Rabbit flooring

[Howens]

Hello I have a nearly 5 month old male rabbit, I recently increased the size of his indoor cage to a puppy pen which doesn’t have a floor, I have laminate flooring atm. I put some rodent flooring down and a mat but he just chews them both, he has also urinated on the rodent mat? he is a big chewer and I am wanting some advice on the best flooring to use so he is safe and if he does chew he doesn’t get poorly?

 

[Blue eyes]

Is he litter trained? Does he slip when walking on the laminate flooring?

Some rabbits have difficulty walking on laminate while others seem to do just fine. If he is ok on it, then you can just let him be on the laminate flooring. You could also put down some seagrass mats -- either several smaller ones or 1 large one. He will likely chew and destroy them, but they are safe and make great entertainment.

If he's a big chewer, then training should be a bit easier (if he isn't already). Just put plenty of hay on top of the litter in his litter box and he should catch on pretty quick.

 

[Mac189]

My rabbits can't walk on laminate flooring to save their lives. I use an outdoor rug like this one for flooring. They can't get their teeth into it to chew it, it's pretty easy to vacuum, can be washed with a hose (although I have never had the need), and I was able to get it on sale for $35 USD.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Nourison-A...-10-Actual-7-8333-ft-W-x-10-5-ft-L/1000326937

 

[Diane R]

I think laminate or any slippery floor is awful for bunny hocks and joints. Can cause splay legs, sore hocks and other long term health problems. Look into stable matting (very heavy rubber, they don't tend to chew it) or cushioned, textured, non-slip vinyl/lino.

 

[Gelly]

I use a layer of vinyl that I got from a fabric store with a layer of fleece. This set up is temporary for me though since my bunny is prone to sore hocks and this flooring is not soft enough for him. But if that’s not an issue, vinyl fabric is really good and easy to clean. I get mine from JOANN fabrics here in NY. It looks like faux leather and it has some nice traction.

This has been our travel set up since we go away for weekends in the summer.

 

[Blue eyes]

My brain was thinking 'linoleum' when I saw 'laminate.' There is textured and non slip linoleum or vinyl flooring which is what I was thinking of.

Laminate, like laminate wood flooring, is indeed typically slick. Most of our house has old laminate and I don't like it at all.

There are some new laminates that are being made with more texture. We recently put such a one in a guest room. I don't know if the photo will show it, but all of the grain on the wood has texture so when you rub your hand across, you can feel the grooves and the texture of the grain. It can also have a padding laid underneath (called a floating floor) which gives it a little cushioning as well. (We did that but the room is off limits to bunny.)

So progress is being made for bunnies in the world of laminate flooring.