Vermiculture: not sure what to use in my rabbit trays

I ordered 1000 Uncle Jim's Red Wigglers. I have my worm pit almost ready (using this model somewhat modified http://www.motherearthnews.com/homestea ... cleContent) but my rabbits are in stackers that have trays under their cages. I have to use either peat moss (least expensive), aspen shavings (most expensive by a lot so I'd like to not use this), pine shavings (middle but worst for the rabbits and I read not great for worms), or hay (tied with peat moss in terms of price) to keep the ammonia smell down and protect the rabbits' noses.

Which is or which combination is best for the worms and the garden?

Thanks for your help worm farmers and rabbit enthusiasts! And all my research has been done on google so any advice is welcome! :bunnyhop:

PS Can the worms handle a little bit of pine? I've got a lot of rabbit manure with a little bit of pine mixed in. Can I add this into my worm pit or is this totally off limits now? I'd love to get rid of the 50 gallon drum I've got sitting around...

Peat miss would probably be the best option if the three for you if that's what is cheapest. I do know that that is what 'uncle Jim' suggests using as worm bedding anywho, so it would go to the top of my list.

I got my worms for eating my kitchen scraps though, and a thousand seems to keep up just fine between DH and I. Maybe it's that old cabbage is more enticing than rabbit poo, but when I put it in my bun's poo it takes my thousand worms over twice as long to eat the poo as it does the kitchen scraps, they may not keep up with your rabbits for a while until they really start to multiply. Just keep that in mind.

Either way, good luck! Maybe I'm just a bit off, but I enjoy my worm bins. I kind of think the fat little things are just a bit on the cute side, too.

Nicrose8, why don't you form screen wire to fit your trays----to collect the poop and allow the urine to go into the bedding. Add poop to your worm bin, trash/compost pile the urine and bedding?

nicrose8":1ytq6a7t said:

PS Can the worms handle a little bit of pine? I've got a lot of rabbit manure with a little bit of pine mixed in. Can I add this into my worm pit or is this totally off limits now? I'd love to get rid of the 50 gallon drum I've got sitting around...

Click to expand...

Small amounts yes. Just realize that unless its really well rotted the worms won't touch it, they will just work around it. A better use for a lot of pine (especially needles) is as a mulch around acid loving plants.

Thanks, everyone! You guys have been really helpful. I feel so much more prepared.

PSFAngoras thanks for answering the fresh bedding question. It literally kept me up last night. I've been worried about my little worms! I would add kitchen scraps in there as well but the chickens normally get them! Maybe I will end up ordering 1000 more because when I have litters, they really know how to make a lot of poo. I guess it doesn't hurt for the poo to sit around though while the worms multiply.

Fire-Man, that's a great idea! Now I just need to figure out how to be handy enough to make it happen. My only concern is that it will make the trays too high and the poop will pile up into the cage too quickly. When I wasn't using an absorbant, I could just slosh the urine out but with peat moss, I won't be able to do that anymore. If you've seen the screen done, I'd love to see pics. If not, I will put my brain to work!

JohnMc, you are the bearer of great news! I guess I got lucky. The stuff in the 50 gallon drum is about a year old. I've been too lazy to empty it since the compost pile is so much easier to pick from (and my mom picked up all the compost pile manure for her garden already). The worms might still eat around it for a little while longer but good to know that all that manure won't go to waste. I will just put the fresher, pine-free stuff on top.

Again, thanks. I really appreciate all the knowledge you've shared with me as well as the speedy responses.

In my view, every worm farmer enthusiast has a different perception when it comes to worm bedding, when you have to use peat moss or aspen shavings, but its only a tried and tested method which is actually gonna suit your requirement . And it also depends the kind of supplies you have got. I got my supplies from http://www.happyworms.ca and it took care of all my needs. Thought I'll share !

Hi All:

This is my first post. I have been contemplating getting a rabbit for my daughter. I have a worm bin
about a year and have been experimenting with moisture, temperature, ideal conditions. I had read
that they do very well with rabbit manure, so my interests brought me here!!

I have for the last year or so been taking the time to "smell the roses". I have a list, in my head, of many
things I would like to diy, with the help of the internet. Woodworking is paramount on my list. Building my
own rabbit hutch I think would be a good place to start, I have never built anything!! Also I can tie it into my other hobbies, (stress reducers, life savers, serenity). I know nothing about rabbits, except for having one as a pet when I was a child. I'm thankful to be able to utilize this site.

I have been reading some of your posts and was wondering if any one has tried some wood pellets?? I moisten them and then add the 'saw dust' to my bins when they are too moist. It has been working really
well. Can you guys use the wood pellets for your rabbit trays? Perhaps it would keep moisture down and
the worms seem to do well in it. I have seen others use this for worms on some popular worm sites!!

My son dropped a bag of pellets on my driveway, the pellets I couldn't recover were swept onto the far side, close to clippings pile. In the spring it looked like sawdust, added it to compost, earthworms didn't mind so experimented with my wigglers.

Thanks again.

georgie430....Denise