How many rabbit owners cut their grass, throw away the clippings, and then go out and buy hay for their rabbit?

On the left of the picture is a bowl of grass – I’ve been cutting one each day since the grass started growing this spring. It’s totally free. On the right is a bag of hay, it costs £2.25 and the rabbits usually go through one of these about every 10 days. However I’ve noticed the last bag I brought is still half full and checking back I got it a month ago. Eating more grass means they eat less hay.

With a little bit of maths that means the bunnies hay budget has dropped from 22p per day to 4p. In other words that bowl of grass is ‘worth’ about 18p. That doesn’t sound like much but it adds up, that’s £5 per month (i.e. the cost of getting pet insurance) or if you prefer £65 per year – more than enough to cover vaccinations and some new toys.

So grass is good for your bunny and good for your pocket – are you convinced? What will you spend your savings on?

Note: Don’t forget to introduce grass gradually if your bun isn’t used to it.

Look at these strawberries… I brought them as bare root plants a few months ago and they are now producing some very tasty strawberries. Home grown strawberries are soo much tastier that shop brought and so much more economical too. They were on offer so twelve plants cost the same as one tray of strawberries from the supermarket. Once they are done producing strawberries  they’ll start sending out runners to create more plants which means even more strawberries next year – for free!

The strawberries aren’t the only fruit growing well. The raspberries and blackberries are beginning to plump up,  and the grapes aren’t far behind.

The bunnies like our attempts at fruit growing too. Rabbit’s can eat strawberry leaves and tops.. and strawberries of course (if there were any left). I have to keep chasing Gypsy away from the raspberries.

Scamp is rather chuffed, we got some new shelves and that means boxes! A 8′ long box to be exact – just perfect to make a tunnel.

First thing you need to do with a tunnel … make a second exit.

I’ve been a bit busy with work and enjoying the warm weather in the garden. Scamp on the other hand is still busy trashing the kitchen. He’s perfected the art of jumping from floor to worktop and demonstrated by eating the electric wire to the microwave (cut out the power but didn’t zap himself – how do rabbits do that?). We are presently experimenting with nets, so far this has resulted in a net with even bigger holes and a rabbit napping on the bread board. Maybe the tunnel will distract him.

This is the mess that greeted me this morning when I went to investigate the odd banging sounds coming from the kitchen:

Can you spot Scamp? No, me neither, that would be because he’s sitting under the work top in the veg rack practising his “Who me?” face. The onions are safe (removed after the previous invasion) but we may need new potatoes.

He was a bit miffed at having fun spoilt:

I think most naughty bunny behaviour is just bored bunny behaviour. Wild rabbits would usually be to busy eating to make trouble, so the obvious solution for Scamp’s boredom is food too. I cut him some grass and scattered it around the floor so he could ‘graze’. It kept him quiet for a little while at least.

Look what I found whilst cutting grass…

Do be careful this time of year if you’re mowing grass, as there are frogs and soon baby froglets crawling in it looking for bugs and shade. I was using scissors so this chap hoped off safe… maybe he’ll eat some of the slugs.

Everything is growing away well, although it would be nice if it stayed a bit warmer at night so I could put out some of the more tender things filling up my window sills.

Did you sow some carrots? Mine are just getting their second set of leaves and looking more like carroty. These are from BBC Dig In:

They are currently residing in my lovely new greenhouse/cloche/cat and rabbit defence system:

Along with leeks, lettuce, chard, radish, beetroot, spring onions, celery, and a couple of tomatoes that out grew the window sill. It’s surprising what you can grow just in tubs and pots.

Whilst most of these things are for me to eat, there will be loads of trimmings for the bunnies too. They will love things like this basil (once it gets a bit bigger):

Inside, my window sills are full of things that don’t like frost like tomatoes, sweet peppers, cucumbers, squash, melon, pepino and cape gooseberry. These pretty little flowers are sweet peppers:

See that green bit it the centre of the flower? That’s the start of a pepper. In a few days the petals will drop away leaving a tiny green pepper behind.

Sorry no bunny pics this time. They are just off camera licking their lips.