# I'm in need of a better hay manger...



## Imbrium (Aug 13, 2012)

my current hay manger isn't cutting it and I've checked petsmart, petco and walmart but haven't been able to find anything that looks like it will work better. I'd love to know what other folks have found effective as far as mangers go!

my bunnies: an 11 wk holland lop and a 10 wk lionhead
adult weights: 2-4 lbs for the lop, 3-4 for the lionhead
(current weights: 15.5 oz for the lop, 19.5 oz for the lionhead)

set-up: currently using a store-bought cage inside two animal playpens (connected to form one big one) - the manger is inside the actual cage, hanging over the litter box; will be switching to a C&C cage attached to the pens when they're a week or two older.

I'm not wedded to having it over the box if a new one doesn't fit there - the box collects a lot of poops that way (and lets them sit on a little grid instead of on poop), but no matter what corner I put the box in, they always pee in the adjacent corner. I just thought I'd give that a try since I'm still working on litter box training.

my current hay manger, from petsmart:






issues with it:
~ they can't seem to get hay from the bottom two openings. a couple times now, they've managed to "empty" a full manger overnight - there's always tons of hay below that second bar and nothing above it.
~ given that I have two rabbits and they're not even half their adult weight but can empty an overflowing manger as far as they're able within 8h of finishing off what's in their pellet bowl, there's no way it's going to be big enough to make sure they've always got hay available by the time they're adults

I want something that:
~ will keep alfalfa contained despite it having a lot more little bits than timothy does but will also do a good job holding timothy once the rabbits are older
~ will allow them to get both types of hay out easily
~ is big enough to hold at least 12h worth of hay for two small-breed adult bunnies, preferably a bit more just to be extra sure they never run out.
~ can be somehow secured to the sides of their current cage and to the sides of their storage-cube-style cage later so that it can't be knocked over or pushed around by overzealous bunnies

cost is not an issue and I'd also be fine with having to make one myself if it turns out that works better (like bunny cages) - I just want the best for my little bunns no matter what!


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## ldoerr (Aug 13, 2012)

What I do is get a handfull of hay, fold it in half (and sometimes half again) and zip tie it together. It makes very little mess. I use a carabeener to hook it to the side of the cage over the litter box. You can make as many as you need so that your rabbits do not run out of hay.


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## littl3red (Aug 13, 2012)

That is such a good idea. :shock: I definitely need to try that...


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## ldoerr (Aug 13, 2012)

My friend that I got Shiny Things from on Friday told me about it and I love it. You need the bigger zip ties besides the 4" ones.


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## nc_bunnys (Aug 13, 2012)

I use a metal hay manager like your picture. My husband removed every other bar with a metal cutter. The cut is inside the manager at the weld spot. Since they are not made of hard steel, the bars pop off easy and leave a smooth surface.


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## Nancy McClelland (Aug 13, 2012)

Saw some on Drs. Foster and Smith.


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## Blue eyes (Aug 13, 2012)

I've used all kinds of different containers for hay. Then I finally gave in and decided to try what others had recommended - - put it directly in their litterbox. I had been opposed to this until I tried it. I use a large litterbox and invariably they "go" on one end of the box while eating the hay from the other. It works great, way less mess, way easier. And the hay keeps them from sitting in soiled litter (I use wood pellets). I add new hay every morn and evening.


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## JessicaK (Aug 13, 2012)

I use a old kleenex box. It works well.


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## Imbrium (Aug 14, 2012)

thanks for all the ideas!

putting it in the box wouldn't really work for me right now because their litter pan is barely big enough for them to both sit in at once, but I may switch later.

I don't know that the zip-tie thing will work with alfalfa but it sounds like it would be perfect for timothy and I've got a bunch of 8' ties leftover from putting together a C&C cage for them.

I may pick up one of the metal mangers and try taking off some bars to use for the alfalfa since I'm going to need two mangers for a while anyway (since they'll be separated before and for a little while after their spay surgeries and will still be on alfalfa).


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## fuzz16 (Aug 14, 2012)

im using a 8pk rotel can box atm, cut two squares in the side and shove a bunch of hay in, works GREAT. they lug the box around and still little to no mess


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## Penelope-Primrose (Aug 16, 2012)

I use an under desk wire storage unit works pretty good at keep hay contained (Though does spill a bit when Penny starts ripping out the hay)


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## Imbrium (Aug 17, 2012)

I think I found a decent solution for the alfalfa... got this at the dollar store... (sorry it's so big )






it has four little holes around the outside rim that would be *perfect* for zip-tieing it to the outside of a C&C cage panel and then one side (which will be the top) has a kind of scoop opening that will allow me to drop hay in without taking it down 

basically, the side facing the camera will be against a grid, allowing the grid to be the part of the manger that the bunnies dispense hay through (solving the problem of slats too close together) and the grid design, as opposed to straight bars, will probably help keep more of the alfalfa hay in than the store-bought ones since a lot of alfalfa strands are kinda short/it's very leafy. because gets filled from the outside of the cage, I won't have to reach my hand around into a corner of the cage while trying to dribble as little hay as possible along the way - I can just hold the bag up to the manger and move it directly from one to the other.

I'll cut cardboard or use a leftover coroplast scrap if I have one to make an angle from the outer top part to the inside bottom part so that the hay gets pushed towards the cage as it moves downward


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## rabbitfarmer (Aug 17, 2012)

We also have metal hay mangers. My husband made ours. Here's a picture of the boys hay manger. Yes i need to refill their hay


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## planetjenessa (Aug 20, 2012)

i currently have 2 hay set ups. Hoping to help you.

The first set up is simple: i use one large litter for her hay, using binder clips, to clip to her nic cage so she does not tip/fall over. 
seems to work well, pikachu is not messy much, & she dosnt poo/pee in her hay box, only in her litter box that i do not put hay in, only littler.

second set up: I store the hay, in a box!! cut out cool shapes like squares, circles, stars, triangle big&small for an opening, i then zip tie the box onto her cage, below is a small try in case any hay dust falls out << this idea works great, a tad bit messy since she has to pull out the hay out the box, but thats why i added the small tray hay catcher.


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## Pipp (Aug 20, 2012)

Here's a great hay rack idea... 


Great Hay Rack


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