I'm looking into getting some standard Rex rabbits soon, and I'm having a surprisingly hard time finding out what size containers I need for food and water. What size feed container do you use for a standard meat rabbit, and what size crock do you use for water in wintertime? If you use something to hold hay, what do you use and what size is it?
There really isn't a recommended size for those things, as far as I know. It has something to do with your feeding regimen and also with your rabbits' habits. But I can tell you what I use.
For pellets, I use metal or ABS plastic j-feeders like these:
J-feeders come in several sizes and I find I like medium-sized 5"-7" ones best, since those allow the option to give rabbits several days-worth of feed, which is not our usual routine but is nice in a pinch. But even for adult meat rabbits, the small 3" ones are plenty big for the daily ration. The bigger ones have more capacity than I need, but they work just as well if they're not filled to the top. If it's a doe with a litter, you'd want a bigger j-feeder. You can find them from 9"-12" wide, and filled to the top, that's great for a big cage of growouts, which I free-feed rather than ration. Be sure to get ones with screen mesh or holes in the bottom to let the fines sift through; some have solid bottoms (those are better for quail, etc.).
One note is that my Satin bucks have big, robust buck heads, and often they can't get their faces into the tray of the metal feeders without really pushing, which is sad, and it wears at the fur on their cheeks. The ABS plastic feeders, even though they're more expensive, have a roomier tray that the bucks can access more easily and comfortably, so that's what my big bucks get. Rex as a rule don't have quite the massive head so it may not matter to your operation. I find the plastic ones easier to clean, too, but they're expensive and harder to find second-hand. The only negative is that once in a while I'll have a rabbit who will dig out pellets looking for the perfect one (or something...?). In that case, the 3" metal feeders with smaller trays make it a little harder to do that. I've also found that raising the feeder up higher, so they have to lift their head to get into the tray, stops all but the worst feed-diggers.
During the winter, I have a range of crock sizes that I move around depending on the rabbit. I like 5"-7" crocks, and even bigger for litters/growouts, but some rabbits like to sit in them (nasty), so at that point I have to switch to smaller ones. I give those rabbits two smaller crocks, to make sure they don't run out of water before the next set of chores. Some of my bucks are super-drinkers, so they get two
big crocks.
Side note: I like to have at least two sources of feed and water in growout cages, because there's usually some subtle resource guarding going on in the group that results in the dominant bunnies growing a lot better than the ones lowest in the pecking order.
The other thing I do to keep rabbits hydrated in the winter is provide blocks of ice for each cage. I fill medium-sized yogurt or cottage cheese containers with water and let them freeze, then pop them out and just put them in the cages. The rabbits chew on them and play with them, and get hydrated in the process. They especially like them if I add carrot peelings or apple cores, so there are frozen treats in the middle.
I don't routinely feed hay so I don't have any comments on hay racks. But I'm sure other folks on the forum will have some input.
