to keep it out of their home.

Newspaper is particularly common. If you use these substrates, provide plenty of ventilation. These materials, while popular, have been linked to liver disease and breathing difficulties. This means ensuring that your bunny has plenty of hay to eat, providing them with fiber. You must also make sure that your rabbit has a rich, fulfilling social life.

Rabbits become bored and depressed if left alone. Toys are also pivotal to a rabbit. Fill their home with things to chew and hide. Some inks are toxic to small animals. The most dangerous ink for rabbits is found on pamphlets and leaflets. These mass-produced communications are more likely to use cheaper, potentially toxic ink. Even high-quality pamphlets are a problem, due to the waxy nature of the paper. If your pet is white, they may not stay that way.

Newspapers remain the most popular paper for rabbit homes. As with most paper-based communications, newspapers tend to be printed using safer ink. Whereas older inks used petroleum as a base, soy and water are now more common. You should always test this theory exposing your rabbit to printed matter, however.

Rub your finger over the ink. Does it smudge and come off on your finger? Does it stubbornly cling to your finger when you try to wash it off? If so, this ink is petroleum-based and must be kept away from rabbits. Petroleum-based ink never fully dries. Also, it contains the same oils that a car mechanic would use.

In many respects, shredded paper is safer than a whole paper. It will already be in smaller chunks. Also, the shredded paper will minimize exposure to ink. Once the paper has been through a shredder, the ink is evenly distributed in tiny amounts. Despite this, shredded up paper alone is unsafe as a substrate bedding.

The British Rabbit Council only recommends using shredded paper below straw or hay. One option is providing your rabbit with safe paper to shred themselves. Many bunnies will enjoy this. Because rabbits are very delicate creatures, you have to keep them very safe from the smallest of things. Being a very playful creature, rabbits require constant attention or a playmate or a toy to spend time.

Sometimes shredded paper bedding is not enough to keep them busy, because by nature they are very curious animals. So, they like to discover new things.

What can be the solution then? You can follow my steps. I have brought a second rabbit to keep my little friend accompanied. Rabbits have a very fulfilling social life.

They like to spend time with their friends. So, to keep one busy, bring a second rabbit. Newspapers were published using petroleum-based ink. That ink was actually very toxic. But now newspaper inks are very safe. So, you can easily use newspapers to line the hutch. But you can never be more cautious. A little test can keep them safe. Toilet paper solutes very easily with water. But never give them toilet paper to eat. Finally, try to teach children about not feeding paper to the bunny.

The possibilities are endless. Flattened or standing, cardboard boxes are another easy and cheap way to provide entertainment for your rabbit. You can make a digging box for your rabbit, or turn it into a tunnel for your rabbit to destroy. I even use them as temporary mats to block the carpet at the corners of the room, or flatten and line them up against the wall to keep my rabbit from chewing on the baseboards.

Just remember to inspect and remove any staples or tape when you give your rabbit a new cardboard box. This can be dangerous for your rabbit and cause digestive problems or injury. Cardboard boxes are also great hideouts for shy or scared rabbits. The main downside to giving your rabbit a cardboard box to tear apart is cleaning up the mess afterward. Rabbits can completely shred cardboard boxes very quickly. Not all cardboard is created equal, so there are a few things to look out for or avoid when you give your rabbit cardboard to chew on.

As I mentioned before, you want to exclude any dangerous accessories, like tape or staples, but there are a couple other things to keep in mind too. You want to be careful of what kind of boxes you give your rabbit.

This means avoiding anything like a cereal box and product boxes. It also includes magazines and anything that has a glossy cover. If your rabbit seems to be eating a lot of cardboard, limit the amount that you give them. Try introducing other types of chew toys instead. For example, if your rabbit seems to be eating too much cardboard, try giving them more wooden toys. For the most part, yes. But paper can be great fun for your rabbit. Like with cardboard, most paper with ink on it is not good to give to a bunny.

But there are still some good options that are useful as enrichment for your rabbit. This is the one exception to the no-ink paper rule. You can also shred or crumple up the pages of a newspaper to make a simple toy for your rabbit. This is just the ink rubbing off on your bunny. Packing paper is the plain white or brown paper that will sometimes come in a package.

It is becoming a little more common nowadays to get a package with paper as companies try to use less plastic. And this is great for us rabbit lovers. These large pieces of pre-crumpled paper make amazing toys for rabbits.