wasting hay

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

Hi there I feel lately that I am wasting so much hay. I buy about a 25lb bag and with 2 buns I go through that in about 2 months. Does anyone else waste hay?

[Elrohwen]

A lot of my hay ends up in the compost pile – I think hay waste is inevitable. It gets in the litter box, ends up peed on, etc etc. My two also like hay that is “fresh” much more than hay sitting in the hay rack for a few days, so sometimes I end up covering the litter with the hay they won’t eat and just putting new hay in the racks.

I like composting, because I’m not throwing it away – it will become soil to grow veggies for the bunnies to eat.

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

how do you compost?

[Elrohwen]

I just chuck all of the litter into a pile in the yard (it’s kind of in the woods, away from the house a bit). I also save bits of veggies and fruits that aren’t edible (like the ends that get cut off) and throw those in. You can Google composting for a lot more information, but it’s basically all about putting organic matter in a pile, then turning it and allowing bugs and bacteria to break it down into a nutrient rich soil. Bunny litter and hay is especially good for composting.

I also use the soiled hay to mulch over plants – the bunny poop is good for the plants (unlike other manures, it doesn’t need to be composted before use, though it can be) and the hay helps keep the soil moist and keeps weeds from growing.

[Molzy]

I felt that way before I purchased my hay rack. Now that the hay is held up off the ground, he ends up eating most if it before it falls in his litterbox. I still go through 9# of hay about every 3 months though with 1 rabbit, and he is only like 3.5 pounds. But I really don’t throw much if any away.

I have this hayrack (http://www.leithpetwerks.com/prodpage.cfm?prod_code=HH125) which holds about 2-3 days worth of hay for Riley if I really stuff it. The thing I liked about this model was that it was larger than most of the one’s in pet stores, and it has a solid wood back, so that the hay doesn’t fall outside of the cage (which helps keep my apartment cleaner!). I was a little worried about the wood construction, but Riley has so far left it alone, and I have had it for over 9 months now. The other great thing about it is that it just hooks over the wires of the cage, so you can easily take it out, fill it over the bin of hay, which keeps the hay either in the rack or in the bin. It seriously keeps my floors so much cleaner than before!

[Elrohwen]

Molzy, that sounds like the perfect hay rack! The link didn’t work, but I think I found the one you’re talking about (it has wood slats and comes in a 12″ and 20″ size?) Maybe I should get that for the buns for Christmas.

[bwild]

I’ve been wanting to get that hay rack ever since I saw you post it in a thread when I first joined here, Molzy. The price is very reasonable it’s just with the shipping added in, it’s a little bit more than I want to pay I did however, finally get the Plastic Bag Dispenser from IKEA (another idea from someone on here) for 1.99 and I do have to say it works pretty well!

[MoveDiagonally]

I love that hay rack! It doesn’t look like it would be hard to DIY. Hm… New project for husband.

I kind of do the same thing as Elrohwen. Composting is great. I don’t feel like the hay is being “wasted” when it gets composted. I would love a cleaner floor though. Time to try hay racks.

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

I don’t have a garden where I live. my mom has some flowers I don’t think she would appreciate that in her flowers. About the hay rack should you have a hay rack. I have always put hay in there litterboxes. I think my problem is I put to much in there litterboxes. Plus with my one bunny i use alot of hay in hay roll ups.. Toilet paper rolls stuffed with hay.

[Monkeybun]

You don’t necessarily need a hay rack. If you don’t want to waste as much hay, put smaller handfuls in the litterbox, and refill when it gets eaten. Smaller amounts means bunnies will eat it up before it gets “stale.”

[Jessica Rabbit]

Bunny poop is great for flowers too!

I echo MonkeyBun – smaller amounts more often. I’ve found that with Harvey, if I give him a little hay several times a day, he eats a lot more of it than if I just give him one big pile every day. Jack isn’t -as- picky, I can get away with 2 or 3 smaller piles each day – they are lucky I’m home so much haha

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

thanks everyone. Is it ok to switch between hay brands. I used oxbow then switched to sweet meadow farms now I am going back to oxbow because it is cheaper. Is that ok?

[Monkeybun]

Thats fine

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