Bunny floors

[Jacaroe]

I was so happy to have finally put together an open-air indoor pen for Cinnabun from sections of pet cage and NIC that now takes up just about 1/3 of my living room. lol The dangers of free-roaming far outweigh the benefits in my house, so other than the daily bouncing around the house with my daughter that they do, this space is his home. He's got about 20 square feet in the front of my defunct fireplace, and has access to jump up on about a 6 foot length of the hearth to give him a little extra climbing, standing and viewing space. The base floor, except where his litter box is, is linoleum covered plywood.

The problem, I'm finding, is that because the hearth is made of concrete and the floor, linoleum, it's really slippery. His little feet (well, he's about 10# so, BIG feet) shoot out from under him when he jumps from the hearth to the litter box, and from the floor to the hearth. It doesn't stop him from being active, and he still jumps and occasionally twirls, but he's always slipping and I feel so bad every time I see it happen.

I've tried to use low nap mats, just to give him some traction, but like any other thing I put in his cage, he tries to EAT IT. He has his chewable toys: paper towel tubes, and applewood sticks that I got him straight from the orchard, and he chews them, but he tries to eat any other sort of bedding, blankets or mats I put in the cage with him.

As a possible solution, I thought that some sort of "AstroTurf" would work, as it wouldn't be loose enough for him to get his teeth into, but still give him enough traction that he won't constantly be slipping and provide a surface that's a little softer than what he's been dealing with. I searched around and about the best option I could find was this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Select-Ele...eedlebond-Interior-Exterior-Carpet/1000411983

It's called "Needlebond" carpet, and it seems as if it might be harder for him to eat, as long as I secured it to the surface of the floor (carpet tape maybe?). Now that he's finally not peeing everywhere, I don't much have to worry about cleaning this surface, but if I had to, it seems to be made of a material that I could hose off outside if necessary, and vacuum otherwise.

Does anyone here use anything like this, or recommend anything else under the circumstances I'm dealing with?

I've gotten a lot of my bunny-space and litter ideas from this forum and have appreciated much of what you all have shared over the years, so I'm interested in any feedback you can give me on this situation.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Blue eyes]

I've never tried that. It sounds like it could work. Let us know whether it does or not.

If not, Pier 1 used to sell (don't know if they still do) seagrass mats -- not the fancy bordered ones. They were 12" squares sewn together to make various sizes like 8' x 10'. Those might serve your purpose even though bunny will likely chew it. If he does, they are safe and can be replaced as needed.

 

[JBun]

The only thing I don't like about the outdoor carpet is that it can tend to be a bit rough and could possibly contribute to sore hocks developing. If you opt to try it then I would suggest keeping a close eye on his hocks to make sure they don't get sore.

I like those soft microfiber rugs, but you might have the same issue of chewing. Other options might be rubber horse stall mats, cotton rugs, vet bed fleece with rubber backing. The foam puzzle flooring might also be an option, though your rabbit could still decide to chew it. I've found the ones with the wood veneer to detract from chewing the best, but they are still chewable and though less slippery than hard floors, are still a little slippery.

 

[Jacaroe]

The only thing I don't like about the outdoor carpet is that it can tend to be a bit rough and could possibly contribute to sore hocks developing. If you opt to try it then I would suggest keeping a close eye on his hocks to make sure they don't get sore.

I like those soft microfiber rugs, but you might have the same issue of chewing. Other options might be rubber horse stall mats, cotton rugs, vet bed fleece with rubber backing. The foam puzzle flooring might also be an option, though your rabbit could still decide to chew it. I've found the ones with the wood veneer to detract from chewing the best, but they are still chewable and though less slippery than hard floors, are still a little slippery.

That's interesting that you mention the horse stall mats, I was looking at those today. I did end up getting the Needlebond, which I found was softer than the rubber mats I was looking at! I also liked the idea of seagrass, but I was thinking that the more texture something has, the more inclined he'd be to chew it. He had one little seagrass mat when we first brought him home (before proper litter training) and when he peed on the seagrass it was a HUGE mess to try to clean up. That didn't last very long. Those foam puzzle pieces almost make ME want to chew on them, so that would be out. lol

This new pen is an upgrade from a 3x4x3.5 TSC rabbit pen, complete with a wire floor that I covered with sections of plastic snap-on mats. That was way more trouble than it was worth, and if he didn't get sore hocks from hopping around on all those holes, I would hope that this new carpet would work.

I will keep an eye on his little feet, and I'll report back if he has problems. I appreciate the input!