A hay holder will make the hay and the cage area cleaner.
But experienced rabbit people suggest that you buy or make a
hay holder or rack that can go inside the cage rather than
on the outside.


Most house rabbit keepers put the eating hay for their pets
into one end of the litter box as is often recommended. The
reason for putting the hay into the litter box is that
rabbits normally drop their fecal pellets while they are
eating, so the rabbit will happily stay in the box and
develop the habit of using it.

But if that is not an idea that works for you or your
rabbit, you can make a hay holder for your bunny. You may
want to use something other than hay for the litter box or
you may just dislike the idea of your rabbit eating from its
litter box even though that is a very natural thing for a
rabbit.


Some pet supplies carry racks especially made for house
rabbit cages, but if you have more than one rabbit the
commercial holders may be too small for a day's hay. If your
rabbits' cage is large or your rabbits run free in your home
you might simply use two purchased hayracks.

Or, if you are handy at all you can probably make your own
hayracks from found objects. You may even already have spare
items such as shoe racks or other types of racks that you
can cut, wire together or bend into V or U shaped racks.

Just make sure that on your purchased or homemade hay
holders the bars are between one inch (2.54 centimeters) and
two inches (5 centimeters) apart so that the hay is held
well but the rabbits can manage to pull the hay out as they
eat it. A rack designed for holding places vertically in a
kitchen cabinet might work.

Once your homemade hayrack is made and your bunnies approve,
you will want to attach the rack to the cage. Don't simply
wire them on; you will want them to be easily removed by you
but not the rabbits. The best things to use for this are
"leash clip" type fasteners that you should be able to buy
in your local hardware store. That way the racks are
securely fastened and your rabbits can't knock them off even
if they climb on them, but you can remove the racks easily
for cleaning or refilling.

To help with keeping the hay in the cage and off of your
floor, a plywood, metal or Plexiglas shield between the rack
and the cage wall will also help with keeping the hay where
it belongs.

Be sure to also put some type of bin under the rack to catch
the spills. You might even want to mount the rack over the
litter box so that spills fall into the litter box and become
clean litter. That way, your rabbits can sit in the
litter box and eat just like they prefer, but the hay will
stay clean.

One last point is that rabbits are attracted to hay that has
been recently disturbed, presumably because the smell is
stronger. So don't overfill the hayracks, and stir them up a
bit if you haven't added new hay lately, and your rabbits
will be more likely to eat enough hay to keep their
sensitive digestive systems working properly.



No one can Resist these Plush Rabbits