Alternatives to hay rack? Need advice!

[EleanorBunnyBoss]

I have a dwarf bunny who is almost four months old. Originally I was putting her hay on one side of her litter box, but when I went to the vet he said not to put hay in her litter box since she pees and poops in it. So, I bought a hay rack and placed it over her litter box. The problem is that she rips all the hay out of her hay rack and it lands into her litter box with all her pee and poop. I’ve tried separating her hay and litter box but she always pees and poops as she eats hay. I’m running out of ideas and a lot of hay is going to waste because when she throws it in the litter box I have to throw it away so she doesn’t eat soiled hay! Any advice?

[Azerane]

If you’re cleaning the litter box regularly and topping up with fresh hay in the rack this really isn’t an issue. A rabbit cant catch anything from itself that it doesn’t already have and it’s not harmful for them to eat their own poop. I’ve not known a bun to eat pee soiled hay.

Harry above the litter box is the most common place to have it and most buns pull a fair amount out to get to the pieces they really want. As long as you keep the box regularly cleaned and the hay fresh it’s fine ?

[missyprincess]

Hi, my bunny is abt 3.5months old..same issue as u
previously ..my bunny would “play” with food when the hay is near or in the potty.
when i change to hay rack..he would tug n pull the hay, causing bunch of hay to drop ..end up..he eat like 20% n 80% is on the floor.. hahaha..a total waste of food and he will starve cos instead of 100% he onli get to eat 20%

for me..to ensure i dun waste 80% of the hack..i always make sure the potty is not placed “glued” to the wall of the cage..i would leave about half a inch gap? soo tt the hay will mostly fall to the floor instead of the potty ..soo u can sweep it up n put back into the hay rack..

one advice given by a bunny owner was that i could train my bunny to eat n poo at different places..but this can be tedious process.
u are supposed to practically spend a few days with ur bunny (if possible for the whole day),
place ur hay rack, tray, bowl at a place u want him to eat , whenever u see it poo (even ONE) ..u carry or nudge him into the potty..keep doing it..the bunny may hop out or get annoy..u hav to be persistence to let it understand u will not stop asking him/her to go potty till he/she understand he/she hav to at one place..n poo/pee at potty.

i hope these can be of some use to u..

[kurottabun]

You can get a litter box with a grate over it or make one with your existing litter box. It helps prevent the bunny from sitting in her own pee and poop and also keeps the hay clean. Some will inevitably fall below the grate but it’s still better than most of it being soiled with pee

[Deleted User]

I suggest Kurotta’s suggestion as well! I have a litter box with a grate, and I put the hay right on top of the grate with a divider between the hay side and the business side. It works wonders. Less hay waste and easier for bun to get at

[Gordo and Janice]

Our situation may have just been unique but… Since she always liked to back up into the corner to pee and sometimes to poop, we just put her litter in the back third of her litter box by the corner, left the middle third bare because she seemed to prefer not to stand on the litter (we used unscented Yesterday’s News brand – recycled newspaper pellets), and put the orchard grass (she wouldn’t eat timothy) in the front third. Most of the time she would jump in her box and spin around and use and eat accordingly because her butt was backed up to the litter in the corner and the food was in her face. And she was facing out toward the room while doing all of this which I think is a natural preference as well. She also had a big bowl of orchard grass elsewhere in her cage that she could pull from in the event that she got some pee on her grass in the litter box. Because as Azerane said, she wouldn’t eat the hay once it got wet from her pee.

[Gordo and Janice]

Asriel and Bombur, would love to see a picture of your set up. The litter box with the grate and the divider between the hay and business side (for future reference and possible use).

[Wick & Fable]

If you click on my profile, there’s an example of a litter box with grate for reference. I do not use a divider, but Wick is 75-25 good with not doing his business on the hay.

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.

[Deleted User]

Basically like how Wick’s is set up (so definitely click on Wick’s profile). I only have the divider up for Bombur cause of his EC issues. Asriel doesn’t need one because he consistently poops in the same spot so much there’s a mountain for me to scatter every morning when I wake up and every night when I get home xD

[Gordo and Janice]

Thanks Wick and A and B. Of course with my detail oriented mind you have opened up a whole can of follow up questions. And both of you added in apple cider vinegar in another thread…so now more detail questions. I will ask (in detail…hehe) in a separate thread some other time. Thanks again.

[EleanorBunnyBoss]

Thank you! I do clean it every day so for the most part it does stay clean 

[EleanorBunnyBoss]

That’s a great idea!! I had not seen those at my pet store so it hadn’t occurred to me, but I’m sure there are some on Amazon! Thank you 

[EleanorBunnyBoss]

That’s a great idea!! Can I ask where you got the grate from?

[Muj Mom N Bun]

Hi. I do the same as Gordo and Janice. Bun tends to always clears a large amount of space for herself and leaves it empty and backs up into a preferred corner in the farthest back to do her business. So I leave a relatively small supply of paper litter (kaytee clean and cozy) in the corners and in the furthest front of her litter box. I then top that front litter off with a small supply of hay. I use a pretty small amount of litter overall because Bun loves to dig and clear space for herself in her litter box. If I put too much, or even what many would consider a decent amount, she will kick it out of her box and then later decide she can pee on that… so, I keep just enough to cover the corners and top with hay in the front. I have also found that cleaning her litter box has become easier this way.

I also made a hay rack right over one corner of her litter box out of an IKEA plastic bag holder… it is a pretty sturdy plastic but soft enough to not crack if Bun decided to chew it a little bit… holds a massive amount of hay, so I really never completely fill it up, and has plenty of holes for the hay to be pulled from! It works great!

But also, rabbits are quite picky about their hay, they won’t eat what they feel is too soiled but they do prefer a hay source to be where they go to potty… eating while they go helps the go get going…!

[Wick & Fable]

The litter screen I use is called plastic knitting mesh or plastic canvas. You can purchase it at general fabric stores or online via Amazon. I got this one in particular:

http://www.amazon.com/Darice-Plastic-Canvas-Clear-12-Pack/dp/B00DV68A9I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524839406&sr=8-1&keywords=%5Bplastic+canvas&dpID=41jPHeL6i6L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
— It even comes in different colors O.O …. I just have clear, because it’s easy to see when it gets stained with pee so I can clean it.

It cuts very easily and does not leave sharp edges either. I have a zip tie on one corner so I can easily lift it out of the litter box.

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.

[Deleted User]

There’s also a litter box+mesh option to purchase in the BB store, which is really great. Yesterday was my boys’ first night in them, and they really enjoyed it. https://www.instagram.com/p/BiE1apqgKal/?hl=en&taken-by=asriel_and_bombur

[EleanorBunnyBoss]

Perfect!!! Thank you for the link!

[EleanorBunnyBoss]

Asriel and Bombur are so cute!! That’s great to know, thank you! 

[EleanorBunnyBoss]

I’ll have to look up the ikea plastic bag holder, thank you! 

[Author]

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