# Worm bins under rabbit cage? Won't the worms escape?



## JB740i (Feb 5, 2009)

I think a lot of what I find on the net concerning rabbit cages and worm beds is just recycled from one site to another to another. Everyone seems to have heard about it but maybe only a handful are doing it.

All these people who say they let the rabbit droppings fall right into their worm bins have got to be losing worms every night right? Is there some other way besides a lid or having a light on all night that will keep the worms inside?

My worms are currently in a 18 gallon or so rubbermade style container. I tried using a tarp to funnel the droppings into a bucket but that didn't work. The tarp wasn't tight enough and after just a couple days there was an odor. So saving them up separately will take a lot more work than if they could fall right into the bin.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

If worm bins are directly under the cages to catch droppings, wont urine go in too and thats not worm friendly is it? 
Wont the urine contaminate it all?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

If the beds aren't filled to the top, the worms won't crawl out across the dry area.
Leave about 3 inches or more.

If the beds are large enough, most of the droppings and urine will be deposited in just a small area, since rabbits ususally pick a corner to use.
The worms will just avoid that section that has too much ammonia.

Keep the beds moist, and the worms have no reason to try and leave


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## JB740i (Feb 5, 2009)

I tried going back and finding an article I read not too long ago about a man who was raising worms commercially. It talked about how he had to keep the lights on all the time to keep the worms in the bin. And that he nearly failed after a hurricane took out the power to the worm barns for a few days but ended up expanding his operation by building more barns over top of the areas that the worms migrated to during the storm.

I know that they'll crawl out over the dry area because I find them around the tops of the container and crawling along the lid all the time.

Maybe they can crawl over anything and there isn't any construction technique that will keep them inside the bin other than lights.

RiverPines: Some info online mentions the need to scoop out the sections of the bin that have lots of urine because of the salts in their urine. While others don't mention any problems. So I'd imagine it's okay for most. Maybe the bedding used by the people who have to scoop out the urine is different than others. Or maybe they don't really know if it's hurting them or not.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

JB740i, I don't know if this is the information you're looking for or not,

Several years ago I had some big hutches outside, a 5 hole and a 3 hole. I had access to a practically unlimited amount of shredded paper, which I put under the hutches and then put some red worms (manure worms, red wigglers) out there. 
The worms thrived and multiplied like mad. I dug around under the hutches pretty regularly, stirring, adding paper, taking out compost for my garden and under the hutches there was a serious amount of worms. 

But in the packed dirt around the edges of the hutches, there weren't. Oh, there'd be an occasional brown garden worm or nightcrawler (DD at the time was 3 and loved to dig) but the red worms stayed right under the hutches.

I tried to look up why and can't find the site now, but found one that said that the "red wiggler" worm likes a very specific, very rich environment (top 3 inches of a well rotted, cool, pile of poo) and when they find it they multiply like mad and don't leave it. Unless it heats or floods.
My paper/bunny poo heap under the hutches was at least 4 inches higher then the surrounding soil at any given time (no flooding) and big enough that if one spot got hot, it was still cool a few inches away.

Now, if you're raising them for commercial purposes, that's just not good enough, I know. And maybe you're raising nightcrawlers.
But if you're just looking for enough to sell sometimes, that's plenty. I had worms to sell any time and any amount (up to a pound - didn't want to deal with more then that, in fact anyone who wanted that many was usually invited to dig them themselves) and worms for fishing any time I wanted them. And I LOVE fishing. 

So hope that helps you some. I'll have a similar set up here soon. But not as many places here to fish


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## JB740i (Feb 5, 2009)

Thanks Otter. 

I'll try spreading some mulch down there good and seeing how it does. Keeping any kind of moisture in the area is difficult since it's all sand and I'm in Florida. Though the summer rains should help out with that soon.

I'll toss some worms down there and see how they do and work on putting up a board to guide the droppings either down to a bucket or a small hole in the bin lid. Maybe they'll be so happy with the regular food supply I won't lose many.


So really, I wasn't sure what direction I was headed in. I just kept seeing so many places online where people had bins right under the cages I couldn't figure out how that was working.


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## Guest (May 26, 2010)

I have outdoor hutches. Droppings/urine falls through the wire and onto the ground below. I was not purposely trying to raise worms.....but....I shovel out the manure once every 2 weeks. It's about 2 inches deep then (4 inches deep under the potty corners). There are tons of worms under there when I dig it out! I've never put any in there on purspose. Everything from red wrigglers to giant nightcrawlers (measured one that I thought was a snake b/c it was 16" long!!!)....so I don't think you need to do anything and they will come (and stay) on their own if the environment is right.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

JB740i said:


> Thanks Otter.
> 
> I'll try spreading some mulch down there good and seeing how it does. Keeping any kind of moisture in the area is difficult since it's all sand and I'm in Florida. Though the summer rains should help out with that soon.


When I did this, I was in Port Charlotte FL. The shredded paper I used (got it from an office) held moisture pretty well. My rabbits were under stand of live oaks where they were in full shade all day.

One of the only things I miss about FL is fishing for whiting off the pier in the Gulf.


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## PulpFaction (Jul 23, 2009)

I had a home made worm bin that I kept under my rabbit cage. The bin consisted of two identical nested rubbermade containers, the inside one with lots of fine holes drilled in it all over for drainage and air flow.

The urine drained out and I emptied it away from the rabbits to alleviate the ammonia smell. Ultimately, the cold actually killed the worms since it was outdoors, but I'm going to try the same system again inside my green house. I'm also not going to place the bin directly under the cages, and rather have a "poop chute" that sends all the waste down into just one corner of the bin so the worms can easily avoid the urine. I was planning on using a strip of corrugated fiberglass for that since it is pre-cut the right width for my cages. I've also seen lots of others use the same material and it seems to work well since it can be easily sprayed down to be cleaned and holds up well.

I also always raked up all the waste hay/straw and put that in there as my medium. Since I have a colony going right now that uses deep straw bedding, that should work out really well.


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## Home Harvest (Oct 10, 2006)

Lyndseyrk said:


> I have outdoor hutches. Droppings/urine falls through the wire and onto the ground below. I was not purposely trying to raise worms.....but....I shovel out the manure once every 2 weeks. It's about 2 inches deep then (4 inches deep under the potty corners). There are tons of worms under there when I dig it out! I've never put any in there on purspose. Everything from red wrigglers to giant nightcrawlers (measured one that I thought was a snake b/c it was 16" long!!!)....so I don't think you need to do anything and they will come (and stay) on their own if the environment is right.


I agree with this post 100%. This has been my experience as well.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> they will come (and stay) on their own *if the environment is right*.


Exactly

If worms are crawling out, it's a sign they are desperate


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