Is it Bad if Rabbits Eat Newspaper?
Like 2 Dislike 0 Published on 10 Feb 2016
Is it bad if rabbits eat newspaper?
Rabbits and other rodents have teeth that keep growing over their lives. What looks like eating newspaper may simply be chewing on the cellulose to wear down the teeth.
I wonder if the newspaper is bad.
It is cellulose and soy based ink these days. It isn't bad for them unless it is the glossies or colored paper.
What do I use as lining instead? Newspaper is cheap and available.
So is grass, hay and other bedding materials.
They get some of that, but they still chew on the newspaper.
Make sure you give them enough hard vegetables like carrots to gnaw on. That wears down the teeth and feeds them.
They still like to chew on it, though I put stuff like that in their cages.
Cover up the newspaper with grass, wood chips and other safe bedding materials. Put the paper so deep under the other layers so they don't have access to it.
What is the harm if they do? You said it is not toxic.
The newspaper can take up space in their stomachs, making them less hungry or interested in healthy food. Over time, that can cause malnutrition.
And here I thought it might be a healthy source of fiber.
A little here and there won't be bad unless it is colored paper, but a lot is going to cause malnutrition if not serious digestive tract problems.
What if it is unbleached and unprinted paper?
The plain cardboard paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls are fine. It is the white printer paper that is bad, as is the newsprint.
Now I may actually have a reason that the kids will enjoy to change out the empty toilet paper rolls.
Assuming the kids do not clog up the toilet to get to the roll to feed the rabbits.
It is safer than the kids thinking they can feed the rabbit their homework.
The classic story is that the dog ate it.
We don't have a dog. And if he did, they kids would try to be feeding him paper, too.