Rabbit hay racks. Is this a housing question or rabbit everything else question?

[Xerocles]

Anyhow if this doesnt belong here, somebody please move it. I was confused.
Hay racks for rabbits.
Open sided rabbitry, suspended wire cages. Prefer outside the cage type. What material? Sheet metal for weather protection and should a cover be used if so? Wire for content observation so they never run out?
Dimensions? (Single rabbit cage and grow-out cage)
Are 1" X 1" wire large enough for the rabbit to pull hay or should a larger hole be cut?
Anything else I'm too inexperienced to think of?

 

[Beekissed]

I always used chicken wire up in one corner of the cage, on the inside, wired to the roof of the cage. Didn't take up any floor space and the hole spacing was perfect, can really stuff it full when it's wired into a corner.

Never made one from sheet metal nor attached to outside, as my rabbitry was under roof.

 

[promiseacres]

We just feed hay daily, a small amount they will eat up. Otherwise some of our rabbits won't eat their pellets as well. I have seen some people use cage wire that latches on the cage. Or even small plastic bins from the dollar tree zip tied on.

 

[animalmom]

I've used clip on metal hay feeders for years... like this one:

HAYRACKS

Hayracks are used by many who use hay in their feeding program. The Econo hayracks answers the need for a portable hayrack because it attaches securely in place to any cage front. It allows easy access for the animal while helping to prevent waste accumulation on the floor in front of the cage.

www.bassequipment.com

It clips on outside the cage so you fill it from the outside. You seem (?) pretty comfortable working with metal so you might be able to make this yourself. The picture isn't super good. The hay rack is wider at the top than at the bottom and is open along the front. The buns can easily pull out the hay through the wiring on the cage.

Another option I use is empty gallon jugs, like gallon vinegar jugs. Cut an opening on the front, fill and hang inside the cage. Yes the bunnies will chew on the plastic so you end up replacing them, but the price is right.

Vinegar is a great cleaner for bunny cages. I dilute with water... like 2/3 water 1/3 white vinegar and use that to scrub down the cage floor. The vinegar helps cut any odor or urine buildup on the wire.

 

[Xerocles]

I've used clip on metal hay feeders for years... like this one:
View attachment 67621

HAYRACKS

Hayracks are used by many who use hay in their feeding program. The Econo hayracks answers the need for a portable hayrack because it attaches securely in place to any cage front. It allows easy access for the animal while helping to prevent waste accumulation on the floor in front of the cage.

www.bassequipment.com

It clips on outside the cage so you fill it from the outside. You seem (?) pretty comfortable working with metal so you might be able to make this yourself. The picture isn't super good. The hay rack is wider at the top than at the bottom and is open along the front. The buns can easily pull out the hay through the wiring on the cage.

Another option I use is empty gallon jugs, like gallon vinegar jugs. Cut an opening on the front, fill and hang inside the cage. Yes the bunnies will chew on the plastic so you end up replacing them, but the price is right.

Vinegar is a great cleaner for bunny cages. I dilute with water... like 2/3 water 1/3 white vinegar and use that to scrub down the cage floor. The vinegar helps cut any odor or urine buildup on the wire.

I replied to this under my intro thread by mistake. Sorry about that.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Anyhow if this doesnt belong here, somebody please move it. I was confused.
Hay racks for rabbits.
Open sided rabbitry, suspended wire cages. Prefer outside the cage type. What material? Sheet metal for weather protection and should a cover be used if so? Wire for content observation so they never run out?
Dimensions? (Single rabbit cage and grow-out cage)
Are 1" X 1" wire large enough for the rabbit to pull hay or should a larger hole be cut?
Anything else I'm too inexperienced to think of?

Rabbits desperately need fibre and other things that pellets do not provide. Hay can and should be 75%-90% of your rabbit's diet. If you get a rabbit one-year-old or younger, they should eat Alfalfa hay. If your rabbit is older than one year, they should get Timothy or Oat hay.