need help on redesigning eating area

[meow1]

Okay, first, I had a smaller, lighter weight bowl with pellets, but as you can see he eats with his paws on it, so it would turn sideways and he would pee in it.  Now, even with the bigger heavier one, he can actually get IN it and poo and pee in it, wasting pellets. 

I am thinking about getting something like this:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/pet-care/small-animals/small-animal-feeding/small-animal-feeders/super-pet-gravity-bin-feeder-2135089

or this:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/pet-care/small-animals/small-animal-feeding/small-animal-feeders/home-rig-house-trade-rabbit-feeder-1-25-lb–2179546

 

And I’ll probably get two, one for the hay as well, because he seems to struggle getting it out, and then there’s a lot of waste.

What do you all think?  Which seems better?  I like the look of the plastic one better. Or do you have better suggestions?

THANKS!!

[mocha200]

I like the first one better.

[Otti]

Hey, your bunny looks just like my Sammy did when he was little! So cute! (but I might be biased )

Anyways, I also agree that the first feeder looks better. For the hay, though, I use a more closed hay rack (made from a plastic bag dispenser) and then still leave a pile of hay in Sammy’s litter box as well. Technically you do waste more hay this way, but my rabbit eats some hay out of the hay rack but eats much more of it when he has direct access. Since it’s so important that they eat lots of hay, I like to give him direct access to encourage the hay eating… Just something to consider. Your bunny might be like mine, and prefer eating hay when it’s not in a container.

Also, before you switch to a bin feeder, I think it might make a difference if you switched the new heavy large dish you got your bunny to a front corner of his litter box. Where it is positioned in the picture above, it’s right in the furthest corner of the cage, where your rabbit would naturally back into to pee/poop. If you put the pellet bowl still in the litter box, but away from that corner, I bet the bunny might stop peeing/pooping in it… Just a little experiment, if you haven’t already tried that out

[meow1]

There is only one corner I haven’t seen pee in, and I can try that. It is near the front, but last time I tried putting it in the front, he wouldn’t go in the box to eat it lol.   BUT I just thought of a possible solution. I have his water bowl outside the box of the other side, I might be able to move it and block where he would sit outside the box and eat.

He also pees underneathe the hay rack, all over the fallen hay.

It is early here, so I will go ahead and try to rearrange the bowls and see how that plays out for a bit.

[Beka27]

I would not feed pellets in the litterbox at all. Have you tried putting the pellets in the opposite corner of the cage?

[meow1]

yes, I put the pellets in the opposite now. So far, so good, although it only has been a few hours. I will keep watch on the situation, and maybe this approach will work!

[Beka27]

I find it works better to only feed hay in the litterbox. Pellets and veggies should be very far away from the litterbox. It is okay for the rabbits to get used to eating hay and pooping, but for pellets and veggies, you want them to learn not to poop when they eat them.

[meow1]

Just curious as to why we want them to not poop while they eat pellets?

[Beka27]

As rabbits get older, you might not be able to fit pellets in the litterbox, or they might just knock them over. At this point he’s getting unlimited pellets, but once he’s older, he will be restricted to (depending on his weight) probably no more than 1/4cup per day. And if you ever want to do more of a free roam set-up, you’ll like the freedom to feed pellets and veggies in other locations. The people who I know who have trained their rabbits to eat pellets in the litterbox have regretted it later on, because then it gets harder to break them of the habit of dropping poops while they eat. He’s is going to be spotty with his litter habits because he is a baby and he is not neutered yet. Just having hay in the box will go a long way to getting him trained.

[meow1]

I understand, I will try it. Do I still use the bowl he can fit into though? OR should I use a smaller one so he can’t get into it and poo?

[Beka27]

I would still use the bowl. You might try to give just a small amount, tablespoon of pellets, at a time and refill it often thru out the day. Or get some hay cubes and put those in the bowl also and he can dig thru them to get to pellets.

[meow1]

I ended up getting the plastic one for the hay and it is working out much better than that wire rack thing.

I got a new bowl for pellets, very small, but heavier than the small one I was using previously, so he doesn’t tip it over, and he can’t get in it. I don’t have it in the litter box now, but it is in front of it, and there hasn’t been any poos around it, however, I suspect he may be able to sit in the litterbox still and reach it, because when we bring him into the living room and he eats out of it, he poos. BUT the amount of poos outside the litterbox has been greatly decreased, and he ALWAYS pees in the litterbox!

[Nibbles_NZ]

I wouldn’t recommend the first one. I had the exact same one from Tractor Supply and no matter how much you tighten it to stay attached to the cage or x pen it always comes undone. I hated it. There were always pellets spilled as it will turn sideways.

[Nibbles_NZ]

I use the small heavy crocks and have had good luck with them. I’ve even switched to them for water instead of the water bottles.

[meow1]

I did get the plastic one, so far it is ok, EXCEPT I have a hard time getting it back into the slider thing and popping it in. The paper it came with says there is an optional suction cup available to purchase, so I’m wondering if that might be better, (or not)!

Did yours mess up immediately, or did it happen over time?

[meow1]

omg I spoke too soon, he just peed right outside his litterbox lol

 

**edit**

I believe it was an accident though because I saw him in there eating his hay and his bum was hanging over!lol, so, probably time for a larger litter box!

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