Can I Use Pine River Bedding As Wood Shavings For Rabbits?

Why yes, yes you can use our Pine River Bedding wood shavings as bedding for your rabbits. In fact, it might even be the best, most cost effective choice for your animals.

To start this article, there is a lot of bad information on the internet these days abouts rabbits and shavings. Several "rabbit websites" are attacking the use of pine and cedar shavings citing liver damage issues caused by "untreated" pine and cedar shavings. There are a multitude of issues with this so called "science" experiment, but you can read the entire article here that disputes the 2 scientific studies that were done on this subject (There is also a highly touted opinion article that promotes a particular brand. I wonder why?).

We have nothing to hide here at PRB, so we offer the evidence that accurately quotes the "science" and the debate about it, letting you decide what to believe.

To make a long story short, people have been raising rabbits on pine shavings for years with no major health issues. Most of the so called "science" referenced in these articles was paid for in order to promote 2 types of bedding, high density paper bedding and "Care Fresh" brand of pine shavings. Both paper bedding and "Care Fresh" cost a lot more than bales of pine shavings from your local farm and feed store.

At this point in time, there are no known effects from using heat-treated, kiln dried shavings (all of our shavings here at PRB are heat-treated and kiln dried shavings). There may be an issue if you use NON HEAT-TREATED SHAVINGS, and that is a hard maybe at best (Most large shavings brands would not sell these anyway as they would be considerably less absorbent than kiln dried shavings). 

To make a much longer debate shortened some more, you can safely use any commercially available pine shaving as almost all of them have been heat-treated and kiln dried. There is still some concern about using cedar shavings rather than pine, but I am not sure why you would pay extra for cedar shavings in this scenario. Pine shavings are a lot more economical than cedar shavings for rabbits and more readily available as well.

Whatever you decide, don't get fooled into paying 10 times as much for recycled newspaper, or some fancy brand of pine shavings available online. Get the same reliable shavings that you have used for years. It works, it is efficient at absorption, and it is extremely cost effective as well.

Great pure virgin wood shavings, pellets, and sawdust. Pine River Bedding.

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