Indoor garden for rabbits... Fertilizer?

[yramnot]

In another thread, I noticed mention of an indoor garden for rabbits consisting of plants and a protective screen to prevent overgrazing. I thought hey, that's a pretty good idea! So, I think I may try that once my rabbits are old enough for fresh greens.

But the problem with indoor plants is that sooner or later, they deplete the nutrients from their soil and need fertilizer. I know that rabbit manure makes an excellent fertilizer, and in theory it sounds perfect for such a setup because the nutrients in the poop would go back to the plants where they came from, and start the cycle over again. But... is that sanitary? Would it be hazardous to their health using their own manure to fertilize their food? And if so, what would be some good alternatives? The indoor garden thing sounds great, if I can just keep the plants alive.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

yramnot wrote:

In another thread, I noticed mention of an indoor garden for rabbits consisting of plants and a protective screen to prevent overgrazing. I thought hey, that's a pretty good idea! So, I think I may try that once my rabbits are old enough for fresh greens.

But the problem with indoor plants is that sooner or later, they deplete the nutrients from their soil and need fertilizer. I know that rabbit manure makes an excellent fertilizer, and in theory it sounds perfect for such a setup because the nutrients in the poop would go back to the plants where they came from, and start the cycle over again. But... is that sanitary? Would it be hazardous to their health using their own manure to fertilize their food? And if so, what would be some good alternatives? The indoor garden thing sounds great, if I can just keep the plants alive.

on the surface,indoor farming-might sound appealing,,but it is very impracticle,,and you won,t save any money-,,its all about quantity,,and quality--this requires a big expense--most people cannnot afford.//.as for contamination,,yes it happens,,-farmers are supposed to process manure to eliminate any possibility of spreading diseases like e-coli,etc,etc,etc.--soas when they fertilize a field/plants that we and our loved ones don,t get sick/die--when we eat the produce...sincerely james waller:scared:

 

[tamsin]

As long as you don't have a lot of rabbits and cross the poop over between rabbits that wouldn't normally meet then there is no extra risk. If there is anything in their poop then it's something they'll have already been exposed too as it's their own poop

You could use a commercial fertilizer though if you prefer, just make sure it goes on the soil not the leaves. Anything sold for use on human veggies is probably going to work for rabbits. Changing part of the soil out would be another way to refresh it.

Remember plants need sun too so pick a sunny spot to position it.

Obviously growing indoors is not going to supply all the food you need but set up like that will provide great enrichment for your bunnies.

 

[akane]

I use bagged manure compost for very high nutrients and grow grass like this

A layer of rock or sand on the bottom and compost on the top. I could keep 8 guinea pigs with grass year round that way and in an apartment too. My last guinea pig died a year ago so I don't have a current setup to show but plan to do the same thing for both the sugar gliders and rabbits. Except I'm going to put hardware cloth over the top so I can put the containers actually in the pens with them to graze at will. Mint is hardier than grass and exceedingly easy to grow in containers. Lettuce, cilantro, and parsley can be grown like that too. You probably can't grow enough to make up all their veggies but you can put a big dent in what you have to buy.

 

[yramnot]

That's a pretty good idea... And I don't plan to grow enough for them to eat as the staple of their diet. It's simply an enrichment thing. They'll still have their hay. I plan to have a screen on top to prevent overgrazing. The main things I planned to grow were mint and wheatgrass.

Speaking of mint, at one of our local stores they have organic plants ready to be planted. They have a variety of mint I've never heard of, called chocolate mint. It's purple, and gets its name because it apparently smells/tastes like thin mints, depending on who you ask. I think it smells like an ordinary mint plant. Anyone know if that's safe for rabbits?

 

[Hazel-Mom]

yes, chocolate mint is safe. Also apple mint, orange mint, pineapple mint, spear mint.

 

[Cabrissi]

Chocolate mint is DEFINITELY safe... mine would probably eat it until they exploded, it's a firm favorite here!