(Add your own!) Non-rabbit, rabbit stuff!

[Wick & Fable]

I honestly pride myself in figuring out inventive ways to work around expensive, pet store prices for supplies marketed for rabbits that aren’t actually 1) healthy, 2) good quality, and 3) completely functional.

I’m curious what all you wonderful rabbit owners have used to help your rabbit or rabbits live happy lives! These could be supplies you like, toys, habitats, etc.. 

Here are a few from Wick and I:

1) Dish towels – replace paper towels for wiping up pee; eco-friendly!

2) Cloth diaper laundry bag – necessity since I’m accumulating pee-soaked dish towels; anti-bacterial, excellent scent blocker (meant for human babies, so it’s very durable!)

3) Diaper changing mats – replace puppy pad liners for catching accidents; eco-friendly because you can reuse them after washing!

4) Plastic knitting mesh – litter box screen; easy to cut and clean

5) Baby stacking cups – #1 food-hiding toy on the market, haha.

Props to the baby aisle!!

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[jerseygirl]

Ooh, I have very much used predominently non-pet store items for the buns.  Also, I avoid pets stores if they sell animals. But generally, there isn’t that much that is suitable for rabbits.

My main item would be using various things as litterboxes.  I have 2 big ones that are from hardware store that are actually cement mixing trays. Others Ive used are rectangular plastic basins from variety stores. TimTims litterbox is a tiered storage rack that had missing components. So It had the solid base and 2 of the tiered levels that are like plastic grates. I sit one of those directly over the base. In the past, I brought things like plastic mesh baskets to uses as the grates and at one time I used metal cuterly racks over litter in a plastic tote. I’ll have to try find photos. Im less of a fan of that as it could be hard on their feet if they hung out in the box for long periods but usually there was a nice layer of hay. 

The seagrass door mats from hardware store have also been super useful! They are $2 I think and Ive used them as screens/chew toy on the pen panels divider in bun room. traction for a ramp. Bending them around and tying with sisal to make a chewable tunnel. 

The hardware store and variety stores (like dollar stores) are my main places to find items. Here is Australia, one of the major hardware stores is aptly named…Bunnings! 

I’ll have to put my thinking cap on to remember other things Ive used over the years… I generally don’t like to spend a lot on individual items when I know it’s going to have a limited life around the Fluffy Destructors. 

[jerseygirl]

Oh. My main carrier when I take a single rabbit to the vet is a plastic sewing basket. It has vented sides, top opening lid, handles attached to the sides, not the lid like some pet carriers. It’s been ideal!

ETA: Here is Timbu as a baby in one of these baskets, which I no longer have.   The store I purchased them from has closed down so Ive had a hard time finding any more. I just have the one now. 

[LittlePuffyTail]

Squeeeeee @ baby Timbu!!!!

You are both very clever. I can’t think of anything I am currently using except for a small mixing bowl as Elara’s water dish. And fleecy baby blankets from the dollar store.

[Q8bunny]

Busboy dish tubs for litter box. Wooden kids’ toys as play/chew items. Hoom crocks for food/water dishes. The travel sized TangleTeezer for the rare and brief instances when the wookie lets me brush him.

Once our current stash of pee pads are gone, I’m going to experiment with a less wasteful litter setup. Been researching and giving a lot of thought to it lately…

[DanaNM]

I second the cement mixing trays and dish tubs as litter boxes!

I use a toilet paper roll holder as a hay rack. Dog ceramic bowl as a water bowl.

Cardboard cat scratchers for them to chew (have seriously saved my carpet!). I also do a lot of foraging for bamboo and safe weeds (sow thistle, dandelion, plantain, mint, fennel). We are finally gettting some rain so hopefully it will be foraging season again soon!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[sarahthegemini]

Q8, since you mentioned on insta about changing your litter set up, I’ve been wondering…would fleece work as a substrate? You could get a few blankets (or one large one and cut it to size) and then change daily. You could put the soiled ones in a separate hamper and wash x1 or x2 weekly or something.

Dana I’m with you regarding cardboard cat scratchers! My rabbits LOVE them.

As well as baby stacking cups – giant legos and plastic bowling pins are great too!

I’ve not been able to try this but I think a kiddie pool filled with soil would be a great dig box/area.

[DanaNM]

Ooh I love the kiddie pool idea! Maybe someday I’ll have an enclosed outdoor area for the buns to dig and make huge messes in…. a girl can dream!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[jerseygirl]

I bought one with the intention to use small, pea-gravel in it. But alas, it still sits outside, un-used.. I do want to set in up inside for Ailis now that she’s single. I think she’s one that wont treat it like a litter box. Well, fingers crossed!

@ Sarah, do you meant fleece like fleece blankets of the fleece that’s popular for guinea pig cages? I remember seeing how to make those somewhere.. It was a combo of u-haul fleece and blanket fleece. We call the blankets “polar fleece” here.

[jerseygirl]

I found some photos Id shared in older threads.  This is the storage rack thing back when I had it set up for Jersey and Rumball. I was in process of setting up a home made hay rack. (It failed )  I actually got away with lining the bottom with a large garbage bag for a while. They didn’t chew it!

I now use this for Timbu and have a hole cut out in one corner. He does most his business there so there is hardly ever poo sitting on the top. 

Ive also used plastic shoe racks to use as a grate in litter boxes. 

 

These have been “retired” now.  I get tired of them and try something different.  Id honestly just like to use newspaper and hay and change it everyday but the bunnos eat the newpaper. 

I also bought a plastic hamper that I sectioned lengthwise to use as large, wall-mounted hay racks. I cut some small sections outdown low to make hay easier to get to.  I tried it with just a cardboard back with intention to use corflute board in future. Again, these have been “retired”.. I have a pattern of doing things like this.  I really should set these up again. 

[sarahthegemini]

Jersey I was thinking just fleece blankets but not just a single layer. I’m thinking to fold it over so there’s at least 2 or 3 layers. I have grated litter boxes (actually they’re cat sifting litter trays that I’m using! Work well but it does mean the “grate” sits directly on top of whatever I put in the bottom) I’m tempted to try it. I think if I change the blankets out daily, it might work?

[Azerane]

Jerseygirl I think I’ve seen those baskets at Cheap as Chips in the past, a while back certainly but worth a look if you’re in the area.

I don’t think fleece would work well as a litter box substrate, it would smell I think. The moment Apollo pees on the fleece instead of in the litter box I can smell it. A whole day of pee and poop would just be a very soggy and yuck piece of fleece. Maybe if you layer it like suggested as they do with the guinea pig cage liners, but I’m still not sure it would be great.

[Q8bunny]

Thanks, Sarah & Jersey. Defo something I’ll explore in near future. The diaper hamper sounds perfect for storing them until wash day, too.

[LBJ10]

Oh, yes, baby stacking cups are a must! And baby keys, the boys love their baby keys.

[Q8bunny]

Chewie as well. (And shhhh but he’s getting some new stacking cups for chrimbo)

[sarahthegemini]

Reporting back here regarding the fleece as a litter substrate….

…it was not a success ??

[sarahthegemini]

Wooden crates (often used for fruit/veg storage) make good step ups for bunnies.

Plastic linking rings are really handy for hanging up toys on their hidey homes/cages etc. I’m currently using one to hang up a willow wreath.

Plastic plant pots are great for them to throw around and can double up as a method of serving greens or forage etc.

[Q8bunny]

Thanks, Sarah, that’s good to know… Did you use the fleece directly underfoot or under a grate?

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Q8bunny on 11/29/2018 7:52 AM
Thanks, Sarah, that’s good to know… Did you use the fleece directly underfoot or under a grate?

I used it under the grate and also put a small amount of wood pellets on top of the fleece (but still under the grate) because I was gunna wean myself off the pellets ?? Parts of the blanket were absolutely saturated and when I cleaned the litter tray there was quite a significant amount of wee under the fleece that wasn’t absorbed. I dread to think how bad it would have been if I’d skipped the pellets completely It was also a PITA trying to clean fleece and soiled pellets together but evidently fleece on it’s own wouldn’t have been enough! I’d kinda forgotten how much pee two rabbits can produce ?

Maybe fleece liners as Jersey suggested might work better or maybe having a deeper litter box so the fleece can be layered more? (I layered mine 3x)

[DanaNM]

I think fleece just isn’t very absorbent because it’s a synthetic fiber and not woven into threads. I wonder if cloth cotton diapers would work (supporting the theme that bunnies are babies)? Underneath the grate they wouldn’t be a risk of being chewed.

But again, no odor control. And in my neck of the woods, water is scarce, so I think all that extra washing wouldn’t be a good idea.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[sarahthegemini]

Yeah I don’t know why I thought fleece was super absorbant. It’s made me appreciate the wood pellets a bit more ?

[Q8bunny]

This is excellent information to have moving forward. Thank you, brave Sarah, our resident bunny mad scientist.

So in this case, here’s what I was thinking: either cloth diapers on top of a reusable & rinsable plastic mini-tarp under grate and stored in diaper hamper until wash day (but not water conservation friendly) OR wood/paper pellets/home shredded recycled paper under grate, to be composted along with poops and soiled hay. Except for home shredded paper, it would require purchases… but if that’s not an issue, and time is, one could also buy those biodegradable litter liner bags, and then cleanup would be a snap while the entire bag and soiled contents would be compostable.

Oh bunnies….

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