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ideas for hayracks please..

biscandmatt1

Wise Old Thumper
bisc and matt aren't a fan of the normal hayracks, but i'm going through so much hay because they stand on it then refuse to eat it :roll:

i've seen people use what look like hanging baskets from garden centres :? has anyone got any pics and are they safe.. wouldn't get a bunny head stuck in them! i panic! :oops:

thanks :wave:
 
I use one of these:
http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=largehayracks

one of these:
http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=hayballs made to measure in a huge size of unpeeled willow because Poppy can chew through the standard one in a few days! :roll:

and one of these:
http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=advancedroundfeeder which is simply the best invention ever! 360 degree acess and the weaved base keeps all the dust/hay off the floor underneath and damp out if using during the day outside.
Me and the buns love all of them :love:
 
We use letter baskets - the kind you hang on the back of your letter box to catch the mail. They normally have a flap so the buns can't get in, like they can with half hanging baskets.

Big squares too so they can pull the hay out easily.

HayRacks001.jpg


Of the ikea plastic bag holders

HayRacks002.jpg
 
Some good ideas there! I'm afraid my lad seems to prefer his hay off the floor of his hutch or, even better, from his toilet area! :roll::roll::roll:
 
Great post, as im having problems with this too.

I used to keep mine in a litter tray, but found that they were using it as a litter tray rather than a sack bar. I found that they liked to sit in their sleeping area and eat the straw, so ive changed that to hay instead and they eat it but it gets all trodden, wet and soiled.

I bought hayrack and found dolly sat in it the next day, i was worried she would hurt herself. She sat eating the hay and used it as a toilet. Unless they are actually in the rack themselves, they dont seem to know how to use it. :?

I use one of these:
http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=largehayracks

one of these:
http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=hayballs made to measure in a huge size of unpeeled willow because Poppy can chew through the standard one in a few days! :roll:

and one of these:
http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=advancedroundfeeder which is simply the best invention ever! 360 degree acess and the weaved base keeps all the dust/hay off the floor underneath and damp out if using during the day outside.
Me and the buns love all of them :love:

These are all great, but they arent Dolly proof, she destroys wicker in minutes. Great fun to watch, but it starts to get expensive! :lol: She can also climb inside most of these too and then Marley cant get access. :roll:

...

I have tried a few things, they could work for you but there are some really good suggestions already.

Ive tried:
-fat ball feeders, like what birds use with big holes
-packed into various toys, cardboard boxes, toilet roll tubes etc
-veg to balls (the metal ball that you put veggies in and hang up) but its quite small and youd need a few that would have to be refilled a lot.
-plant pots
-tissue boxes
-a number of different hay racks

The guinea pigs manage everything, but the buns just seem to climb, poo and play rather than eat! :roll:
 
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Bugsy and Lola have a hanging basket for a hay rack :) I have one of them Ikea carrier bag holders lying around doing nothing, I never thought of using that.. great idea! :D

SDC11869.jpg
 
Mine also have a 'D' shaped hanging basket, I have it quite high so they eat from the underneath.
 
These are all great, but they arent Dolly proof, she destroys wicker in minutes. Great fun to watch, but it starts to get expensive! :lol: She can also climb inside most of these too and then Marley cant get access. :roll:

They aren't wicker they are mostly buff willow which is very tough. The Hay manger and round feeder are both extremely thick willow - not like the usual pet shop stuff. The farmer grows and weaves his own willow.
The hay balls are thinner BUT he made me an especially thick one from unpeeled willow - the bark is tough!
 
thanks.. the thing i've found aswell is that when they have anything hanging above them, when they pull it down, matt sneezes because it lands of his nose! :roll:

they eat more out of the vine balls, but i don't like leaving those in at night as when they had chewed in once, i looked over and bisc had his head stuck inside it.. :shock: looked like hannibal bun... and if i hadn't been there, i don't know what he would have done because he was panicking.. :(

might try those veg hanging things, and i'm in all day so i can change them whenever... and kitchen roll tubes are good, unless bisc decided to eat them... :roll:

might try all these and see how they get on... in the day i'm always here to keep an eye on them, and then at night i can let them just have the trays. this is where all the hay is now. they have the hay at the front of the tray and the back to sit in which they did... and matt still does... but bisc has decided that sitting on the hay is better.. and weeing on it, and then refusing to eat it! :roll:
 
I use one of these:
http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=largehayracks

one of these:
http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=hayballs made to measure in a huge size of unpeeled willow because Poppy can chew through the standard one in a few days! :roll:

and one of these:
http://www.willowwarren.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=advancedroundfeeder which is simply the best invention ever! 360 degree acess and the weaved base keeps all the dust/hay off the floor underneath and damp out if using during the day outside.
Me and the buns love all of them :love:

i love the roundfeeder, think they would love that.. when i get some money i will buy one. :D
 
I've just madeone out of an upturned waste paper basket and an old NIC panel. And Sprocket has promptly pulled all the hay out all over the floor. :lol:
 
Bugsy and Lola have a hanging basket for a hay rack :) I have one of them Ikea carrier bag holders lying around doing nothing, I never thought of using that.. great idea! :D

SDC11869.jpg

This is a good idea! Where did you get your litter tray from? Looks like it has nice high sides
 
I tend to just pile up hay in one corner of the hutch, but Flash needs a lot more and I don't want to spread it around, so I use one of those flower baskets, a half one, sorry don't know the proper name for them. I wouldn't worry about them getting their heads stuck, but Flash likes to sit in his, and I imagine if he eats enough of the hay he could get his foot stuck
 
yes, i use the ones like D shapes, half a circle hanging basket, there fab, the buns love munching from them :D
 
Wicker isn't expensive if you collect stuff from car boot sales. I bought a whole bin bag full for £1 and that included a laundry basket Magazine racks are good, dog beds, plant pots and those bread bins made of wood with a 'slide up' door. If you use your imagination I'm sure you will find lots of cheap and safe ideas.
 
they love the little wooden hayrack i got. it is small, but they love scratching it. :D they also love the treat balls full of hay. it has a bell on it, which i didn't think they would be impressed with, but they like that aswell! :D
 
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