Has anyone used a hay bale in their shed as an alternative to a bed?

Hi :wave:

One of my buns got hyperthermia last autumn because the weather was so mild and then we had a really cold snap. My buns had not got winter coats and were taken by surprise as was I!!! I am now trying to plan what to do this autumn and hope you might have some good ideas.

Anyway, my buns live in a shed on my patio and inside their shed they had a hutch on leg. I bought this for them to sleep in off the ground. Annoyingly they used the hutch for their toilet and slept underneath it! Silly buns! Anyway, we dont have the the hutch anymore as after 2 years they chewed the legs off and after replacing the legs a few times I decided to bin it and rethink my options.

I still have not decided what to have inside their shed. At the moment they just have 2 litter boxes as they spend qute a bit of time outside in their run. Anyway, I have noticed that they use one of the litter boxes as their toilet and they have used the other as their bed and they snuggle in it.

I can't decide what to do in terms of what to buy now for their shed. 1. another hutch on legs or something else.

My vet suggested a bale of hay which they can climb on, eat and burrow in.

Has anyone else used a hay bale and had good results? How do they burrow in it as I thought hay bales are packed really tightly?

Anyway, any advice greatly received.

Thanks :wave:

I think it depends on how well litter trained they are. I am fairly certain that Ori would just wee on it!
DH is going to build in a box with a shelf above but you can also buy small dog and cat kennels that look quite good like this one:
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/domus-kennel-by-ferplast-(large-size-only-available-in-stores)-61001

Can you put a shelf in the shed or use a table. All my rabbits sleep up on their tables where they have a big box filled with newspaper and hay. They still toilet in them but at least they are off the ground.

when I get a bale of hay I put it in the garden while I bag it up and while im doing it my rabbits go crazy over it. They get on top of it and eat it but they dont wee on it. They love it though so i would give it a try and see what they think of it.

If yours are only using one litter tray and snuggling in the other then they might like a huge pile (probably not a bale as, like you said, they're tightly packed) to sleep in.
I gave mine a bale and they peed all over it, dragged it all over the floor, and then peed all over the floor where the hay was. :roll:

That looks like a gorgeous kennel

RedFraggle said:

I think it depends on how well litter trained they are. I am fairly certain that Ori would just wee on it!
DH is going to build in a box with a shelf above but you can also buy small dog and cat kennels that look quite good like this one:
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/domus-kennel-by-ferplast-(large-size-only-available-in-stores)-61001

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Mine are very well litter trained, but if you go and upset their house arrangements they will go and wee everywhere! I think they get a bit confused! I am still a bit miffed that they used their old hutch as a toilet and slept underneath it!! I originally bought it for them to sleep in and had litter trays underneath!!

My dh is a bit anti the rabbits so I wont ask him to build a shelf although I think mine would love it. He's not too hot on DIY either. :roll:

I like the little kennel idea and might get one at least it gives them extra warmth and insulation.

Thanks :wave:

tonibun said:

Can you put a shelf in the shed or use a table. All my rabbits sleep up on their tables where they have a big box filled with newspaper and hay. They still toilet in them but at least they are off the ground.

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Haha I can't put a shelf up as my dh is DIY challenged! :lol: I like the idea of a table though as I would like to get them off the floor.

Thanks :wave:

Lady Logamorph said:

when I get a bale of hay I put it in the garden while I bag it up and while im doing it my rabbits go crazy over it. They get on top of it and eat it but they dont wee on it. They love it though so i would give it a try and see what they think of it.

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Hmmm I dont know what they would do. I guess I could just try. I can't think how expensive they are now, but they used to be about £3 when I was a kid. I suppose if they wee all over it I wont get another one!!

Thanks :wave:

BattleKat said:

If yours are only using one litter tray and snuggling in the other then they might like a huge pile (probably not a bale as, like you said, they're tightly packed) to sleep in.
I gave mine a bale and they peed all over it, dragged it all over the floor, and then peed all over the floor where the hay was. :roll:

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Hmmm I think they might just drag it all over the floor. My little Rex is a determined little bunny and likes things just so and particularly likes things her way!! Usually not mine!! :roll:

I wonder if you can buy mini bales? I might try a small kennel in their shed or even a cardboard box and stuff it with nice hay.

I think what I find so frustrating is that I try to make them nice, warm snuggly things for them to use to keep them warm and they are not interested! :lol:

Thanks :wave:

Many years ago, I had a straw bale in with the buns as something to sit/jump on. They did have a little wee on it but nothing too bad. However, they did LOVE digging in it. In fact, my old doe dug a burrow right the way through it and out the other side :shock:. It kept her well exercised as it took weeks to dig out due to the way the bale was compressed. Once it became too wee'd on, I chucked it out and got another one!

omg i didn't even know they could get hypothermia!!! i fill cardboard boxes with straw and hay, but the hay bale sounds like a fantastic idea!!!!! mine would turn it into a huge toilet tho

I have never had a bale but asked at the farm where I get my bags of hay from and it's only £6.00 so worth a gamble. I'll be getting one as soon as I've persuaded my husband to let me transport it home in his precious car

Well, got one at the weekend and they have poo'd and wee'd all over it. I've covered it with everything from a sheet to their sheepskin rugs and they just keep on weeing on it :? They have however dug into it to make a little cave in several places so if you have better mannered buns than me it could work! If you get one I'd top it with litter trays or something as this one will have to be thrown at the weekend before it gets soggy.