Making a Rabbit Litter Box

It is time to replace the grates in my bunnies' litter boxes.  

When I started litter box training my buns I just used plastic boxes with pellet litter in the bottom.  Then I noticed they would track the sawdust around as it was damp and stuck to their feet.  Not fun and made litter training a mote point.  

I saw plenty of bunny litter boxes on rabbit sites with a grate or grid to keep your rabbits feet out of the mess.  But boy rabbits like to pee fling and high-pee.  Short or low sides were not going to work for them to help keep the cage clean.

I had a spare stainless cat litter box and thought I'd try the grate idea to save a few bucks.  

Well!  It worked!  So I got a few more stainless litter boxes and my hubby and I got to work making grates for them.

Since we have been using this method for a few years and the urine and the regular cleaning has caused the grates to rust a bit.  Now it is time to replace the grates.

I gathered my supplies and got to work again!  You can follow along and make your own.

Supplies:

• welded wire (I use 0.5" x 0.5" PVC coated from the hardware store but rabbit wire is 0.5" x 1" 16 or 14 ga. I didn't want to wait so I went cheap.)
• flush cutters or tin snips (Depending on the wire you use you will need some tough snips.  My hubby recommends aviation snips made for sheet metal.)
• scrape wood (I use this to help bend the wire.  It makes neater bends than doing it by hand.)
• litter box  (I use stainless steel because rabbits will chew plastic.)
• pliers (These are optional but I use them to make flatter bends.)

Getting to work!

I started by figuring out how tall I wanted the grate from the bottom of the litter box.  Our first set were 1" off the bottle and were a tad large for the box so they didn't sit on the bottom.  This set I decided to got 1.5" off the bottom.

I did notice that each litter box is slightly different so taking measurements of one and thinking you can mass produce these is not going to work.  You will need to tweak each grate to fit well in the box.

Taking the time to check and recheck your cuts will save you from having to redo the whole thing.  

I cut the corners out so I can bend the wire and not have bulk making it hard to insert in the box.

I use a piece of scrap wood to help bend the wire and keep it neat.  This can be done on larger projects like cage building or for transport holes.  (I will be making a few of these soon) All four sides are folded over to be double the wire and help support the rabbit's weight while they sit on it.

Once you have folded all four sides and checked to see if it fits firmly you are done!  I put a scoop of pellet bedding in the bottom to help with the pee.  Sometimes I have a rabbit who is drinking a lot of water and their box looks like a swimming pool.  just add some more pellet bedding next time you clean it.

To clean it just remove the grate and hose off.  If there is urine mineral build up you can use white vinegar to remove it.  The boxes look next to new when I let them sit with a little vinegar while I continue my cage cleaning.

Kits on the way!

 Our does are expecting!  Anytime around October 29th we should be seeing kits from our three mamas!

Nail Trimming

 A lot of people don't think that rabbits need their nails/claws trimmed but they do.  If their nails are not trimmed regularly they can get caught on something and injure their toe/foot/leg trying to get free or they will rip the nail and possibly damage the quick.  The quick is the blood vessel in the nail that feeds it since it is living tissue.  That is why if you trim too short it will bleed and can be a pain to get it to stop.  

Let me share the tools I use to trim the nails of the rabbits living in our rabbitry and how I do it.

I use scissor type cat claw trimmers since they are smaller and easier to control when working with the rabbits feet.  I also keep septic powder on hand in case I do clip too short.  I also use a tote container to hold the rabbit making restraining them easier.  And treats!

I found that putting the rabbit in the tote before working with them with make it easier to handle them as well as train them that they are going to have their nails trimmed or other health checks done.  They will also not have the room to kick and scratch as much.  This will save your arms if your buns are kickers like mine.

Once in the tote I place it on a table or in my lap and just lift the foot I want to work on.  I only lift as high as I need to see the nails and get the clippers around it.

I clip all four feet if they rabbit will let me before they start getting annoyed.  Again the tote training will help them understand that this will happen less often if they just remain calm and let me finish the trim.  If they don't let me finish all their feet I will try again the next day and so on until all feet are done or at the least looked at.

Once they are done I give them a small piece of fruit or dried unsweetened unsulphured papaya as a treat to let them associate the nail trimming and the tote as a good thing.  

This can be a pretty painless task for you and your rabbit if done every 6 weeks or so.  Some rabbit owners will say to check their nails monthly and that is not a bad idea but make sure you trim them as needed!  You don't want to end up hurt.

Now I have shared this key chore with you and hope I have helped made this stress free for you and your bun!

Keep your feet dry. Wear your rain boots.

Cage Cleaning

 I have found that cage cleaning is not my favorite thing to do with the buns but it needs to be done to keep them healthy and happy.  Here are a few things I do that help make this chore easier.

Our rabbits are litter box trained.  May not seem like a big thing but the hutches are in the house during summer and having them box trained helps contain their mess overall.  I use stainless steel boxes with a wire platform to keep the buns up out of the poop.  They are actually cat boxes but the rabbits don't know that.  

Training them wasn't hard but may not be for you if your rabbits live outside all year round.  I have their food crocks in their litter box so they have to hop inside to eat.  Since rabbits tend to poop while they eat this makes sense.  I also have their hay feeders hanging over the litter box to force them to hop in to munch.  I do have one buck who will poop in his box but not pee so I use puppy pads in the trays so it catches the urine.

White vinegar is my favorite for cleaning around the animals.  It will remove the urine build up in the litter boxes (cat and bunny) without scrubbing!  I cover the bottom of the box and let it sit and when I rinse it out the build up is gone or will flake off easily.  

I also use vinegar in a spray bottle to clean the trays and the walls of the hutches.  I spray scrub with a soft brush and spray again.  If there is urine it will bubble up a bit and I will work harder to clean that spot.  

Clean cages means happy bunnies!

Keep your feet dry. Wear your rain boots.

Bunny cuteness overload!

 Sometimes I flip through photos of our past litters of bunnies and get the warm fuzzies from the cuteness.  So I thought I'd share Miss Katie's litter that we dubbed the "wiggle wiggle boing" bunnies.

So named because they would bounce and wiggle in the nest.  Miss Katie Kat is the solid gray cutie in the front of the bunny puddle.  She was the only non broken in the bunch.  

Cute!  But oh how they grow!

This is actually 2 litters playing together.  Miss Katie is at the top of the photo.  This was their first taste of greens and it was a yummy bunch of cilantro from the local farm stand.

The cuteness is too much!  These bunnies were sired by Blu Boy.  The dams are Honey and Bonnie.  Next breeding will be the three does with Sterling.

Sterling in all his fluffy glory!

More bunny fluffy-butt cuteness!  (I love taking photos of them when they are small)

SQUEEEEEEEE! The cute is over the top!

Toys and enrichment

 I know what buns like...

I know what buns want!

Sorry.  I am a huge Waitresses fan.

Anyway, toys are a great way to give your buns enrichment but they can be expensive.  With five buns in the rabbitry at the moment the expense of toys is not crazy but it can add up fast with kits and adding new rabbits to our line.  

I don't want to spend a ton to enrich my animals but I do care for them and want to make their lives worthwhile.  I have found that the urge to buy the cute toys is there even if you are making your own.  Mostly I try to limit the spending to toys and enrichment I can not make or acquire myself.  These include:

Apple branches or any branch/wood that is rabbit safe.  It should be cleaned and dried to prevent bugs and 'cooties' from coming home with you.  While I live near a few very large apple and fruit orchards they have yet to sell or allow for the harvesting of wood for pet treats/toys.  I get my apple, pear and blueberry sticks from Farmer Dave Pet Supply on Etsy or their website.  I am a repeat customer and love how fast they ship and the quality of the sticks.

Pinecones that have been cleaned and dried.  My buns LOVE pinecones.  I do not have any evergreens near me to safely gather pinecones since we live in the high desert foothills.  I could drive up the hill towards the lake and pick them up at one of the campgrounds.  Seeing that would be on the side of the road I'd rather not deal with road salt and motor oil on my rabbit treats.  I have bought my pinecones from Petsmart in the past as well from My Familys Nutz on Etsy. (See a theme here...)

I don't buy all the treats and chews for my buns.  I make a few.  I save compostable toilet paper tubes and when I have enough I stuff them with hay or dried herbs folding the ends to make an enclosed container.  They chew on the cardboard to get to the herbs and make a huge mess in the process but I love seeing them enjoy themselves.

I do make hay braids once in a while out of oat hay or alfalfa.  Since I don't buy those hays in large 3 string bales I can cherry pick pieces to braid or twist into toys.  Sometimes I weave them to make wreaths.  The shapes are more for me than the rabbits.  😁

My little mini buck, Rusty, use to LOVE playing in boxes.  He thought they were better than fresh strawberries!  I would give them to him on their side so he could hop in and he always stood it back up to sit in it.  Ripping them apart was one of his all time favorite late night activities.

Rusty was my snuggle bunny and Netflix partner.  He loved sitting on the couch with me late at night watching movies or streaming shows.  He didn't get along with our cat so he had to got in his hutch at night for his own safety.  Minis are fun but when you have predators in the house the temptation to give in to their prey drive is high.  I will say he was the first buck I got litter box trained.

In short toys for your buns can be as colorful or as basic as you want as long as they are made of rabbit safe materials.  

Keep your feet dry.  Wear your rain boots!

The buns!

 Our rabbitry is not a large one.  We started with four rabbits- two does and 2 bucks.  We kept a doe from the last litter so we now have 3 does and 2 bucks.  But I never took the time to introduce them here!

This is our Honey Bun.  She is a 3/4 Rex 1/4 New Zealand harlequin coated rabbit.  She is the oldest (only by months) and largest rabbit in the rabbitry.  She is a total sweetie and loves attention.  She snuggles with the kids all the time.  Her size makes her a good house bunny with our cats and dogs.  She is big enough that they leave her alone.  She does stay in her hutch at night and when we have to leave to prevent mingling with the bucks.  But then they all spend their time separate from the bucks to prevent unwanted litters.

This chocolate Easter bunny is Miss Bonnie.  She is a pure Rex with a chocolate otter coat.  She is a tad smaller than Honey but still a good size.  No minis here!  Bonnie is also friendly and loving.  She was our first doe and is a head butter.  She will head butt your hand if you are not petting her the way she wants or as fast as she wants.  Demanding little lady!

The gray beauty in the foreground is Miss Katie Kat.  Sweet loving and quite the cutie!  7/8 Rex 1/8 New Zealand mix.  Gorgeous lilac/gray otter type coat that is shorter than a standard New Zealand but not the plush velvet of the Rex.

This handsome boy is Blu Boy.  He is Katie's sire and has a oh so soft broken blue Rex coat!  He is a total lover boy and has his preference of does- Honey!  He likes to visit her when he is roaming out of his hutch and she just hides in her nesting box when he is running around.  No, Blu!  No unplanned kits.

This is Sterling.  He reminds me of a color point cat.  His Rex coat is more than lilac than tan like the photo shows.  Sweet boy who loves toys and cuddles.  He is our unproven buck but he will get his chance soon!

In case anyone is wondering the steel pans in the hutches are litter boxes.  Our rabbits are 90% litter box trained making hutch and house cleaning that much easier.  I use a pellet type litter under the mesh platform.  The mesh is only to keep the buns out of their own waste and getting urine burns on their feet.  It helps keep their velveteen coats clean and unstained.  More on that later.

For now, keep your feet dry.  Wear your rain boots!