• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

life time of hoovering

We decided to give the rabbits unlimited run of the downstairs in the house.

two issues.. I am continuously hoovering up rabbit droppings and hay. They have a litter tray in the lounge which has straw in it, this gets dragged everywhere and a hutch in the hallway, which also has lots of hay. Does anyone else have hay and straw throughout the house issues? or should I consider redesigning their hutch area, do they need copious ammounts of straw!!! apart from the straw they eat.

Since having the run of the house, they have started weeing in corners in the hutch that aren't their toilet areas. is this normal .. they are 18mnths old.

any advise or comiserations... or comfort.

Thank you
 
I have the same problem if that's any comfort!! I used to use sawdust in the bottom of Max's cage but soon changed that to newspaper cos he has this habit of sitting in his cage, watching you come in the room and then suddenly doing a "Help - you just scared the life out of me!" dash from his cage which sees the floor covered in sawdust, poo, food, hay and anything else not fixed in his cage! :roll: I've bought a couple of those hay holders in the shape of balls and that's helped keep the mess down a bit as he pulls it from them as he eats, rather than jumping in it, but I have to admit, I'm still hoovering everyday and that's with just one bun!!
 
You get use to it, we've a wee tray in front of the TV, and grass/hay gets all over the place, poo to! We hoover every other day which is fun for the buns as it's play time when the hoover comes out, most would leg it but it's just like a plastic bunny mate to them.
The only down side is you must make sure the door to the living rooms closed when someone knocks at the front door (salesman etc) otherwise they'd think we're living in a farm yard, family and friends are use to it now, and i wouldn't change it for the world, upstairs is a mirror image of downstairs.

Enjoy!!!!! :lol:
 
EEK! Don't tell my OH! :lol: I've just managed to talk him around to this house bunny idea... he will certainly not be keen if he thinks the mess won't stay in bunny's bedroom! :lol:
 
I wouldn't norhter with straw - hay is much better for eating and they won't need the straw for warmth. I would go with a paper based litter i the tray - less messy. I like the tesco own brand paper litter.
Have lots of hay in one place - the hutch will probably keep it the most contained. And get used to lots of hoovering :lol:
I would guess they will start weeing in the same places once they have got used to all their new freedom - then you can put their trays wherever they choose to go and work back from there. I would add a few extra trays in the different rooms to start with while they are getting used to it.
 
I have the same problem! They were very litter trained outside... but now they're both indoors it's not as good :? Am also hoovering alllllllll the time :roll: :lol:
 
My bun was kept inside while he was young, didn't have a problem as my mum did all the clearing up after him (used a dust pan and brush for the large bits), but when she was away I thought it would be quicker just to hoover everything up - until 5 days later when the hoover wouldn't work as it was all blocked with straw and hay. Must have taken about an hour to take it all apart, unblock the tubes (this was a task in itself as I they are really long and I had to find something equally long to poke down it to unblock it), and then put it back together again. :lol: :lol:

Got a little hand held "dust buster" things for the loose droppings which was quicker.
 
:D berties so big he trails anything and verything not fixed down let alone hay with him!
bifs tidier..shes smaller!

i have a jml rubber broom..tis fantastic for sweeping up hay and straw and leaves the hoover safe!
my daughter also recently bought a sivel sweeper with 3 free special brush thingys..you roll them along and they pick up and collect poos lovely and fur..with no noise! she got it from ge rmany and paid 326 when theyre nearer £40 everywhere else - thane direct have them i know..

the best idea i had was a cardboard box den/tunnel..i put a huge pile of hay in it everyday for bif and oscar but had to sling it due to oscars muddy butt problem..then he died and now bifs got it..hers is stress tho..
berties still being house trained and we have 3 yes 3 liter trays in the lounge for him and one in downstairs loo! mind you bif uses the 3 as well now! i usually confine the hay to the trays but used a hay rack from bunnybasics..wooden one..oscar was so weeny he used to sit and sleep in it..berties so huge he folds it up by accident! so a very large old dinner plate in the lounge is my temp measure1
hey my cats mad as much mess when they were alive..kitty litter everywhere even tho wood pellets arent meant to track! food or treats carried into lounge from saucers in litchen and spread around whilst chewing!

with my first bun i had such trouble with the hay etc but it taught me well..the indoor crate has blankets etc not sawdust etc just hay and food..much easier to sweep/vaccum up!

i am looking to ask a builders if theyhave very large bore plastic pipes like sewer maybe..or smaller so big bum bertie can fit in it as well as bif..then put hay in the middle..any squishy poos can then be wiped out no damage to pipe! id love an erthenware one in the garden in summer..ive been told it keeps buns lovely and cool!
could try plastic kennel!!
 
I have to hoover EVERY day - but you do get used to it, adn Jasper quite likes the hoover esp. nibbling the nozzle of it, even tho his fur is being sucked, when he won't move!

I've used one of our cats enclosed litter trays (bit like a vet box, altho I removed the cat flap for now) and filled it with hay, the hay mostly stays in it as they just sit in it a lot. They only ever poo and wee in the kitchen, which is fine as we have lino, so easier to clean. I also a paint scraper to scrape any squishy poos off the lino, then I mop the floor with dettol.

I've stopped using sawdust in their outside hutch as it made such a mess of the garden esp. when its windy!
 
I bought a mat/rug to put in front of Deej cage which helps to grab some of his hay before it gets walked everywhere!

I use a flat back hanging basket as a hay rack for him - it's perfect as it doesn't take up much room in his cage, and helps keep the hay off the bottom of the cage. Under the hay rack is his litter tray (which I fill with megazorb with a sheet of newspaper on top), any hay that falls in the cage generally ends up in there and Deej like to eat it there and sleep on it there too.

We just got a brand new cyclonic bagless vacuum cleaner half price in Argos - My OH says it's fab as it picks up all the bunny fur (can't stop that getting everywhere) and hay in one sweep. :D
 
It's a bit drastic, but I got so sick of the mess my piggies make (think rabbits x 100!) I threw all the carpets out - Much easier flicking round a broom...when I can be bothered - you get used to hay covered floors after a year :lol:
 
My piggies are inside (in a pen), and hay gets trodden in all over the house. :( Am yet to find a good hoover for it (or muster up the inclination to hoover every day).
 
I have a house bun and the only has hay in one place.
She sleeps on vet bed and has carpet squares in her run.
She has a litter tray hidden in the corner of the rooms she goes in and thats it.

I have a pen that she goes in when we are out this is where I leave her toys and bed she plays with anything from a sock or one of the childrens toys when she is out of her pen.

Luckly she is a very clean rabbit. I also have throws on the sofa so she doesn't dig or wee on it.

Kathryn
 
I use the base of an indoor cage as a little tray, I use easibed, which is a huge improvement on shavings and doesn't go all over the place.

The hay also goes in the litter tray, and to be honest I get a few peices come out, but mostly it stays in there.

I've got a 5ft x 3ft pen in the kitchen - which is thankfully on lino - so very easy. I just go over with a dust pan and brush, every other day.

Jx
 
I only have hay for George in his hay basket for eating, and a small bundle in one corner of his litter tray to munch on. I use carefresh in his litter tray, and he just has a dog bed with blankets and a towel in to sleep in, so I have very little mess. he does sometimes pull the hay out of his hay basket and leave it on the floor, but it is contained to one place usualy.
 
Back
Top