3 questions.....

[Stone_family3]

How often do you clean your bunny cage?

How much timothy/botanical hay should one bunny go through?

Do your bunnies drink out of water bottles or bowls? My Belldandy only wants to drink out of a bowl. I fill it several times a day. How can I get her to drink out of a water bottle? She has a fip top one that is the quiet type (doesn't have the ball). I only ask because she likes to put her front paws in the water bowl while drinking which means she's getting water everywhere.



Thanks

 

[Kel4mum]

Hi Stone family, my buns are litter trained and so I clean them out everyday. When they use to be in an indoor cage, I would clean them out at least 3 times a week, otherwise my house would smell.

As for Timothy Hay, well, Princess eats loads of it and I have to fill her hay stack upto 3 times a day, and Benjamin only has his filled once a day. So my buns are different.

Benjamin also use to have a bowl cos he wouldn't drink from his bottle, I had one of those quiet ones too. BUT, I soon changed to those ones with the ball, you know the ones, the ones that make all THAT NOISE!!!! Anyway Benjamin loves it, and if he is happy then so am I.

I hope that helps.

Kelly

 

[Amy27]

I clean up the cage every other day or so. Then on the weekend I do a big clean.

I am really not sure how much hay my buns eat. I buy a big box of hay and just put more in their cage when needed. Sorry I am not much help there.

I have one bun that prefers the bowl and another that prefers the bottle. Could you try flavoring the water in the bottle to get her use to drinking out of there? I just go with what my buns prefer. I would be afraid that they would drink less if I didn't have what they prefer in their cage. Both of my buns actually have water bowls and bottles in their cage, just to be safe lol But I think I am a little paranoid about that.

Is she putting her feet in the bowl because the sides are too high for her to drink if she doesn't? Maybe try a couple different types and sizes of bowls to see if she stops doing that. I would also try different bottles. I know mine will only drink out of a bottle with the ball. I am trying to think of a type of bowl that might prevent her from doing that. Maybe something like this http://www.rabbitmart.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-18708 that would make it to hard for her to have her feet and head in the bowl at the same time?

Good luck
Amy

 

[Stone_family3]

I love "the noise" that the other water bottles make it lets me know they are drinking...lol. The bowl side is about half an inch high so it isn't to tall she just loves to get into it. I even tried to use a toddler plate and she still got into it. I think she thinks it is funny...lol.

Currently I'm giving Belldandy about four or five handfulls hay a day and then I check to see what she has before I go to bed before deciding if she needs just one more. I've used half a bag so far, it is a 15oz bag of oxbow botanical hay. I have a punch card from the pet people buy 6 bags get the 7th free. Only problem is the closest one is on Lane ave about 20 miles from my house. Ugh and all the construction. anyways.

Belldandy has a litter box which she kind of uses (to pee in and mostly poo in) She does get poo in the bottom of the kennel. I clean and rinse her litter pan everyday, and then I usally put on a rubber glove and use a dust pan to get all the uneaten hay and poop out the bottom. If needs washed down I usually do. I only put about two or three handfuls of litter in her pan. I've only used about 1/3 of a small bag.

I just wanted to make sure it was normal. I am probably going to switch her to the other water bottle and see if she will drink out of it. I'm pretty sure that was the kind the breeder was using.

Thanks everyone

 

[missyscove]

I clean out my litterboxes once or twice a day and sweep loose hay out of my cages probably every other day.

Each of my bunnies probably eat a pile of hay about their size over the course of maybe two days.

 

[degrassi]

I clean out my bun's litter box about once a week. I use a grate over a rubbermaid tub for his litter box, so he's not sitting in pee and poops.

He eats about a handful of hay a day. I refill his hay rack(a bent in half NIC panel) every 3 days or so and the hay is really packed into it.

I use a bowl for his drinking water. He used to have a bottle but I found it too loud, it always dripped and he wasn't drinking very much out of it. I switched to a stainless steel bowl that attached to the side of the cage. He drinks a lot more now and its much easier to refill and clean.

 

[Happi Bun]

Nice thread! I love reading everyone's answers.


Q: How often do you clean your bunny cage?
A: My bunny is litter box trained. His box his cleaned every two days.

Q: How much timothy/botanical hay should one bunny go through?
A: Depends on the rabbit, some like their hay better than others. Generally speaking, I would say at least a handful a day. I give a rack full in the morning then again before bed, with this system they always have hay available.

Q: Do your bunnies drink out of water bottles or bowls?
A: Water bottles. For some bunnies it takes longer to get used to it (I've seen a few come into the rescue like that) but they always end up learning how to love the water bottle.

 

[Flashy]

Have you tried using the sort of bowl that attachs to the side of the cage? She may not be able to get her paws in.

Or a bowl with higher sides, like a dog bowl?

With my messy guy he has a regular rabbit crock (sides about an inch and a half high) and that is in a small animal plastic litter tray (that has never been used as a litter tray) so that when he decides to paddle, he just makes the tray wet, not anything else in his cage.

Some bunnies just prefer bowls to bottles, so it may just be Belldandy prefers the bowl. Maybe be creative and see if you can keep a bowl and find a way she she doesn't climb in it.

As for hay, the more hay they eat the better. The average is that rabbits should roughly eat their size in hay each day, but obviously some eat more, some eat less, but yes, the more the better and it should never run out.