Bunnies love cuddling up in soft blankets, but which blankets are the best? Let’s have a look.
Polar Fleece
Polar fleece is fleece with a double pile. Fleece is lightweight and is composed of two petroleum products: polyester and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), that are manufactured by recycling plastic, like water bottles. It comes in different weights:
- Ultra light – < 100gsm
- Lightweight – 100 – 200gsm
- Mid-weight – 200 – 300gsm
- Heavyweight – > 300gsm
Fleece is soft and comforting because it allows moisture to evaporate and blocks humidity from the outside. Fleece is the only safe fabric for rabbits. If the rabbit swallows the fabric, it shouldn’t cause digestive issues because the fibres are so short.
Some people dump a stack of fleece in their rabbits pen, some parts with knots, and let their rabbit chew, pull and dig at the fabric. It’s a great toy to keep them occupied for a long time.
If the fleece has dacron, fibrefill, polyflock, wadding or batting (the fluffy teddy bear stuffing) inside it, like a bed, bunny quilt, or soft toy, and the rabbit ingests it, it can cause blockages in the gut. Never let your rabbits eat the stuffing from any product.
Cotton Fleece
Usually used for sweatpants, hats, hoodies and loungewear this is 80% polyester fleece mixed with 20% cotton fibres. It has a unique fluffy texture, which makes it extra plush and soft. It is used to maintain warmth.
Rabbits can use cotton fleece, especially in winter to keep them warm, but you have to keep an eye on them so they don’t chew it. Cotton can be dangerous for rabbits.
Micro Fleece
Micro fleece is anything up to 200gsm in weight, and is double sided, making it thin and soft.
Rabbit hair doesn’t stick to microfleece, because the fibres are closer together and smaller. It is quite easy to wipe the hair off microfleece.
As bedding, micro fleece keeps your bunny warm and provides a super soft bed. Use it as a single layer, or if you want to make a cushion or padded blanket, don’t use stuffing, use another layer of fleece.
Softshell Fleece
Softshell fleece is usually above 300gsm in weight, and is a mix between waterproof shell and a highly breathable fleece.
If you’re wanting a nice jacket for your bun, this will make a nice windproof alternative.
Fusible Fleece
This fleece is a special one-sided stabiliser fleece that can be adhered onto another fabric, cardboard, wood or any porous surface to make a side fleecy-soft surface. It has heat-activated beads on one or both sides to aid in adhesion. The fleece does not shrink, and does not have to be pre-washed.
It can also be used as the inner stuffing of a fleece bed, toy or blanket for a rabbit.
Make your own fleece blankets
It is much cheaper to make your own fleece blankets and bedding than to purchase it. The good thing about fleece is that if you can’t or don’t want to sew it, the edges won’t fray without them being stitched.
Rugs
Rugs are usually made of carpet or are hand woven with some sort of plant.
If you want your indoor rabbit to be on a soft floor, maybe a rug is an option. You can get padded, short pile, hand woven, jute, natural fibre, coir, hemp or sea grass rugs.
Any rug you choose must be have really short loops, or no loops and be woven. Be aware of cotton stitching through the rug, rabbits will immediately see it and start pulling at it.
Mats
Mats are different to rugs, they are made of a padded material that can have quite a thickness. They are usually placed on the floor and are used to clean the items that pass over it, like a door mat. Mats are usually smaller than a rug.
Memory foam, plush absorbent dirt stop mats, soft touch tatami, toki, padded toddler and crawling playmats, felted and plaited mats.
Make sure that if you choose a mat it’s not chewable and destroyable. Do your research to see if the material is bunny-safe.