Will wood chips work in place of hay for a kindling nest for kits etc?

[Nao57]

Will wood chips work in place of hay for a kindling nest for kits etc?

I already have (clean) wood chips from raising poultry, so I just thought it might work in the kindle nest, etc?

What do you think? Has anyone done this?

 

[Beekissed]

After watching how much rabbits nest with hay, rearranging it and tucking it here and there, getting ready for the kindling, I would say they wouldn't pick wood chips as material for that.

 

[promiseacres]

Also as wood breaks down there's bacteria in in. I would hate to see your kits suffer. Any type of soft dried grasses should be better. Or I have heard people use shredded paper.

 

[Beekissed]

Hay is cheap and can go a long way, but if you don't have access to hay, cutting some long, soft grasses and letting them dry works too.

 

[messybun]

The bottom of my nesting boxes was a small wire, so we used a thin layer of wood shavings and hay over that. You can do your own research of which shavings to use for rabbits, there’s a lot of information already out there.

 

[secuono]

Straw is cheaper, but I find it hard to locate.
Why not hay, are you allergic to it?
You can make your own hay, too. Its just greens dried out.

 

[rachels.haven]

My mom still uses pine shavings in her nest boxes as a base layer. She provides newspaper for them to shred and put on top and burrow in. She's been doing this for over 30 years. No abnormal issues. Hay and straw are bulky, messy, and hard to store and that's just the way she's always done it.

 

[Beekissed]

Since I was feeding rabbits hay anyway, I always had it on hand, so it was natural to use it for bedding.

 

[animalmom]

I have read that some folks use their grass clippings for the nest box. This is suppose to work well AS LONG AS the grass is not chemically treated with anything.

The article said that you leave the grass clippings to dry a few days and then rake up and store in empty feed bags. Not heavy to move and if dried well won't spoil.

IF you have a lawn you could try this approach.

I use hay as that is what I have.

 

[Nao57]

My mom still uses pine shavings in her nest boxes as a base layer. She provides newspaper for them to shred and put on top and burrow in. She's been doing this for over 30 years. No abnormal issues. Hay and straw are bulky, messy, and hard to store and that's just the way she's always done it.

Thanks.