Hay rack

[Lucy699]

my rabbits keep pulling at their hay rack and it knocks it all out. Just wondering what I can do to stop them doing it?

Also thought maybe they’re bored or something, what’s some good toys for them? They have toilet paper tubes and a wooden ball but they’re not interested only touch it to move it out their way

 

[Preitler]

Ah, pardon me, what does the phrase "knocks it all out" mean, that they pull all the hay out in no time and wasting it?

I reduced that by adding horizontal bars to the vertical ones, spaced about twice as wide as the vertical bars,

To keep them occopied I give them tree twigs and branches to gnaw on, willow, ash, hasel, spruce etc.. Takes them some time and effort to get all the bark off.

 

[Lucy699]

Ah, pardon me, what does the phrase "knocks it all out" mean, that they pull all the hay out in no time and wasting it?

I reduced that by adding horizontal bars to the vertical ones, spaced about twice as wide as the vertical bars,

To keep them occopied I give them tree twigs and branches to gnaw on, willow, ash, hasel, spruce etc.. Takes them some time and effort to get all the bark off.

They shake the rack so it all falls out the other side.

Is just normal tree branches okay for them?

 

[JBun]

Maybe the hay isn't coming out easily enough for them and they are trying to get it to come out more easily so they can eat it. You don't want rabbits to have to work too hard to get to their hay as you want them consuming as much as possible, so you want it to be fairly convenient and easy for them to eat. Some hay racks just don't work well because of how they are designed.

If you can post a photo of it we might have a better idea of what's going on and what to recommend.

 

[JBun]

Bramble, hawthorn, willow, apple, pear, birch, field maple, ash, poplar, rose are all considered safe for rabbits. Tree branches should be free of pesticides and away from busy roadways. There are also many wild plants that can be fed to rabbits, you just have to make sure you are absolutely certain about their identification. When in doubt do not feed it, same goes for the tree branches.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/Branch/Branch_en.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Food/Food_main.htm
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/foraging
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ar...bits/foraging/wild-plants-to-pick-for-rabbits
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/foraging/wild-plants-and-trees
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/foraging/plants-to-avoid

 

[Blue eyes]

Those TP tubes that they ignore can be stuffed tight with hay for fun. That might give them something fun to do. Not all rabbits care much about toys but most like to explore. Mine like to have large boxes with doorways cut out, or tunnels made from cardboard or a cloth draped over two boxes to create a "fort."

A good hay rack, as JBun said, has the hay super easy to get. I don't even use a hay rack. I put the hay directly in the large litter box. They won't eat soiled hay. I refresh it twice per day. That suggestion actually came from here on RO. I resisted it at first thinking, yuck...in their box? But once I tried it, I never looked back. They eat way more hay this way and enjoy munching away on one end of the box while their other end is...err...busy... on the other end of the box.

 

[Lucy699]

Here is their hay rack!

 

[A & B]

I struggled a lot trying to get my bun to eat hay from a hay rack. I tried everything from boxes, store bought ones, and even diy ones that I made using things from around my house. He would try to jump and sit in the hay racks. I also tried putting hay in the box, and I love it! It works best for me and my bun.

That hay rack doesn't have enough space for the amount of hay your bun needs in a day. I read somewhere that a bun need to eat a pile of hay as big as they are. I'm not sure if this is 100% correct, but it makes sense. I would try putting hay directly in the box.

I can see that that litter box is a small triangle one sold for small pets. Those are too small for a bunny. A bunny should be able to spin around in a circle comfortably. I recommend using a cat litter box. Below is a picture of my litter box.

 

[Lucy699]

I wanted to get one like that and putting hay in it but I was worried that they would just pee all over the hay and I would have to change it a lot. Rather than just using it to go to the toilet

 

[Lucy699]

I also didn’t think the litter tray was too small since they love to sleep in it

 

[Abby Hernandez]

Here is their hay rack!

Try getting a bigger hay rack or more hay holders so then they don’t have to knock it all out to get ahold of the hay.

 

[Blue eyes]

I wanted to get one like that and putting hay in it but I was worried that they would just pee all over the hay and I would have to change it a lot. Rather than just using it to go to the toilet

Rabbits won't eat soiled hay. Putting the hay directly in the box is a fine way to offer hay. You just need to add hay twice per day (no need to change it except for when you need to dump the whole box).

It is a way recommended here on RO when I first joined and I was also hesitant. Once I tried it (7 years ago now), I never looked back. It works great. Is easy. And they love to hop in their box whenever I add more hay.

If your rabbits like to lounge in their litter box, then it is especially a good choice. The added hay (twice per day) ensures that they aren't laying directly in their soiled litter because the urine seeps down to the litter below the hay. It helps keep them clean and from laying in yuck.

The larger boxes are just easier to maintain. Mine (pictured below) will last 2 rabbits about 3-4 days before it needs to be dumped. I have two of those storage boxes (litter boxes) for my own ease. I can put a clean one in when I take an old one out and then take my time dumping, rinsing and air-drying it.

 

[Imbrium]

This is a great hay/manger/litter box system - the Stormhaven Litterbox system.

These days, I use a modified "under the cabinet shelf" with a traditional litterbox (in the photo, it's a super-cheap cat box from Dollar Tree):

On the "shelf" side of the shelf, I used a dremel (heavy duty wire cutters would probably also work, just make sure there are no burrs/sharp edges) to cut some wires and make enlarged squares to pull the hay through:

And I poked some holes in a piece of coroplast (cardboard would also work but might have to be replaced more often) and zip-tied it to the back side of the shelf:

The "hooks" that attach it to a shelf are perfect for hanging it on a NIC grid condo, X-pen or XL dog crate above a litter box.

How much hay you put in at once depends on your bunns... Alice will eat hay until it's gone even if it hasn't been refreshed in the last day or two but Nala loves fresh hay, so I need to stop filling hers up to the top now that she doesn't have a cage-mate.

 

[Lucy699]

Rabbits won't eat soiled hay. Putting the hay directly in the box is a fine way to offer hay. You just need to add hay twice per day (no need to change it except for when you need to dump the whole box).

It is a way recommended here on RO when I first joined and I was also hesitant. Once I tried it (7 years ago now), I never looked back. It works great. Is easy. And they love to hop in their box whenever I add more hay.

If your rabbits like to lounge in their litter box, then it is especially a good choice. The added hay (twice per day) ensures that they aren't laying directly in their soiled litter because the urine seeps down to the litter below the hay. It helps keep them clean and from laying in yuck.

The larger boxes are just easier to maintain. Mine (pictured below) will last 2 rabbits about 3-4 days before it needs to be dumped. I have two of those storage boxes (litter boxes) for my own ease. I can put a clean one in when I take an old one out and then take my time dumping, rinsing and air-drying it.
View attachment 39538

The only thing I’m worried about is getting a cat litter tray but then having to put lots more hay in than usual because they just pee all over the hay and then they won’t eat it.

 

[Blue eyes]

A rabbit should eat its body size in hay everyday. They like to pick through it and reject some--whether it's in a hay rack or elsewhere. Wasted hay should be expected regardless of how it is offered. If there isn't wasted hay being thrown away then they likely aren't getting enough.

If you buy hay by the bale or half bale, it's extremely cheap. One bale would last 2 rabbits about 8 months -- and that's with me being overly generous in the litter box. That one bale only costs $16. So at $2 per month, wasted hay is no big deal.

In the box I showed, they tend to do their peeing on one end of the box so they aren't peeing all over the hay.

Imbrium's suggestion is also good IF you note how she enlarged the openings in a few places. That's what makes it work well.

 

[somebunnylovesme]

My rabbit hates hay racks. He gets irritated by them. He can't get the strands he wants. I place it in the bottom of his cage right beside his litter box. He rolls around, sleep and lays down eating the hay. The amount he gets is a little bigger than the size of his body. In the morning there is still tons left over and its gone by night time. I place more in his cage before bedtime. The strands he rejects he places on the other side of the cage. When he is out of his cage free roaming, he gets upset when I go to take them out.

 

[Lucy699]

I bought a cat litter tray today, filled one side with hay and they have their hay rack on the nearest side to where I placed the hay Incase they still want to use it, and then their poop and wiped up toilet paper of pee on one side so we’ll see if they use it or go in the cage

They’re only 10 weeks though

 

[Blue eyes]

I bought a cat litter tray today, filled one side with hay and they have their hay rack on the nearest side to where I placed the hay Incase they still want to use it, and then their poop and wiped up toilet paper of pee on one side so we’ll see if they use it or go in the cage

They’re only 10 weeks though

One side with hay... what's on the other side?

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

That one bale only costs $16

Too me that is a LOT for a bale of hay, I only pay $5 for a bale

 

[Lucy699]

One side with hay... what's on the other side?

The other side with toilet paper wiped up from their pee and their poop also. Saw YouTube videos where they toilet trained them that way. But they seem to jump out of the tray to go to the toilet and then stay in the litter tray.