Are crocks all that bad? Any one better than the others?

[FourRingCircus]

Dollar Tree $1 each. In the dog/cat section.

2-1/2" x 6" ceramic. We use these as food bowls, but they could also be used for water.

Price can't be beat!

Nice! But can they flip them?

I am toying with the idea of glue gunning a ceramic crock to a piece of plywood with a larger base...maybe 2'-3' larger all around. I am thinking that if the rabbit is close enough to flip the crock then the weight of their feet on the base will prevent this.

What about to one of the resting mats so that liquids and other waste could fall through?

 

[wamplercathy]

Personally I hate getting my hands wet in the cold weather. They lock up and hurt. :x So for me, the water system was a little costly but not having my hands hurt was a the deciding factor. If I didn't have arthritis so bad the "swapping of the dishes" would have been far cheaper and easier. A gallon jug weighs a lot less than a 5gal bucket. :x :lol: :lol: Will have to get DH to do that once a week. :twisted: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Zass]

Dollar Tree $1 each. In the dog/cat section.

2-1/2" x 6" ceramic. We use these as food bowls, but they could also be used for water.

Price can't be beat!

Nice! But can they flip them?

I am toying with the idea of glue gunning a ceramic crock to a piece of plywood with a larger base...maybe 2'-3' larger all around. I am thinking that if the rabbit is close enough to flip the crock then the weight of their feet on the base will prevent this.

I use the same kind for water in winter. Dollar tree doesn't always have them, so I buy several whenever I see them. My rabbits do not flip them, but sometimes they crack from rapid temp changes.

 

[FourRingCircus]

Personally I hate getting my hands wet in the cold weather. They lock up and hurt. :x So for me, the water system was a little costly but not having my hands hurt was a the deciding factor. If I didn't have arthritis so bad the "swapping of the dishes" would have been far cheaper and easier. A gallon jug weighs a lot less than a 5gal bucket. :x :lol: :lol: Will have to get DH to do that once a week. :twisted: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I know what you mean... even at 55*F today my fingers were pretty sluggish coming in (I went to email DH and couldn't get my hands to cooperate!) - it's pitiful :x

I am finding my hands staying drier with the bowls than with the waterbottles, actually. With the small openings on the Lixits I had there was no way to fill them without some overflow... I did have one doe that ripped the secured bowl off of the wood - pulling out the staples and all! I will have to try something else I guess...

 

[Ramjet]

Dollar Tree $1 each. In the dog/cat section.

2-1/2" x 6" ceramic. We use these as food bowls, but they could also be used for water.

Price can't be beat!

Nice! But can they flip them?

I am toying with the idea of glue gunning a ceramic crock to a piece of plywood with a larger base...maybe 2'-3' larger all around. I am thinking that if the rabbit is close enough to flip the crock then the weight of their feet on the base will prevent this.

Mine are "wired in" so the rabbits cant move or flip them but I can remove to dump , clean , replace and refill.

I use a coat hangar wire , shaping a loop tightly around the bowl .... twist it at the bottom like a bread tie. The bowl slides in / out with a little force - Just enough so the rabbits cant move it.

 

[jimmywalt]

If you need 24, you can buy a case at Dollar Tree via their catalog (you need to ask for it). You will be required to purchase a full case of 24.

 

[grumpy]

If you could put a valve like the one above on a 5-gallon bucket,
this would help during cold weather. Just chamfer the end of the
schedule #40 pipe to fit into the smaller neck of the bottle.

Filling up those bottles can be frustrating and cold.

 

[Dwc77]

I make these out of stainless steel pipe. I've made them out of 4" 6" and 8" they are somewhere between 2 and 4" high I drill a hole in the bottom then weld in a 3/8" stainless bolt it slides in the wire washer and nut it and there is no way a rabbits can move it. My brothers say make more :lol: Plus I make them at work there are scrap dumpsters with short pieces. Best of both world's I get water bowls while I'm making money (do it when not much going on by the way) :goodjob:

 

[FourRingCircus]

OK, so I am liking crocks, but they are absolutely destroying the plastic containers :x . A couple have ripped the outer bowl completely off, most have figured out how to pull the inner bowl out, and 2 have started chewing the edges. I am really really liking the ease of them though - my rabbit chore time has been cut in half, at least! I am having to go out twice or more each day which doesn't always work well with our schedule though, especially now with time change. They were not happy with me tonight b/c I took so long to get out there to feed them.

Anyway, I was looking at some different options and found a few I like the looks of. I wish I could see them in person to see size... also, rectangles fit so much better in the corners of cages. Why is everything round? I guess easier to clean with no corners, but circles just don't nest well in cage corners. On to the ones I am eyeing though:

This one looks interesting. Doesn't look like it would be easy to tip/flip and with the insulated outside area I wonder if it would prolong freezing in the winter?

http://www.jefferspet.com/products/ichill-bowl

These rubber ones are tempting. Wondering if I could drill a hole through the top and secure it to the wire with a clip?

http://www.jefferspet.com/products/fort ... -pet-bowls

I contemplated trying to rig something like this up with wire, but at this price it would be worth it just to buy it (not sure on shipping though)

http://www.jefferspet.com/products/metal-cage-cups

This could work, but a bit pricier...

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produc ... _vc=-10005

 

[Ramjet]

The Fortex (second link) is what I use .... I'll see if I can get a pic or two of how I secure them to the cage floor with a coat hangar next day or two. No modification or holes to drill.
They are somewhat flexible so you can wire them down and still remove them for cleaning easily ... and the rabbit cant generate enough force to move it.

Tractor Supply carries them so you could possibly avoid shipping , I believe they are $3.99 there.

 

[MaggieJ]

OK, so I am liking crocks, but they are absolutely destroying the plastic containers :x . A couple have ripped the outer bowl completely off, most have figured out how to pull the inner bowl out, and 2 have started chewing the edges. rners.

What naughty rabbits you have, Heritage! I never had that problem. One doe would sometimes pull out the liner, but an alligator clip put a stop to that. None of them chewed them up. Maybe because they so often had branches to gnaw on.

 

[FourRingCircus]

OK, so I am liking crocks, but they are absolutely destroying the plastic containers :x . A couple have ripped the outer bowl completely off, most have figured out how to pull the inner bowl out, and 2 have started chewing the edges. rners.

What naughty rabbits you have, Heritage! I never had that problem. One doe would sometimes pull out the liner, but an alligator clip put a stop to that. None of them chewed them up. Maybe because they so often had branches to gnaw on.

I need to give them more to chew on anyway. I know apple is safe, what else? I only have small trees that don't need a huge amount of pruning at this point so I have a limited supply of them. I was thinking a clip of some sort to keep the liner in...

Also going to be getting a salt/mineral block today so they can have chunks as needed - maybe that will help? They have free access to hay so that should be enough for their teeth, correct? Oh, and I did give them pinecones a time or two. Some went to town, others left them pretty well untouched. Can they have a whole pine branch?

 

[MaggieJ]

Apple branches are good. Also pear, willow, poplar, sycamore, silver maple, sugar maple, hackberry and mulberry. Botanical names can be found in the Safe Plants list.
safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

Do you have any friends or neighbours that might be able to spare a branch or two once in a while? You could saw it into shorter lengths and have one for each cage. The bark is the part they like best and it does provide some nutrition as well as entertainment.

 

[FourRingCircus]

I do have access to pear as well including an older big one! Although, very little of it is still good... you can actually see through the trunk at this point :x . Two maples out in front of our rental as well... not sure the type though and all the leaves have already dropped for proper ID.

Can I use dried branches as well? I cut some apple off a couple weeks ago and didn't use all of them so I hung them up to dry...

 

[a7736100]

Would crushed ice work as an overnight source of moisture? At least they wouldn't have to try to chew a smooth sheet of ice. In warm weather they use a lot of water overnight so they probably want moisture during the cold too.

 

[MaggieJ]

Can I use dried branches as well? I cut some apple off a couple weeks ago and didn't use all of them so I hung them up to dry...

You can use dried branches as well as fresh. The bunnies may not be quite as thrilled with them, but mine often had dried willow in the winter.

 

[FourRingCircus]

The Fortex (second link) is what I use .... I'll see if I can get a pic or two of how I secure them to the cage floor with a coat hangar next day or two. No modification or holes to drill.
They are somewhat flexible so you can wire them down and still remove them for cleaning easily ... and the rabbit cant generate enough force to move it.

Tractor Supply carries them so you could possibly avoid shipping , I believe they are $3.99 there.

I am getting ready to order some of the 1 qt ones from jefferspet.com - if you could post a pic I would appreciate it!

 

[Schipperkesue]

Would crushed ice work as an overnight source of moisture? At least they wouldn't have to try to chew a smooth sheet of ice. In warm weather they use a lot of water overnight so they probably want moisture during the cold too.

I will give them a chunk of ice in the winter as well as 2xdaily hot water. I will not give ice if their body condition is run down in any way.

 

[Susie570]

My bunnies are indoors... but some of them use crocks, others.... I've tried & no way.
Just depends on the bunny.

Actually, come to think of it, they all have water bottles now (and hanging pellet feeders). When I was overrun with rabbits, I was having to get resourceful and use everything I had, so some bunnies were using crocks for food and water. I had to figure out which ones were 'neat' and which ones weren't.

Some rabbits do great with a crock. They never tip it over. Other bunnies will grab the crock and start slinging it around right away, or poop/pee in it. Most rabbits will eat anything made of plastic or wood. Our buck eats out of a plastic crock attached to the side of the cage, but if he gets in the mood to do so, he will grab the crock and yank on it until it comes out and then throw it around (he's behaved better as he's gotten older).

So... it's a matter of working with your rabbit personalities and compensating when necessary.

 

[Marinea]

Susie! *hugs*

How you been? Hope all is well with you.