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How do you feed hay?

rabbitdan

Mama Doe
im getting a nethie soon and would like to know how you feed hay.

do you use a hay rack?
just put it in a pile in the litter tray?
 
I use it in the litter trays (undebed storage boxes, so mounds of hay) and on the outside bunnies, I use it to snuggle in too, away from the litter tray.

With a nethie you are going to have to be hot on your hay because of the higher risk of dental problems.
 
Pile it in litter tray works for us. Mine have never been that fussed with hay racks and being free-rangers there isn't really anything to attach them to.
 
mine have a half moon hanging basket for a hay rack, it's above the litter tray so they can still munch and toilet but they don't cover the hay in pee/poop.
 
I put a thin layer in litter tray to encourage her to use it. Then have hay in hay rack, i place hay cookies down (great because less mess) and then have a hanging ball which had different varieties of more expensive hays - Grace is spoilt :love:
 
but dont they get it all pooey before they can eat it?

I provide hay in a basket and all over the floor and in their litter trays which are emptied daily, rabbits eat their caecatrophs, I think rabbits are capable of picking out clean strands of hay, the priority is to provide sufficient hay to enable them to eat it wherever they are in their enclosure I think, this includes the litter tray but, racks or baskets can be used if you prefer to keep the hay out of the tray to prevent it being soiled. I tend to keep the more expensive hay like Oat wheat and barley or Oat Hay in baskets or up the cleaner end of the litter tray, mine tend to favour one end as a lot of rabbits do favour 'dirty' corners and use them.
 
When I first got Rimmi (nethie) I used a bowl, which worked well, as well as some in his litter box.

Then, I got bigger litter boxes, and used to put hay in them, as well as stuffing loo rolls, boxes (big and small).

When I got Winter, I started using hay racks, but these are ever so messy, and I found they just dragged all the hay into the litter box anyways!!

Ive also used a ball.... this http://www.equinecaninefeline.com/catalog/just-spend-veggie-twister-treat-holder-£549-p-4425.html which I used to stuff with hay and mix in pellets, works really well but needs stuffing at least twice a day!! They ate loads of hay from this, and couldnt just dig it out.

Now, I mainly put their hay in their litter box, several times a day (an different hays, mainly timothy and meadow hay, but I have treat hays too). I also still stuff boxes like those mini variety cereal boxes with treat hay or hay mixed with bits of veg or pellets, and toilet rolls. Often I will fill a 'Magners' box with hay too, they love squishing their way inside and hiding in there while munching away! :)
 
Mine have cheaper hay in their tray and one type in their half moon basket and another in the hanging basket.. :D
 
mine have all different one has it in his litter tray and a rack cos he won't use the litter tray without it, one just has it in his hay rack, one has it well everywhere! and the other won't eat hay, but i put some in a rack just incase!
 
I use a hay rack for the bulk of the hay and a bit more inside a hanging veg ball.

Currently also use some cheaper meadow hay inside the litter box as well.
 
but dont they get it all pooey before they can eat it?

No because we have large boxes.

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Plus rabbit poos aren't dirty. Poos just fall through and wees get soaked up by the megazorb underneath. I always top it up at least twice a day so there's always fresh stuff.
 
Mine have a big box like Schuette's got for hers.

I put megazorb in the bottom then big handfuls of baled hay on top of that, they have a hay rack above this which usually has 'posh' hay in and upstairs in the 'day' area they have a different 'posh' hay with either dandelion, plantain or readigrass 'sprinkles' mixed in! :lol:

They mostly eat out of the litter tray tho! :roll: But like others have said, they tend to 'go' in one corner or at one end and eat from the other end/area! :D
 
I use half moon shape hanging baskets which are suspended above the litter tray so they can eat and poop but everything stays fresh.
 
Nice big mound near the litter tray so they can eat and poop at the same time!

Bunnies are EXCELLENT multi-taskers.

;)
 
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