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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A DIY hay rack?

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    • bunnnnnnie!
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        (I wasn’t sure where this should go, Mods feel free to move it wherever if it doesn’t fit here.)

        So I have noticed sometimes Zeus will not eat his hay because he poops or pees on it.   I’m thinking about adding a hay rack, but I’d really love to just make my own out of things I already have lieing around the house.  Any ideas?

        Also, has anyone noticed if your bun eats more/less hay when it’s in a rack?


      • Beka27
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          I have a simple plastic cd box clipped to the pen, positioned at an angle over the hay rack.  They can only reach hay sitting in the litterbox, but they can’t sit inside of the hay box.  The only con is that it’s a small box, so it has to be refilled once a day at least (sometimes twice).  But the biggest pro is that they can’t pee or poo on the hay so there’s little, if any, hay waste.


        • bunnnnnnie!
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            Thanks for the input Beka!  I think I will have to do something mounted to the cage next to his litterbox, instead of in it.  He pretty much fills up his litterbox when he sits in it, so if I put the rack inside it, there won’t be enough room for him.

            When I get home I think I’ll look and see what containers I have though, and see what could work.


          • KatnipCrzy
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              My set up does not look like this anymore- but I still use the same baskets.  I found these at Meijer by the napkin holders, silverware drawer containers- kitchen section.

              The basket was $5.  It is zip tied on the bottom and clipped with a dog clip at the top- so I can open it to refill it.  Otherwise if it is hung with the top open the bunnies jump in and eat hay in there (but poo too).  And they do love to dig all the hay out- but I think it helps them to eat more hay.


            • bunnnnnnie!
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                Katnip; That’s a great idea!  I may already have something kinda like that lieing around the house.


              • Andi
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                  I’ve seen NIC cubes made into them as well.
                  I made one of wire and wood, one of my bunnies would go IN it, I tried a lid, but he sat on it and chewed it LOL.


                • MissKris&Koji
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                    When I was at home depot today I did notice they had a bunch of similar wire rack things, too, cheap, like that napkin thing. Also saw directions online said you can make your own with wire sheeting, but I’d be concerned for the pokey bits. I got the Bygel cutlery rack from ikea, because it is rack like but also has a solid tray with holes in the bottom, so the dust can fall through but its not wire on the bottom so maybe will keep more hay in. I hope! We’ll see how it works. I saw someone in another thread once mentioned and put its photo up, but it must be the old one because that one had the same name but was taller and skinnier than the one I have, which is short and long.

                    If that doesn’t work though I’m probably going to try that “CD box”, if I can find something like it. It looks like it’s good at keeping the hay at least inside the bunny zone and not loose in the house.


                  • Beka27
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                      The cd box is just a dollar at Wal-mart… but any small container with holes would work too.


                    • RabbitPam
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                        http://www.amazon.com/Lixit-Guinea-Rabbits…B000678JZ0

                        I got this plastic hay rack at Petsmart for 5 bucks, but it’s even less on Amazon. It’s a terrible picture because it’s from the back/bottom, but what you can’t see is that it has two bent plastic hooks that just hang off the bars and it stays in place. What is nice is that it hangs OUTSIDE the cage, so the face of it is flush with the bars. That means the hay is pulled by strands through the bars, it doesn’t use up any cage space, and you can load it from outside without opening the cage. I had gotten her a pretty fun ball hay holder, and she totally rejected that. She likes this.

                        Gobbles up her hay so I fill it twice daily. It can hang right next to the litter box, or another spot if you want the pulled hay to land in a cleaner part of the cage. Cheap and easy. Go figure.


                      • Beka27
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                          I haven’t had luck with hay racks that hang outside the pen or restrict the hay. My two eat more when they can literally bury their faces in the hay, bars between them and their hay will deter them from eating any at all. So if you do go with a rack that has bars, keep an eye on him to make sure his hay consumption isn’t being affected.

                          I’ve always said, it could be the coolest, easiest, cleanest hay rack in the world, but if it’s preventing him from eating hay, it isn’t doing it’s job.


                        • RabbitPam
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                            I am still amazed at how much Sammy eats hay. She’ll eat it through bars, off the floor, rooting around – she just loves it.

                            And after 8 years of trying to get Spockie to eat a minimum of hay a day, it’s a real pleasure to hear that munching going on. So ultimately, it may be the bunny’s taste for hay that determines the optimal way you give it to them.


                          • MissKris&Koji
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                              RabbitPam has a good point, but I guess that’s the beauty of cheap DIY solutions. Easy enough to try a couple different things and see how it goes!

                              Also, we don’t have Walmart where I am (shocking, I know), at least not one within a 45 minute drive, but maybe the local Target or Bed Bath and Beyond might have this “box with holes” you speak of.


                            • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                For mine, they really don’t touch hay if it requires any effort So I put it near their food bowl on the ground. There is waste but only because I sweep often. They really don’t pee on it (Except Noot who pees on everything )

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                            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A DIY hay rack?