What are the best fillings to put in your bunnies digging box?
If you are thinking of making a digging box for your bunny or are looking for some new ideas as to what you can put in it to make it more interesting then we have put together this guide for you. We look at the good points and the bad points of some of the stuff people have tried in their digging box as well as things that should definitely be avoided.
The obvious thing to put in a digging box is soil or sand, however we would not recommend this as it can be very messy leaving dirt in your home that is kicked out or spread about on your bunnies feet. It also does not leave many options for putting things in there that your bunny can forage for.
The favorite choice of filler for most people is shredded paper, like waste from a paper shredder that’s cut into strips like confetti. Paper based packing material also makes a great choice as it is typically unprocessed and often makes a nice scrunchy noise which is a bonus. If you put any paper in, avoid glossy print and make sure any staples are removed. It is best to avoid newspapers or magazines as the inks could be harmful if your bunny eats a lot of it.
Straw and hay are also good digging box fillers as they are cheap and are also a good way of encouraging your bunny to eat more of them .
Don’t use bubble wrap or the foam pellet or block fillers. Any synthetic material may be an issue as this can cause a problem if digested.
It’s best not to put any sort of material you use in their litter tray as your bunny may easily confuse this new box with another so make sure you use something different. If your bunny does start using their digging box as a litter tray you will need to remove it in case you disturb their good litter training behavior.
As well as a base material it can be good to throw in a few interesting things to give them something to forage for.
There are lots of chew toys you can buy from a pet store that will work well such as willow sticks and balls as well as wooden chew toys.
This can be a great place to give your bunny any of the chew treats you can buy as it will contain any mess as they fall apart.
You don’t have to spend any money on toys for your bunnies digging box, toilet roll tubes, pine cones, and bunny safe twigs you can forage yourself can make the box just as much fun.
To keep your bunnies interested it is best to keep swapping the content out every so often so there are lots of new things to find. This will help remove any soiled materials and keep your bunny coming back to see what they can find.