One of the hardest things about being a bunny is that a lot of the things that are marketed and made for bunnies are NOT actually good for bunnies. To make things even MORE complicated, I'm a big bunny. The last time my Mommy weighed me I was nine pounds and counting. So those little cute things made for a little two pound Netherland dwarf rabbit are going to be WAY too small for me. Therefore, my Mommy has to get creative in her bunny shopping. Here are some "non-bunny" products that we love.
1) Kitty Litter Boxes.
The littler boxes marketed for bunnies are WAY WAY WAY too little. A lot of people get these little corner boxes to sit in our enclosures and while they look like a good idea, there are a lot of problems with them. We need room to make a complete 360 turn, and we like to eat while we go potty (who doesn't?) so something this small simply won't do. There's no room for hay, and it's generally a good idea to put the hay directly in the box. We rabbits are natural forgers, so most hay feeders make it too hard to access our hay, and it makes it so we can't search for just the right piece. People always ask if I eat hay that I peed on, and no, I don't. I'm quite smart and if it doesn't look tasty, I won't eat it (this is why it's important to change my hay often and check throughout the day to make sure I have plenty of fresh). Also, while you may think the wire covering is doing us a favor, we don't really like wire bottoms. They're hard on our sensitive feet, and we naturally like to dig, so these little boxes aren't really doing us any favors.
(This is entirely too small and not very comfortable!)
Plain simple cat litter boxes work much better. They are big enough and have high sides so we're less likely to kick things out (accidents do happen, but they happen less with bigger boxes). My Mommy started out by getting me a covered litter box. She thought it would be good because I could have privacy and it could double as a hidey house. However, I'm not a big fan of hidey houses, and I like to see what is going on, so she took the lid off. This works better for me because I like to take flying leaps over the sides when I'm being silly, and I won't miss an opportunity to follow her into the kitchen to beg for treats. That is very important!
It's really quite cozy! Mom also got me a couple of cheaper litter boxes too so I could have a few other potty spots. I like to have choices, and when I have a habit of using both back corners of my pen, so Mom decided a couple of boxes wasn't a bad idea. I don't use the other ones as often as my big one, so they aren't hard to clean each day.
2) Doggy Exercise Pens
One of the most common mistakes bunny parents make is getting a cage that is way too small. This is probably because we used to be thought of as outside pets that lived in hutches, but over the past 30 or so years there have been a lot of changes in pet bunny care. My Mommy freely admits that this is a mistake she made with every bunny she had in the past. She even once had a WIRE BOTTOM CAGE, which is so bad for our feet! But it was the 90s and things were different then. It's sort of like how kids back then used to do all sorts of things that are considered dangerous for kids now!
Luckily, Mommy got more enlightened about rabbit care when she got me, and so instead of a tiny little cage, she got me a nice big 4 feet by 4 feet exercise pen for at night and when she isn't home. She would LOVE to have a space where I could free roam, but her house is simply not big enough for that and she says she doesn't trust me to run around the house on my own (something about me eating cords and finding trouble the second she turns her back on me....). She promised that one day when she can get a bigger house, I will have my own room, but until then, the exercise pen is the next best thing.
The nice thing about these pens is that they are relatively inexpensive, so I have two. One upstairs for night and when she's at work, and one downstairs that is my "base camp" when I'm free roaming, and is a quick and easy way for her to secure me if she needs to run a quick errand. They come in different heights (I have a 24 inch high one downstairs and a 30 inch high one upstairs... though you CAN get higher) and Mom got a top too so I can be extra secure. I'm good at jumping out of it (I can climb, believe it or not!) so the top is necessary for me.
They can also be easily folded up and moved to go on the road, which is great for those occasional trips to Grandma's!
3) Splat Mats!
The only downside to having a pen instead of a cage is that there is no bottom. To solve this problem and to protect her hardwood floor, Mommy got a splat mat that is actually supposed to be used under baby high chairs. This is probably Mommy's favorite thing because they are waterproof, wipe up easily, and can be put in the washing machine for easy cleaning. Since buying the first one she's gotten a couple more and uses one to protect her loveseat. When I was a baby, I liked to pee there, so the splat mat helped protect her furniture too. They come in multiple colors and designs, and are the perfect size to go under my pen.
(So I'm not demonstrating the awesome waterproofness of the splat mat here... but I am awfully cute playing on it!)
4) Grid Wire Storages Shelves
These are a bunny-proofing must have. These shelves come in individual squares, and with the help of some zip ties, can be configured in a lot of different ways. Mom uses them to keep me out of corners where there are a lot of cords and things I could hurt myself getting into. They can also be used to protect your baseboards if your bunny is a chewer. Lucky for Mommy I am NOT that big of a wall chewer, though I do go for cords if they are in reach of my mouth. Packing tape can also be used to protect corners of furniture and baseboards (Mom HAS done this as I occasionally try to chew on her table legs).
5) Baby stacking cups!
Most of these items are for housing and bunny-proofing, these are the fun item on the list! I love these stacking cups! They are heavy plastic so my teeth don't damage them, and I love unstacking and tossing them around. It's extra fun when Mom hides treats in them! Then I get both the fun of taking things apart AND I get a treat!
6) Yesterday's News Cat Litter
This is probably one of the most used products we have in our house. This is a great product. It's made from recycled newspaper and is super absorbent. It really helps make my litter box not smell bad! It's more absorbent than the shredded paper litters that they market for small animals like me, and I don't kick it everywhere like I did when my Mommy used to buy "Carefresh" litter. A lot of people use wood pellet litter in their boxes, but my vet frowns on that because it does have some odor, and it's more dusty and not so great for my lungs. Since both Mom and I have allergies, she has to be really picky about what she uses in my litter box, and this stuff does the trick! Just be careful, it has to be "unscented" and "non-clumping". Clumping litters can be dangerous for us bunnies if we accidentally eat it, and the scented litter irritates our sensitive noses.
So these are our favorite "non-bunny" bunny products. Mom also found a freestanding baby gate that she uses to keep me off the stairs (
here it is on Amazon) and a bunch of other stuff, but these are the highlights. Since there aren't a lot of quality bunny products out here, bunny parents sometimes have to get creative! I hope these items give you some ideas of things you can get for your bunny (or other small animal!). Until next time, keep on hopping!
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