# Hayrack?



## katnanw (Jan 25, 2012)

So I got this metal ball thingy (I don't know what it's called) from a local pet shop to put hay in it but my rabbits hate it and won't touch the hay :/ I've tried putting hay in cut up milk cartons and tissue boxes but my mum says that's not a long term solution as the cardboard always gets destroyed. Anymore creative ideas? Or should I just rotate between the carton, tissue box and placing hay randomly in their cages? (btw they like to make a mess of it and most just ends up on the pull out tray oh dear >.>)


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## Nancy McClelland (Jan 25, 2012)

We put our hay in a rack that hangs on the side of the hutch. Haven't figured out any way to keep it from being messy yet.


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## LakeCondo (Jan 25, 2012)

I use a cardboard box a little bigger & thicker than a tissue box. I cut an opening in it like a tissue box opening, but bigger. I'd say I cut away about 40% of the top. I know I'll have to replace the box eventually, but it's not as messy as a rack. I don't think a milk carton would be good because of the plastic coating. That is, when they chew on it.


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## qtipthebun (Jan 25, 2012)

I just got Q a wooden hay rack. So far she loves it (but she wasn't keen on the ball, either). The only other way she'll eat her hay is if you toss it in her litterbox.


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## katnanw (Jan 26, 2012)

Eeek I shall remove the milk carton ASAP. Cuz my mum got annoyed at the prospect that hay (which I buy with my own money) is being wasted. She doesn't want me to waste money but I told her rabbits like to mess hay up and she won't listen. At least now I have proof


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## Nargle (Feb 4, 2012)

Hmm, maybe I'm the odd one out because I just keep Butternut's hay in a big shallow bowl. She spreads it around a little but she's such a little piggy that even if it falls into her litter box she'll still eat it! So I guess I don't understand the concept of hay being wasted. It's not like it goes bad sitting there on the cage floor, and if it did, it's not like it would even last long enough for it to go bad before it got eaten, lol! Sometimes I even sprinkle hay around on the floor when she's outside of her cage so that she can "graze" like a wild bunny, and she always cleans up every last piece!


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## LakeCondo (Feb 4, 2012)

Butternut Squash is a great name. Be glad she's not a picky eater, Nargle.


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## mrbunny (Feb 4, 2012)

You can try one of those closet organizer wire racks as a hay rack. Here is a picture.


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## mrbunny (Feb 4, 2012)

If you're handy, you can try to imitate the "The Screwy Rabbit Hay Buffet by Wabbit Works."






Neither this rabbit (along this one looks like one of mine) or the image above post belong to me. From: http://www.myhouserabbit.com/blog/2010/08/06/product-review-screwy-rabbit-hay-buffet/

Take a cheap plastic litter bin with a lid like the Ikea FILUR: 





And create holes on the bottom with a knife. 

(I was going to go through with something like this, but I never went with it. So, no end result.)


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## mrbunny (Feb 4, 2012)

We use the Ikea RATIONELL VARIERA in our household. We followed this person's setup for the hay rack.


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## katnanw (Feb 4, 2012)

THANK YOU OMG THAT WAS REALLY HELPFUL :biggrin:


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## MarisaAndToby (Feb 4, 2012)

Goosas, that's actually genius. I even have one of those sitting in my cupboard... how does it do for mess?


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## mrbunny (Feb 4, 2012)

I tried to post up my own picture of my own buns at the litter bins, but I'm not very technologically adept. 

The Ikea RATIONELL VARIERA works pretty well for us. I have four buns. Three dwarf breeds and one "medium-sized" breed. (All mutts.) Make sure you have the paper placed behind the larger oval-sized hole (see picture above). Otherwise, your bun may stick his/her head in. If they do, it isn't a big deal, but I would worry about causing respiratory problems if they do it too often/long. I also use hemp twine instead of cable ties to hold up the "hay rack" to prevent eye-poking and mainly because I have tons of it. 

I hear the closet organizer wire racks are pretty good at keeping the mess in for smaller-to-medium breed buns. 

For large breed buns, I would go try to make an imitation of the "Screwy Rabbit Hay Buffet."


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## mrbunny (Feb 4, 2012)

Note: 
There will still be strands of hay pulled out that the buns don't like. That's just normal. Otherwise, most of the hay stays in and everyone huddles around the hay racks.


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## mrbunny (Feb 4, 2012)

Sorry, one more thing. I would suggest to get the pink version instead of the white version of the Ikea RATIONELL VARIERA. The white version gets dirty really quickly. I bought four of them, and boy am I glad that I only bought one white one.


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## katnanw (Feb 4, 2012)

Thanks I'll drop by to IKEA later in the afternoon to see if they have it  
P.s I mix orchard, botanical and Timothy hay for them (Oxbow brand) no alfalfa, that's okay right?


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## mrbunny (Feb 4, 2012)

You can mix all sorts of hay. Botanical hay is simply timothy hay added with herbs. Alfalfa is fine if given as a treat once in a while for adult buns. (Unlimited for baby buns and weaned off for teenagers.)


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## LakeCondo (Feb 4, 2012)

> Take a cheap plastic litter bin with a lid like the Ikea FILUR:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the idea. I think I'll be trying something like this.


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## LakeCondo (Feb 8, 2012)

So 3 days ago I bought a plastic container & made a hole. I'm not sure if I;m going to keep using it, though. The hay doesn't move down by gravity when the hay below it is eaten, so once Honey eats what she can get, it might as well be empty, as far as she in concerned.

I got it to work a little better by putting some heavy dinner plates on top of the hay, inside the container, but I'm thinking about switching to a box that's wide & short, like a plastic shoebox.


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## katnanw (Feb 9, 2012)

I bought one too but the hole is already there it's for dispensing tissues lol  when the hay on top gets eaten they don't bother digging inside for more (or maybe because it's too deep. Or something  I'll try an post a picture) soooooo... Yeah . Is a plastic shoebox safe? :O


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## ZRabbits (Feb 9, 2012)

I would be cautious with the plastic. Bunnies will chew and plastic is not a good thing to digest. Their poopy boxes and some water bowls and food bowls are plastic but they are a non-toxic hard plastic which is very hard to chew. They can nick it but they can't chew it and get pieces off of it. You don't want pieces of plastic in your bunny's digestive system. If you want to go shoe box, use cardboard. They can chew that with no worries. 

Hope this helps.

K


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## katnanw (Feb 9, 2012)

That's helpful. Thanks Karen  btw I heard they do like to bite ALOT. So isit safe to use a shoebox to keep the hay? I mean they might swallow cardboard / overturn it :/


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## ZRabbits (Feb 9, 2012)

Cardboard will not hurt them if ingested. I would rather go with cardboard than plastic. 

And regarding turning it over, you can guarantee it if you have an active bunny, but again I would rather have cardboard than plastic. 

K 

BTW, I don't use racks or boxes, I just put my hay in their litter box. They like it that way. It's still messy though, but hay is an important part of their diet. Whether it's low in nutrient, it does help with hairballs and keeping teeth healthy with all the chewing.


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## katnanw (Feb 9, 2012)

Bleah my litter box is too small (just nice for a rabbit to sit comfortably) to put too much hay there so I'd just stick with a shoebox I guess. And pray they won't pee in it  
THANKS AGAIN!


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## LakeCondo (Feb 9, 2012)

I did use cardboard shoeboxes & Honey didn't chew them, so I knew plastic would be ok. When she chewed on plastic when I first got her, she didn't swallow it either. I ran out of shoeboxes because she stood on them & they didn't last too many weeks. lol


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## BunMommaD (Feb 9, 2012)

We are actually using a small plastic trash bin (very small) with a whole cut in the side... Cookie loves it and it keeps the mess down quite a bit... I check it everyday for signs of chewing, and so far so good


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## katnanw (Feb 10, 2012)

Wow everyone's rabbits seem so tame on here....mine are like chewers and diggers and stompers


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## LakeCondo (Feb 10, 2012)

*katnanw wrote: *


> Wow everyone's rabbits seem so tame on here....mine are like chewers and diggers and stompers


Honey is a chewer of her cardboard hide box & digs in her dig box. I think she doesn't chew on the hay box because hay is right there for her to eat instead.


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## funnybunnymummy (Feb 10, 2012)

I find the wire organizer racks the best for holding hay. They don't necessarily contain it as well as the plastic bins, but they don't have the problem of the hay getting stuck halfway or somesuch. IKEA apparently sells some good ones that hook right onto the side of the cage. I can't remember what the name was, though. Also, some hardware stores and dollar stores carry similar racks. You just have to keep your eyes open for them.

This is what I use for Gus (although I've been told it's near impossible to find the same rack):







Hope that helps!

Rue


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## MiniLopHop (Feb 10, 2012)

I use a wire rack I found in Wal-Mart in the kitchen section. I hook it up very similar to the picture above. They seem to like digging and pulling the hay out between the bars. For the most part loose strands just end up in the litter box. 

They do occasionally get the urge to decorate, but I just sweep it up.


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## lapaki (Feb 10, 2012)

I made a couple of hay racks out of empty Eggo boxes.

Here's the one in the kitchen:






And the one in the bedroom.






I made a round hole in the kitchen one, and a flap door in the bedroom. I also have one of those rolly ball types in the litter box (you can see it on the right).


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## mrbunny (Feb 11, 2012)

Looks great. Reminds me of: 




[http://www.etsy.com/listing/34944500/saveabunnys-three-hole-hay-saver / Or for a somewhat similar Canadian version: http://www.smallanimalrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/rabbit and racks_t.jpg]


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## katnanw (Feb 11, 2012)

Wow those seem like a great idea!  prolly gotta wait till next week though , I'm keeping them in their cages for now because I'm taking them to the vet's later to get them neutered  but I'll be on a lookout for big cardboard boxes , thanks !! :biggrin:


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## LakeCondo (Feb 11, 2012)

Looks good, but $65+20 shipping?


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## mrbunny (Feb 11, 2012)

Which is why I am unlikely to buy it.


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## katnanw (Feb 12, 2012)

LakeCondo wrote:


> Looks good, but $65+20 shipping?



That's expensive


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## ZRabbits (Feb 12, 2012)

It's really a good idea. Probably could build it myself for less with odds and ends. Like the cardboard box one too. Interesting way to give hay to your rabbits. 

K


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## katnanw (Feb 12, 2012)

Hmmm yeah I'd rather build one myself too


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## lapaki (Feb 13, 2012)

*ZRabbits wrote: *


> ... Like the cardboard box one too. Interesting way to give hay to your rabbits.
> 
> K


I used to just put it in a big ceramic bowl. But the Zoomer would dig it all out, spread it around the floor and pick out the "good" pieces. LOL! He's a hay connoisseur.


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## Rox2211 (Feb 15, 2012)

I don't have our bunny yet  but I bought the 20 inch wide hayrack from Leif Petwerks http://www.leithpetwerks.com/prodpage.cfm?prod_code=HH125


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## mybunnyfurgus (Feb 22, 2012)

Just thought I'd share this:

We were having some real hay rack issues. I had the standard ones that hook onto the side of the cage, but found them to be VERY messy. I tried a couple of different things, but then I found these hay racks from BunnyBale.com - they are made to go with their little Timothy Hay bales, but I found that you can stuff them with the loose stuff that you buy at pet stores and they work and they are A LOT less messy. I actually bought 2 of them, one of the metal ones and one of the wood ones. He has one in his daytime cage and one in his night time cage. He doesn't seem to have a preference and I guess I don't either. They were about $20 each plus shipping costs - but I'd have to say they were SOOOOOO worth it. 

http://www.bunnybale.com/images/metal_feeder_box.JPG


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## LakeCondo (Feb 23, 2012)

Thanks for the information, Carrie. I wondered if they could be used with regular hay. I even emailed them 2 months ago, but they never bothered to email me back.


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## katnanw (Feb 23, 2012)

Hey Carrie  I did the same as LakeCondo but they never replied lol I think they don't do shipping to my country T_T sigh.....


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## patches2593 (Feb 23, 2012)

well first, what kind of cage do you have? if you have the one with the NIC panels, you can put one panel in one corner of the cage and line it with cardboaard so the hay won't get out. hope that makes sense. i dont know if i can get a picture on here. not sure how to


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## mybunnyfurgus (Feb 23, 2012)

Singapore, wow! Yeah, I doubt if they would ship there, but you never know. If you are a little bit handy, you could probably make something similar. Let me know if you want any measurements or other pics of it, I'd be happy to help you out if I can


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## katnanw (Feb 24, 2012)

I've got an xpen  can't put any pictures cuz I'm constantly on my iPod ._.


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## katnanw (Feb 24, 2012)

Carrie : the thing is , it's hard to find wooden boards here in singapore and they cost a BOMBBBBB. Bleah my country is so.......small @[email protected]


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## mybunnyfurgus (Feb 24, 2012)

That is a bummer


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## LakeCondo (Feb 24, 2012)

I don't think you'd want to fasten it on the cage, but a plastic box you can cut openings into with a knife is worth a try.


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## Ruki (Feb 25, 2012)

Thanks fr the ideas guys! I went to the dollar store and got a mini trash bin and cute 2 rectangular holes in the front and stuffed it full of hay! It works perfectly!!


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## LakeCondo (Feb 26, 2012)

:thumbup


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