Hello!

My Names BC and Ill be doing a tutorial on how I made my digging box for my bunny as I’ve had a few private messages and seen a couple posts about a digging box for your bunny. Ill try to be as descriptive as I can and provide materials and links if I can but please note that I live in Los Angeles, California (USA) so these steps may not be available to international users in the UK/AUS and other parts of the world.

Note: I give leadership permission to download and post the pictures In Line with the forum to make it easier to read, I cant do it because the forum limitation is too small for my camera. You also have permission to Pin this guide if you feel its good enough.

Whats a Digging box and why does my bunny need one?

A digging box is a place were your bunny is allowed to do something that comes natural to him or her which is to dig, for bucks (boys) they like to dig scrapes which is a small depression in the ground and rest inside of it while keeping their head above the hole while their body is below the top level of dirt. For does (girls) they like to dig large holes and tunnels in the earth as this comes natural to them for making nests. Now how do you know if your bunny requires a digging box? Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does your bunny currently dig in the corners of your carpeted area?
2. Does your bunny dig a couple of times before flopping on the ground? (boys)
3. Is the digging non-stop and you find yourself chasing your bun down to prevent damage to your carpet?

If you answer yes to any of the previous questions then your bunny is a digger, While this is not necessarily a bad thing this is just a way that your bun thinks and wants to do something with the under space below your carpet. Although most people would love do allow this sadly im sure that your city ordnance code or your neighbor downstairs (apartments/flats) would not want a 3-4lb visitor tunneling over their bathtub. So to provide your bunny an enriching toy and space where he or she can be themselves, But before we can do this we need to consider the following about bunnies and see what type of dig box is right for you.

Choosing the right place for your bunny

There are a few things to consider for safety regarding your bunny, this again revolves around knowing what your bunny is like and what he or she will be safe with. If your bunny is a good boy/girl and does not like to consume weird objects or mysterious things other than nipping, a choice like children’s play sand or fine beach sand (expensive) might be right for you. If your bun is a little bit on the wild side, you might want to consider things like paper filler or organic non treated top soil.

For Paper Filling dig boxes:

You can use anything to house your paper filling boxes; cardboard, large plastic bins etc. anything you think would be good for a bunny of your size. The reason your choosing paper is because your bunny might have litter or chew habits that are not 100% perfect and you worry for their heath and well being (not to say sand/soil users are wrong) The paper and cardboard are easily disposable and can be tossed or replaced easily and replaced for a few bucks.

For Sand / Soil dig Boxes

You are going to want something to contain the sand or soil for these boxes, you want to also ensure that the something is either heavy duty plastic or something that can withhold at least 25LBS of Sand/Water (see instructions below for mine) and has a lid that you can close off the  box when you do not want your bunny inside. Another good idea is a fine combed cat litter scoop to clean out accidents and sometimes they do happen and you dont want your bunny to make it a new litter box.

For soil you do not need to filter with water, just place the organic TOPSOIL in the box and your good to go!

Box Minimums and Maximums

A good start size box for your bunny is at least 2 Feet long by 1 Foot Wide and at least 6 Inches High. this reasoning is so your bunny can lay in the box and move without being restricted you also want at least 6 inches high to keep the material from coming out. 

A Large size box is good for multiple buns and is at least 2 Feet Long by 3 Feet wide and at least 6 inches high. this is so they can comfortably move around and lay next to each other if they should choose to do so.

NOTE FOR FLEMISHES:

Make a personal choice for your Flemish as they all come in Extra large sizes and breeds.

Bandit Camps Sand box Tutorial:

Here are the things you will need to make the sand box that I use for my bunny Bandit (3.5 Months)

1. A SteriliteLatching 32 Qt. Storage Box (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sterilite-Latching-32-Qt-Storage-Box-14968006/206721469)
2. Quikrete50 lb. Play Sand (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-50-lb-Play-Sand-111351/100318476)
3. An Exacto Knife (project knife)
4. A Large bucket (think paint bucket 5GAL) (http://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Home-Depot-5-gal-Homer-Bucket-05GLHD2/100087613)
5. Your Outside Hose or Shower/Bathtub (for apartment people like me)
6. 1-2 Hours of your time for cleaning sand
7. 2-5 Days for drying sand (or follow speed tutorial for at least a hour)

Before you start, this project will use alot of water, because we are going to be filtering sand for all the impurities and fine dust that can be harmful to bunny sinuses and eyes. For this as well it will remove the plastic silica that is commonly added to play sand to prevent it from becoming mud. When we are finished we will be left with a fine ground rock layer that feels like sand and is not sharp but heavy enough to not fling everywhere.

Step One: Prepare the Tub

This part is easy, your going to take the white lid from the Sterlite Latching tub and from the inside of the lip your going to punch the exactoblade from the lip towards the center. Basically were going to be cutting out the depression in the center while keeping a lip around the bind to prevent sand from being shot out of the box in case he gets excited. Very Carefully Take the Blade and poke it through the flat edge of the depression through the center of the material, Using a slight rocking motion and firm strength (place your thumb on back of blade to support it) push the blade along the lip of the depression and cut the center out. Think of it like your slicing a really long orange peel without breaking the peel in pieces. The end result should Look like this:

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AlPYT4ERyRekk1l7GW8TjGbSWUzd

Step Two: Clean the sand

This part can be difficult and will require at least an hour or two of your time and lots of water, were basically going to be filtering sand by using running water to push the loose particles and floating silica to the top and dumping the water out repetaively. This trick is used by people with salt water tanks who are putting sand on the bottom of their fish tank For reference I used this mans method and it worked fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWP7Z8eXXnA

Now after watching his video your going to be getting wet and filtering out all the bad particles, to ensure that the sand is 100% clean you should not see any cloudy water after stiring the sand inside the water, this means all the loose particles are out and the heavy safe stuff is at the bottom and falls quickly.

NOTE: Your are going to lose about 25-35% of the material your pour into the bucket because the loose stuff makes up for a majority of the material, the quickcrete sand will come damp and thats fine. I used 3/4 of the bag to fill my dig box to roughly 2-3 inches of clearance noted in this picture:

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AlPYT4ERyRekk1q4c9T2J4rjc6FF

Heres a picture with the bunny for measure:

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AlPYT4ERyRekk1uHdDv3URxWPjeX

Step Three: Drying your sand

Once the water is clear and is in roughtly the amount you want in your box your going to have to dry it, This can go one of two ways:

1. Use a tarp and place it outside in the sun and spread the sand thinly over the tarp and allow to dry. This method is very quick and takes about an hour or so but if the wind comes along your sand will be gone so keep an eye on it.

2. Leave the sand in the box and place the box outside every day in the sun for 3-5 days, This takes longer but is easier to manage for apartment people like me as I can bring it in when the suns gone and leave it out when its sunny. YOu need to let the sand dry as much as possible and go out and stir it with a stick or woden spoon every few hours to completely dry the sand. YOu can give your bunny slightly damp sand and that is fine but at least 90% needs to be dry as you do not want it to mold.

NOTE: Do note use a hair dryer, this will end badly.

Step Four: Placement of your dig box 

Once your sand is dry place it back inside your dig box and attach the lip ring to the box and set it somewhere your bunny can see it, Preferably you dont want to set this in a corner or the open part of the floor as they will feel unsafe, I placed it under my table and it acts as a safe spot for him Noted in the picture above and The video Located below:

Note: Ignore the Greys anatomy in the background

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AlPYT4ERyRekk1wmTUPKhlb7TXzq

Final Notes:

This is how I made my box, always do whats best for your bunny as they are all individuals and each have their own needs, some bunnies will want a hole cut in the side and thats why i left extra room just in case bandit was this way. I also have a very fine litter scoop for cats in case he pees and he only peed lightly once and thats because I surprised him a little bit walking out in the living room. With the dry sand and the scoop it came right out and I sprayed some distilled vinegar in the box to eliminate odors and he went right back to digging. I also keep something chewable in there like a piece of soft wood or willow bundles or toilet paper rolls to hve him throw around and after he leaves the box I take the stick and smooth out the sand so he has to do it all over again!