Bunny Feeding Fix

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Chase

Our rabbits are many things, and one of them is tenacious when it comes to food and treats. We got them an automatic feeder to make sure they get pellets at the same time every morning. Honey found she could chew, claw, dig, and ram the feeder to get more. Screwing it all down to a wooden base made tipping harder, but didn’t stop the chewing.

I needed to remove their access to the device. Listening to Honey claw and dig at the bowl for hours on end is getting old. I ditched the old bowl and used a 4″ to 2″ PVC coupling as a funnel.

I mounted it with some small screws run in through the side. I can remove it and make repairs or changes if need be. The dispenser sits over it nicely and is held in place with a few low cleats. They keep it from shifting, but you can pick it right up if adjustments are needed.

Next a length of pipe acted as a down spout. I start with only this downspout, but the pellets came out too quickly from the drop. They would hit the bowl and go everywhere. The bunnies didn’t mind the game of 52 pellet pickup, but some pellets would escape the fence.

A few elbows helped slow everything down. They have enough velocity coming down the chute to not get stuck in the first one, but aren’t going so fast to scatter all over when they hit the bowl.

The whole contraption sits nicely on the bun-servation tower, and a few screws ensures they can’t knock it down on themselves. It has been a week and the silence is golden. The furry raptors don’t seem to mind the change, they get food all the same. Now they just don’t short tomorrow’s meal by shaking it out early.

Bunny Fence Upgrade

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Chase

Our ravenous rabbits know no bounds! We have a baby gate we put up across the porch door to their area when the weather is nice. The only trick is that they have taken to chewing on the fence from time to time. It was cute at first, but they have been making headway on an escape.

I cut out all the gate material below about 15 inches to clear out the chewed spot and make way for the new barrier.

I could have upgraded to titanium coated steel mesh, but I figure they would chew through that in a few months as well. Instead I went with thin acrylic sheeting.

Covering just the bottom half kept the cost down and I doubt they will be able to reach high enough to do significant chewing above the clear plastic line. I attached the left piece over the outside face of the frame because there was room. The sliding action of the gate wouldn’t allow the right piece to be attached the same way. Instead, I used some of the remaining white gate material as a backer, and drove screws in at an angle to wedge the plastic in frame.

The Reaction

How was it received? Pretty well I guess. They have nosed it a few times, and tried to paw at it a bit. Here was their first introduction.

The window is clean for now, and provides an unobstructed view of extreme cuteness. The way these buns are, I will come out one time to find them all raiding the fridge with a 4″ perfectly circular hole cut in the plastic window. Clever buns!

Surprise Bunnies

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Chase

A few days before Christmas we noticed Honey the bunny was plucking some of her fur out. Oh no, that is nesting behavior and indicates a pregnant bun. A quick trip to the vet later, and we had this:

If you look carefully you can see 5 little spines and skulls in there. Later that night, she popped and our collection of rabbits grew.

Two of the poor things didn’t survive the first 24 hours. I don’t know what was wrong with them, but I guess this is why they have big litters. After a few days they started getting fuzzy and growing rapidly

Unfortunately the little black one was lagging behind. We don’t know why, but after a 12 days he was half the size of his siblings. We started trying to feed him and keep him inside on a warming pad. It was not to be. He died before two weeks hit.

On the bright side the other two appear very happy and healthy. At about 16 days they started opening their eyes and exploring a bit. They are fuzzy, playful, curious and very jumpy! We dubbed them Luke and Leia in honor of them being twins and the new star wars movie. Check out this video of them being cute as can be.

Papa Tyrion got his snipping moved up and is not going to be making any more bunnies in this lifetime.

Bunny In The Hay Feeder

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Chase

I didn’t bother with a lid for my hay feeder because I figured the bunnies couldn’t get inside, and there was no other reason to cover it. Well, as it turns out, they can get in.

That is a baaaaaad bunny. I don’t know why sitting in the litter box and nomming the hay from the hole wasn’t good enough. Maybe sitting in your food while eating offers some special pleasure.

New Additions To The Family

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Chase

There have been a lot of changes happening on our back porch. Some furniture was removed and arranged to allow for a Jurassic Park style raptor fence.

Hmmm deadly raptors need a litter box and hay? What kind of monsters are these?

Beware the two terrors of Melbourne!

Yup, we got rabbits. They are adorable vicious killer poop machines. Seriously how can something so small produce so many poops!? The bun loaf on the left is Honey. She is sweet, soft and super curious. The lion head on the right is Tyrion (aka Mr. T, and Sir Buns-alot). He is always chasing Honey around, and is probably about ripe for getting fixed. Now on to gratuitous cute shots.

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They are a hand full, and we are working to get them accommodated to the porch before we open up the escape hatch and start working on the backyard. Until then, we can rest assured that they have 100% fluffy cottontail butts.

Seriously look at that butt.

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