A belated Christmas/New Year's post

So it seems that all my recent posts come with an appolgy for lack of activity... so sorry... again.

I hope this post makes up for it. I thought I would share a little project I had been working on as a Christmas present to my grandparents and Regina (who still goes by Roger).

I made them a custom bunny condo. This was the first I have ever made so, it isn't perfect, but I'm proud nonetheless. Building a condo can be pricy (although not as much as some larger store-bought
cages) but it helped that many of the supplies I already had: plywood (which was left over from previous project and may have even originated from a dumpster), zip ties, power tools, screws, brackets and 1X1 wood strips. I used linoleum for the 1st floor and carpet squares for the second and for the ramp. I got these from Habitat for Humanity Restore, which like the thrift store for home improvement supplies. The only things I had to purchase full price were some additional brackets, wheels (so that my grandparents can move the condo easily) and spray adhesive for the linoleum. I scavenged some grids from Umbra's condo (since she doesn't stay in it) and purchased some more from Sears which happened to be on sale. I should mention that I had originally bought grids at target, but returned them on account that the spaces were too wide.

 

I made the condo 2 by 3 grids (I believe each grid is about 24 inches long). You may notice from the image about that I miscalculated  the length of the sides: they should have been a little bit longer so that they over lapped. For this reason I used brackets for added stability.

Wheels allow the condo to be moved with ease.

Unfortunately, at this point I began to slack off on documenting my process so the next image will be the finished product.

Regina/Roger investigate her new digs.

Ave you can see that I created a private room for Regina to hide in. The ramp was made by cutting down some closet shelving which we were not using. I zip-tied a strip of carpet to it for better traction. The second floor sits atop two 1x1 wood strips. Not visible in the photo, the strips have notches are cut into the underside at each end so that they sit snugly over the grid wires.

Although Regina seemed wary of the new cage (she is a shy bunny), my grandparents liked it, although they were shocked at its size. I do have a feeling however, that like Umbra, Regina will not end up being confined in the new condo. She spends most of her time having free run of a spare bedroom. A screen allows her to see what is going on in the house. She does like to climb up on a bookcase in the room where she likes to sample some literature.

After the final assembly Regina retired to her favorite corner and remained in bun-loaf mode the remainder of our visit. She was tired of all the hustle and bustle, and even refused treats from my grandma, which is just as well because she certainly has not lost any weight despite having more room for exercise.

Leftovers

Okay, so you know how you get to the bottom of the bag of hay and all that's left is those little bits and pieces and a bunch of hay dust your bun wont eat? Sometimes it's quite a substantial amount and it seems a waste to throw it away (especially after spending nearly $20 for the big bag). Well I propose a solution!

I have been using the leftover hay in my homemade bunny treats. However, I encountered a problem the first few times; not all the hay bits got ground up, making it difficult to mold and cut the dough into little bunny bites. So today I set about the much belated task of sifting the remains of two jumbo bags of hay. All you need is a colander and a large bowl to sift through (note: turn off fans in the room you are sifting, hay dust will go everywhere.. except the bowl).

end product in metal bowl

Nosy Umbra kept trying to tip the bowl so I distracted her with some hay of her own

I ended up with between 2 and 3 cups of hay dust which I will use for the base of my bunny treats. I should be able to make a few batches as soon as its cool enough to turn the oven on.

Pee-proof Hay Box Project

I forgot to mention that I finally got around to completing one of my summer projects!

In a previous post I linked a page on DIY multi-level bunny condos, and at the end was a nifty tip on how to keep your bun from using the hay manger as a litter box.

All it took was a dozen 4 in. bolts from a home improvement store and a power drill. Below is the end product and so far the hay has been pee free!!! This is especially good news since I'm having no luck finding a farmer who grows timothy. Just lots of alfalfa which is way to fattening.

Side note: because Umbra is a rex she is prone to fur loss on her feet causing callouses called "sore hock" this can be aggravated by moisture so I have since removed the manger from her litter box because she doesn't need to be spending leisure time with pee-pee-paws.

Also, Umbra had a little adventure the other day. While I was at work I got a text from my mom saying that Umbra had escaped her pen and that my mom could not catch her. I was frantic with worry for the next few hours. Luckily there was no damage to either rabbit or house so I couldn't be mad at Umbra for long.

Upgrade You're Bunny Condo

Bunny World Foundation posted this link on Facebook. If you can't let you bun have free run all day, it helps to have a fun enclosure, and here is a great way to build one!