may I place the bottomless whelping box that I just finished constructing on earth directly, where the bitch may dig resembling nature? no bedding? or is it better to use bedding, if so what is the best bedding material? i heard that newspapers r great?!
Babe's due date is may 4!
thanking you all in advance :)

I see you're not in the UK: here bitches usually whelp in our homes, so bare earth isn't an option! 'Resembling nature' has its downsides - nature intends a lot of puppies to die.

Surely you don't have earth in your living room or bedroom? That's where the whelping box needs to be -remember you will be sleeping next to it for quite a while.

babe lives in my house and is happy :) I was just wondering if this is a good idea since the weather is amazing and i have a big garden! i sometims sleep in the gazebo outside :)

Newspaper is good for when the pups are actually born, once birth is over I use vetbed and have several pieces so I can regularly wash and dry them so the bed is always clean and dry. They don't need any heating as our home is warm and dry, especially the lounge where the whelping box and living pen is. I found the best prices for vetbed was on ebay.

You will need to be sleeping with them all the time for the first coupls of weeks at least, even if they're whelped indoors. Outdoors there's the additional risk of predators to guard them against.

the verdict seems unanimous for inside :) so inside it is... now what is the best bedding material to use?

You don't know what germs there could be in earth -for instance does histoplasmosis exist where you live? Also earth could get inside noses and mouths, and you really don't want the bitch to dig the pups into holes where you can't easily get to them.

Newspaper is good for actual whelping - you can whip out the soiled stuff and replace it with clean as the whelping progresses - and then when whelping is finished, vetbed is perfect. Changed daily, of course!