# New DIY hay rack! Opinions?



## aozora (Oct 22, 2013)

Hey guys!

Since I'm changing up the litter soon I turned my attention next to possible litter boxes as well as a hay rack. The litter pan I have so far is a jumbo corner pan from Amazon that comes with a handy metal grate on it. It's large enough for me to put a bunch of hay in one corner for him to sit with his bum against the high corner back and eat to his heart's content, but one thing that has always bugged me is how _messy_ he can be when he's choosing all the choice bits and flinging the rest of the hay on the floor and around him like nobody's business!

I therefore knew I wanted to get a hay rack, but the more I looked the more I grew frustrated because most hay racks either seem too small or would not fit properly. I use an xpen as a cage for him and the wires are for the most part vertical, with a single horizontal wire running all the way around at about 14.5" from the ground up. This makes it much too high for regular hay racks to clip on easily. I tried looking for some DIY options next such as wire baskets, letter trays, those Ikea plastic bag holders and even plastic bottles but either the dimensions were too big/small or it would fit at a really odd angle for him to try to get the hay out of. Not to mention a lot of those were surprisingly not cheap-- even the cheapest ones at Dollarama were not ideal because the slits were way too small to fit hay through!

So I decided to look around the house to see if there were any existing containers I could possibly make a hay rack out of, and then I stumbled upon this little gem. It's a tin can from a Body Shop holiday gift set (called Feet Treat) that measures roughly 5.5" x 4.5" x 4.5", with a large transparent window in front so you can see the contents inside. Here is a photo of the product itself:







I was so happy to learn that the window was just a thin sheet of stiff plastic that can easily be cut! I decided to cut out about 1/4 to 1/3 from the bottom to make a slit where the hay could be pulled out. I deliberately left some extra plastic along the edges so that I could bend them away from the surface and used a lighter on the extra sharp corners for good measure to prevent my bunny from accidentally cutting himself. I then soaked it in vinegar and water for a while before rinsing it out and drying with a paper towel.

The next thing I had to do was figure out how to connect it to my xpen, since the tin has no holes to loop anything through and I ideally wanted something that could easily come on and off at my convenience; I regularly clean out Mocha's cage completely and I do so by folding up the xpen and moving it to one corner of the room, so I knew I didn't want to use cable ties to fix it permanently. I decided to go with a single binder clip just to see how it might hold up, and I just so happened to have a 3/4" binder clip on hand that fit perfectly between the vertical bars of the cage _and_ fit around the lip of the tin + horizontal bar perfectly!

Since it was still a bit too far up from the ground for my liking, I took out the pear link from a toy I had purchased from Leith Petwerks (they also sell them separately here) and looped it through one side of the binder clip so it would dangle a little bit lower. Here is a pic of the finished product, clipped onto the outside of the xpen so I can get a good clear pic of it but it will be moved inside for him later. I'm really proud of what I came up with at zero cost when I was originally estimating about ~$20 for a new hay rack! I would love to hear what you think about it, or suggestions on improvement


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## Chrisdoc (Oct 22, 2013)

That is just great, you´ve done a really good job and lots of hay fits in it. I must actually follow your lead and find something similar. I changed the dimensions of their enclosure when I went away this weekend and found it difficult to fit their hanging hay dispensers on the bars of the xpen as too high up and so put some hay boxes down but very messy. This is a great idea so I´ll look for something similar, thanks for the push. Now all we need is a pic of the little guy eating from it :thumbup


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## aozora (Oct 22, 2013)

Chrisdoc said:


> That is just great, you´ve done a really good job and lots of hay fits in it. I must actually follow your lead and find something similar. I changed the dimensions of their enclosure when I went away this weekend and found it difficult to fit their hanging hay dispensers on the bars of the xpen as too high up and so put some hay boxes down but very messy. This is a great idea so I´ll look for something similar, thanks for the push. Now all we need is a pic of the little guy eating from it :thumbup



Thank you! He hopped on the litter pan, ate a couple of bits and then proceeded to nose it around in curiosity and made a lot of noise in the process-- I guess since I added the pear link it wasn't as sturdy as before and it would strike against the bars when he pushes at it with his nose. Definitely not a good thing for me if I want to sleep! So I decided to sacrifice the height by using two binder clips to secure it to that horizontal bar instead  It works out fine for him since the litter pan grate brings him up off the ground anyway and he can still sit comfortably and eat his hay, but smaller bunnies may have to opt for a container that's a little taller. The binder clips are really secure though, I think it would be great to use for other DIY hay racks that have no holes too!


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## aozora (Oct 22, 2013)

Here is a quick shot of him testing out the slightly improved hay rack with two binder clips instead of the pear link! I had to act quick so it's a little blurry-- once he noticed me hovering there he hopped outside to see what I was doing (and if I was going to pet him)!


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## oatmealbunbun (Oct 23, 2013)

What a cute idea !!! I currently use a large cat litter box (found it on clearance at petco) and a Kleenex tissue box for his hay rack !!! I actually got that idea from some one on Instagram !! He still takes all the hay out to find the tasty bits but his litter box is large enough that it doesn't make a mess in his cage !!! 


Sent from my iPhone using Rabbit Forum


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## zombiesue (Oct 23, 2013)

I love it, that's pretty ingenious imho. And it's relatively attractive too.


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## oatmealbunbun (Oct 25, 2013)

Here's something helpful I found !!!

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f69/stormhaven-litter-system-step-step-instructions-48510/index8.html

:goodluck


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## Blue eyes (Oct 25, 2013)

I think it's really cute. 
With my rabbits though, I'd be filling that up about 5 times per day!


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## aozora (Oct 25, 2013)

Thanks guys!! I only have one so at the most I just have to refill it once-- I pack the hay in pretty tight so that when he pulls more of it will come out rather than stay inside the tin can. I did have to add the lid it came with (fixed on at the back with a piece of scotch tape to act as a super simple hinge) because he got the brilliant idea of standing up to eat directly from the top and I was worried it might come off from his weight!


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## Blue eyes (Oct 25, 2013)

I was going to ask you about the lid. I bet it looks even prettier with the lid.

I've been preparing to get some guinea pigs and I bet that would make a great hay rack for them too.


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## Astro_Girl (Oct 25, 2013)

I kind of did something similar because i got frustrated with the piece of poo hay rack i had. It's this wood one, but the wooden bars are too narrow and Molly has a hard time getting hay, poor thing. And since im tight on money, i just made essentially what yours is, but from a tissue box lol. 

Now everytime i buy something, im going to think to myself *can i use this for Molly somehow?* lol 

:bunny19


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## aozora (Oct 25, 2013)

Astro_Girl said:


> I kind of did something similar because i got frustrated with the piece of poo hay rack i had. It's this wood one, but the wooden bars are too narrow and Molly has a hard time getting hay, poor thing. And since im tight on money, i just made essentially what yours is, but from a tissue box lol.
> 
> Now everytime i buy something, im going to think to myself *can i use this for Molly somehow?* lol
> 
> :bunny19



I know exactly what you're talking about-- both the hay rack (I even considered buying that at the very beginning before I got my bun and I'm sooo glad I didn't!) and also seeing everything in a new bunny-related light! I've also developed a new interest in frequenting dollar stores and thrift shops so I can find cheaper ways to support my new bunny lifestyle lol!


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## Astro_Girl (Oct 26, 2013)

aozora said:


> I know exactly what you're talking about-- both the hay rack (I even considered buying that at the very beginning before I got my bun and I'm sooo glad I didn't!) and also seeing everything in a new bunny-related light! I've also developed a new interest in frequenting dollar stores and thrift shops so I can find cheaper ways to support my new bunny lifestyle lol!



Yes! <3 dollar stores. I'm planning to take a trip down to the dollar store sometime next week. So many amazing cheap things we can find for our little buns to play with! She's eating her tissue box hay rack though, so i might try to find something a little more durable like yours lol.


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## aozora (Oct 26, 2013)

Astro_Girl said:


> Yes! <3 dollar stores. I'm planning to take a trip down to the dollar store sometime next week. So many amazing cheap things we can find for our little buns to play with! She's eating her tissue box hay rack though, so i might try to find something a little more durable like yours lol.



Some of the ideas that I saw and liked - and was very tempted to try - included using wire soap holders or shower caddies! Things like this, or this (just gotta remove the suction cups) or this or this. I'm sure there are some similar ones at dollar stores and even if you can't find any, I think some of these Amazon prices are pretty affordable in the US (for some reason they're a lot more expensive in Canada, grrr). I hope that gives you some ideas!


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## Nancy McClelland (Oct 26, 2013)

Cool! :thumbup


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## funnybunnymummy (Oct 26, 2013)

That's a great hay rack! Awesome way to repurpose an item! 

I've bought a ton of rabbit supplies at the dollar store. From dishes to toys to fleece blankets to sticky tiles for the floor of their cage. I just got a new hay rack for Gus and Pepper (they looooove their hay and one rack just wasn't sufficient anymore!). I don't have pictures but here's where I got the idea:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f69/super-cheap-easy-hay-rack-77306/

I think it was either $1.00 or $1.50 at Dollarama!

Hope that helps!

Rue


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