Burping and newspaper eating

Question
Hi Dana,
My lion head bunny, Hagrid is fine.  
Something that he has done in the past week is something that sounds like a big burp. Do buns burp?
I'm used to the sound he makes when he cleans himself. this is not like that.  
So do they burp or fart?
Also, he eats tons of newspaper.  I had to put it down because he is having a litter training problem. Will the newspaper hurt him?
thank you,
Kath

Answer
Dear Kathleen,

Rabbits can burp, but it's pretty uncommon.  They lack a gag reflex or vomiting reflex, so what goes into the stomach (including gas) usually stays there until it passes out the other way.  I sort of doubt what you're hearing is a burp.

If you can describe his behavior and the circumstances under which he "burps," I might be able to get a better idea of what this vocalization or sound is.

Eating newspaper isn't harmful if it's done in moderation, and if you do NOT allow him to eat pages with colored ink (these often contain toxic heavy metals).  If he's really eating a lot of it, he might be wanting fiber in his diet.  Note that he should always have unlimited, fresh timothy hay available.  I'm betting that will take his mind off the newspaper, and keep him very healthy.  You can get great timothy hay from Oxbow Hay Company (www.oxbowhay.com) or American Pet Diner (www.americanpetdiner.com), which sells the more succulent and irresistable "timothy gold" second cut hay.

A safer alternative to newspaper, if he's eating excessive amounts, is 100% cotton mats.  These will absorb odor better than paper, and can be laundered.  Marshall's usually carries a lot of bathroom mats that are perfect for this, and very inexpensive.  Get several, so you can change them while you launder and not worry about pee on the floor!

Litterbox training is explained here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/training.html

and you can find more information about diet and other aspects of houserabbit care at

www.rabbit.org/

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/rabbithealth.html

I hope this helps. Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana