Hay, straw, shavings or fine fibre: what material does a doe actually choose for her nest?
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
Hay, straw, wood shavings: the material used to line a maternity nest box is often chosen out of habit rather than tested against what a doe actually prefers. Tímea Farkas, Zsolt Szendrő, Zsolt Matics, Ida Radnai, István Nagy and Zsolt Gerencsér compared four materials in a study published in 2018 in World Rabbit Science: 37 multiparous does had simultaneous access to a nest box lined with meadow hay, one with wheat straw, one with a cotton-wool-like fine fibre (Lignocel), and one with wood shavings, three days before the expected kindling (see the study). Our accessory guides are gathered in the rabbit accessories section.
Contents · 4 sections
One material clearly won out
59% of does kindled in a nest made of a single pure material; among them, the fine fibre was chosen by 50%, straw by 4.5% and hay by 4.5%. Wood shavings, on the other hand, were chosen alone by not one single doe. The remaining 41% mixed several materials in their nest rather than using just one.
Why shavings, despite being so common, get passed over
Wood shavings remain a widely used material on farms and at home, but their stiff, coarse texture is a poor match for what a doe wants to insulate her kits: in the wild, a wild rabbit doe's nest blends fine dry grass with her own plucked fur, never wood. A fine fibre reproduces that texture far more closely than a thick, angular shaving.
What this means for a nest box at home
- Offer a fine fibre alongside the usual hay, rather than shavings alone, in the box set up ahead of kindling: our article on the nest box for a pregnant doe covers how to prepare it.
- Let the doe pluck her own fur to line the nest: the study doesn't test this behaviour directly, but it remains the documented natural complement to a good base material.
- Pull shavings from the nest box without banning them from the rest of the cage: our guide to shavings and plant-based litters still applies to everyday living space.
Frequently asked questions
Should shavings be banned from the hutch altogether?
No: the study covers only the maternity nest, not the cage's general litter, where rabbit-safe shavings keep their place.
What if a doe mixes several materials?
Nothing to worry about: 41% of does in the study did exactly that, a normal individual choice rather than a sign of a poorly prepared nest.
Does the nest material affect kit survival?
The study looks at the doe's preference, not directly at kit survival; other research instead links nest volume and density to that outcome. Find all our guides on the rabbit hub.
An accessory from our shop for this use: 2-in-1 felt tunnel and hideout for rabbits and ferrets (44 × 60 cm) (€37.90) · the whole shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Rabbits universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.
