Natural Paper Bedding – Soft Paper Substrate

Natural Paper Bedding – Soft Paper Substrate

Natural Paper Bedding is soft paper bedding for rodents and rabbits. The paper absorbs moisture and has a natural colour. You can use it as floor bedding, soft material for the nest or a top layer in the enclosure.

Would you like to create a layer for small rodents to dig in? Mix the paper with wood shavings, hemp bedding or cotton bedding. The mixture holds together better, helping tunnels stay in place. Natural Paper Bedding is available in 28- and 56-litre packs.

Soft bedding for the floor and nest

The loose paper pieces feel soft. Small rodents can collect the paper and carry it to their sleeping place. They can then use it to build a nest. You can also place some paper beside a house so your pet can carry it inside.

As a top layer, the paper bedding gives the floor a soft finish. Its natural colour works well with wooden houses, cork and other natural materials. You can cover part of the enclosure with paper or mix it into the other bedding.

Mixing for digging and tunnels

For small rodents that enjoy digging, mix Natural Paper Bedding with wood shavings, hemp bedding or cotton bedding. This creates a layer that holds together better. It helps support the tunnels your pet digs.

Mix the materials well. Build up the bedding in layers and gently press down each layer. Make it deep enough for your pet to burrow into fully. For hamsters, allow at least 20 cm of suitable digging bedding. Mongolian gerbils need at least 25 cm, and deeper is better.

You can also use the paper without other bedding. Tunnels may collapse more easily in this case. On its own, the paper is useful as soft floor bedding, nesting material or loose material to rummage through.

Also useful in a digging box

Fill a separate digging box with the paper bedding and let your pet search and rummage through it. You can scatter a small part of the daily food allowance among the paper. This encourages your pet to search for the tasty pieces.

For this use, the paper does not need to form firm tunnels. The activity is mainly about moving the material and searching between the pieces. Place the digging box on a stable surface where your pet can easily get in and out.

Which animals is it suitable for?

• Mouse: as part of a mixed digging layer and as soft nesting material.
• Dwarf hamster and hamster: mixed with wood shavings, hemp bedding or cotton bedding for digging. Also useful as a top layer or nesting material.
• Gerbil: as part of a deep digging layer. Mix the paper with other suitable bedding to help the layer hold together.
• Dwarf rat and rat: as moisture-absorbing floor bedding or in a digging box for searching and rummaging.
• Guinea pig and rabbit: as a soft layer of around 5 to 10 cm in the areas where you use bedding.
• Chinchilla and degu: as paper floor bedding. If you want to create a separate digging area, use a deeper layer there.

For larger rodents that do not dig tunnels, and for rabbits, a floor layer of around 5 to 10 cm is enough. A digging area needs more depth.

How to use the bedding

Loosen the paper from the pack well. Then spread it over a clean, dry floor. Mix it with other bedding if you want to create a layer for tunnel building. For regular floor bedding, a top layer or nesting material, you can also offer it on its own.

Place heavy houses, sand baths and other heavy items on a firm support or platform. This keeps them stable when your pet digs underneath or beside them. Add the bedding around the enclosure furnishings.

• Loosen the paper well before spreading it.
• Choose a depth that suits your pet and the intended use.
• Gently press down a mixed digging layer as you build it up.
• Remove wet and dirty patches every day.
• Top up with clean material where needed.

How much bedding do you need?

Measure the inside of the area you want to fill. You need its length, width and the desired bedding depth. Use centimetres for every measurement.

Length × width × bedding depth ÷ 1,000 = litres needed.

A floor measuring 100 × 50 cm with a bedding depth of 20 cm needs around 100 litres. The calculation is: 100 × 50 × 20 ÷ 1,000 = 100 litres.

The table shows how much you need when using only Natural Paper Bedding. Pack numbers are rounded up to whole packs, so you may have some left for later.

Are you mixing it with other bedding? Then you need less paper bedding. For a 100-litre bedding layer made up of half paper, use around 50 litres of Natural Paper Bedding. Fill the remaining 50 litres with wood shavings, hemp bedding or cotton bedding.

A 28-litre pack provides around 28 litres of bedding once loosened. A 56-litre pack provides around 56 litres. How firmly you press down the layer and how much space the houses take up can change the amount needed.

The measurements in the table are calculation examples. Choose an enclosure size and bedding depth that suit your pet. A thin floor layer does not replace a deep digging layer.

Cleaning and storage

Check the bedding every day. Remove wet and dirty patches and replace them with clean material. Also check under houses and around the drinking area. Bedding can become damp there without you noticing straight away.

Regularly check the rest of the bedding layer too. How much you need to replace depends on your pets, the enclosure size and where they urinate. Do not wait until you notice a smell before cleaning.

Keep the rest of the pack in a dry place. Close the packaging well after use to keep the paper dry and clean.

Product details

• Material: virgin paper.
• Colour: natural.
• Contents: 28 or 56 litres, depending on the selected pack.

Useful shop links

• Bedding and nesting material
• Paper and cardboard bedding
• Nesting material for rodents