We like to put hay in racks for our rabbits because we have found they waste less that way and also to help keep the cage floor clear of debris so droppings fall through easily. You can buy racks or you can make your own. We make a lot of our own cages and the wire we cut out for the door openings is a perfect size for a hay rack, and since it would otherwise be thrown away, it makes these hay racks free!
Supplies:
Leftover cage wire (I show 1" x 2" and 1/2" x 1" wire)
Wire cutters
Pliers
Cardboard or paperboard
Instructions:
1) Cut a strip of the 1/2" x 1" wire that is one segment longer than your rectangle of 1" x 2" wire.
2) Cut diagonally across the small rectangle of wire, creating two triangles.
3) Make sure they are the same size. If not, trim the larger one to the size of the smaller triangle.
4) Bend the edges of wire on one of the triangles back on itself to get rid of the sharp edges, repeat on the other triangle, bending them opposite of the first one so that they are mirror images of each other.
5) Bend the wire tip of the triangle into a U-shape.
6) Bend the excess wire at the top and sides of the larger piece to one side of the wire, folding it over and back on itself (this will keep you from scratching yourself as you install it and place hay in it later). Then bend the wires on the bottom of the rack at a 90-degree opposite of how you bent the wire on the top and sides. This will act as the attachment point to the cage on the bottom of the hay rack.
7) Your three pieces should now look something like this.
8) Keeping the pieces oriented as pictured in step #8, slide them one at a time through the long loops of wire on the rectangle piece.
9) This long wire will act as your anchor point to the cage at the top of the rack.
10) Cut a piece of cardboard or paperboard to fit and slide it into the rack from the bottom. The folded over wires will hold it in place, and the cardboard will reduce the amount of hay that falls outside of the cage and gets wasted.
11) Attach the rack to the cage, sliding the wires on the bottom of the rack over the edge of one of the cage wires, and then using the pliers to bend them around to secure the bottom of the rack to the cage.
12) Use the little loose wire at the top of the triangle pieces to secure the top of the rack to the top of the cage. If your wires are not long enough, use a small piece of wire or a clip to hold it in place at the top.
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