Simplify Your Life Week – Drop Cloths for Bunnies

Waterproof Flannel Pads for Babies

Carter's Waterproof Flannel Pads on Amazon.com

When Tigger and Shadow first came to us, they were babies with no litter box training.  Tigger came first and we started her out in kitchen and bath areas that had linoleum floors.  We temporarily put away our good throw rugs and invested in some inexpensive ones from discount stores that could be easily thrown in the wash for cleaning.  We put several down to allow her run space.  Still, it was a bit slippery for her.

Two months later Shadow came home.  Tigger was litter box trained by then. We had both of them in side by side cages in a bedroom designated as theirs.  This room was carpeted wall to wall.  So to allow little Mr. Shadow run time while still being litter box trained, we needed a plan to protect the carpeting.

I do what has become a regular event over the years, I hit the discount stores and would walk up and down the aisles looking for any products that could be used for our needs.  I found what I was looking for in the baby department, 100% flannel pads that were waterproof and machine washable.  They had lap cloths, bassinet size and crib size.  I pretty much bought out the store’s supply, creating a bunny layette.  It turned out to be a very good investment.

The two crib sized “drop cloths” allowed coverage of all the open carpeted area if we put down two side by side.  If we had Shadow up on a twin size bed, we could protect the bed with one crib sized pad or a couple of the bassinet sized ones.  The smaller basinet and lap size pads could be used when holding him on our laps, for other small areas, or as a patchwork on the floor if the larger crib sized pads were in the wash.

After Tigger and Shadow were both litter box trained, I found a place to store the pads and held on to them.  I had a feeling they were going to get more use.  Prior to losing our third bunny Portia, she had a urinary tract infection.  The vet wanted her to have a lot of free run time, but the infection meant she had lost her ability to make it to the litter box on time.  So our drop cloths came back out and protected the rug in little Portia’s area. 

After she recovered, a few pads needed to be replaced since she was quite messy and also had chewed some holes in some to vent her frustration while ill.  We put the pads back into storage and they came out again this year when Tigger started having some bouts with stasis.  The pads are helpful in my lap and over my shoulder as we medicate, feed her and give her extra water.  We have found that things can be coming out of both ends of the rabbit when you have to do force feedings.

The waterproof flannel pads were a great purchase.  Since they are designed with messy babies in mind and keeping things protected from baby accidents, they work extremely well for messy bunnies too.  The clean up is great, just put them in the washer and dryer per instructions.  Then they are ready again for the next round.

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