Title: House Rabbit Littergarden
Name: Sooki
Time: 1 Day
Cost: $3.50 on herbs, everything else was reused.
All the way from Australia! Much more attractive than the usual fare and looking like a Bonsai garden for your rabbit, we welcome Sooki's Littergarden. Click above for the pics and head below for all the instructions...
BEFORE
TOOLS:
sheet of plastic to protect carpet plastic base of pet cage 2 rectangular plant drip trays gravel, organic potting mix and garden soil rabbit safe herbs.
stone pavers and decorative rocks wooden stakes (for constructing the frames) plywood (for top of feeding station) drill saw rabbit food, feeding bowl and meadow hay.
one or more bunnies (preferably already litter trained! see: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html for tips).
STEPS:
* Lay down plastic sheeting in a sunny corner of the house (so herbs will get enough light).
* Construct a rectangular wooden frame for the plastic base to sit ontop of, leaving enough room to add a drip tray to each side (see in process shot).
* Drill a row of holes on each side of the base, aligned so that they will be on top of the drip trays.
* Add a layer of gravel to bottom of base, to improve the drainage. top up with a mixure of organic potting mix and garden soil.
* Plant herbs in rows above the drainage holes.
* Sit base on top of wooden frame.
* Use pavers to build steps leading into the garden and camoflage the front of the plastic base with decorative rocks
* Construct the main feeding station in the back corner by cutting wood into a triangle that fits into the gap and contructing a triangular wooden frame to prop it up to the same height as the base.
* Add food bowl with food and water to feeding station.
* Add hay to the front of the garden (this will help rabbit recognize it as their new litter tray).
* Add bunnies and marvel at your mini ecosystem, in which the rabbit urine and poops provide an excellent fertilizer/manure for the herbs and the herbs a tasty nibble for your bunnies (and yourself!). Excess fertilizer/manure can be collected from the driptrays / top of garden and used to feed you other plants!
RESOURCES:
• Garden soil rabbit safe herbs info: http://kanin.org/node/191
This was an entry in our 2009 February Jumpstart Project. Click here to see all of our Jumpstart entries!
Originally published 2009-02-19 - CB
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Comments (18)
This is such a great idea. I have 3 bunnies. Mine aren't good on carpet so I'd have to rework this to linoleum (their current flooring) or something else. I love the idea of plants for them to nibble.
I find this quit cool, I have a little rabbit hat that I would like to alter for more room and fun, I don't get how it really works. Do You think you could drop me a line at my address?
http://ninica62.blogspot.com/
Thanks
This is really sweet! a luxury condo for bunnies, this is bigger then some NY apartments I've seen...
I think some of you dont realise---this is the litter box for bunnies that are house trained, and free to roam in the home, like cats. It isnt like that whole room is the rabbit hutch or bunnies only.
Nice idea. Just curious, how do you house train a bunny?
Hi ravenovertheway.. to 'house train' your bunny you pretty much just have to litter train them (which is just as easy as litter training a cat) and rabbit proof your house (make sure any tempting cables that they may attempt to chew through are suitably protected). http://www.rabbit.org/ is full of lots of great info on how to keep house rabbits if u want to find out more :)
It's good to see house bunnies and their people getting some AT press. The set-up is truly beautiful.
But having two very greedy bunnies, I have to ask: Would most bunnies show enough restraint to simply 'nibble' the herbs?
Mine would eat them down to the stem within an hour! They almost decimated my indoor herb garden, when they got into the living room for a few minutes.
Ravenovertheway: Rabbits poop wherever they eat their hay. If you put the hay in their litterbox, that's where they go. If you don't believe in "shitting where you eat", keep in mind that rabbits must eat their own feces for their delicate little digestive systems.
Anyway, I love this! I plan to make this over spring break. I have a sweet 3 1/2-year-old Holland Lop and he's NEVER in his cage, so this will be a lovely alternative for everyone! (The cage is hideous, even with this blanket I've thrown over the top.)
Which herbs did you use?
Hi all thanks very much for your comments and votes so far!
I think it depends on the types of herbs you use and appetite of your rabbit as to whether they will get eaten down to the stem or just 'nibbled'.
Since the photo was taken the oregano and thyme have indeed been nibbled down too the stem, as expected by anna_in_stl ! however they have left the basil, lavendar and mint pretty much intact. perhaps the strong fragrance of these is detering them a little bit? it is certainly keeping it smelling nice too!
I had a house rabbit in my first apt. and as delightful as bunnies are, you must realize they chew everything. I am lucky we didn't burn the place down. A friend who had a pet rat came home to find he had fatally chewed the electric cord to her clock. Rodents must chew to wear down their teeth. My bun ate a large amount of shower curtain and eventually died of cancer. Also rabbit urine is not what you want in your home eco-system, It stinks and stains. A deep sided litterbox is needed with frequent cleanings. Rabbits are very smart and fun, but be prepared to care for them.
The above poster is incorrect calling Rabbits rodents, they have not been in the same family for over 10 years now. They are lagomorphs and gnaw nowhere near as much as rodents do. Often they do it out of habit, and their urges can be curbed by chew toys and the like. Give a rabbit a cardboard box and he or she will be amused for hours.
Rabbit urine only stinks if your rabbit is not spayed or neutered. Spay and neuter your pets - all of them.
Rabbits aren't so bad, with the exception of the murders.
Rabbits are great apartment pets, if you know how to take care of them and train them. And don't assume that they are rodents. This is not true.
Litter training rabbits is extremely easy, but expect accidents from time to time.
Truly lovely in theory : ) Yet, I could see my Honey Hudson digging in the potting soil and, for sure, nomming those tasty herbs down. This might work for one small bunny, but multiple rabbits' poops may be too much for a small ecosystem like that. I have to change H H's box daily.
It’s interesting to read everyone's responses to the article. Great to see public awareness being raised re: proper care for bunnies as house pets! Rabbits Rule!
While I'd love to plant herbs in reach of my pet house rabbit, there's no way that this garden would last longer than a day.
Our 2 rabbits once ate a 1 metre tall palm in a day.
20cm herbs? Not a chance!
this is so nice-looking! i wonder if a similar setup with different plants would work for our cats... absolutely love it.
The potted plants are a great idea! Although my rabbit would devour them in a day...
This is a great post. Apartment Therapy had other DIY rabbit-house posts, but they were attractive "cages", thank you for showing others that rabbits can be house trained and be wonderful pets.
We just made a house for our rabbit: http://www.quitecurious.com/bunnys-new-house. She runs around the house and yard all day, but once in a while you'll see a wiggly rabbit nose stick out of the front door.
Just like ferrets - bunnies are smart and fun and clever :-D