Here is a device that can take kitchen scraps, garden waste, tree clippings, house plants, muffins, chocolate biscuits, and other assorted items and within days turn them into small packets of concentrated fertilizer. Better still, it is cuddly, trainable and it's the cutest compost machine you'll ever see.It is called a bunny rabbit. Bunny rabbits can quickly turn your many of your kitchen scraps into round, pea-sized deposits that you can draft into the cause of improving your garden.House rabbits are increasingly common pets in Australia, although still illegal in Queensland. When you understand how useful they are as composting machines, your dog and cat may well be shown the door.Cats and dogs are, of course, more common as household pets, however, cats and dogs can harbour worms and other parasites that can infest humans. They are also carnivores, so their droppings are messy, smell bad, and can attract flies and other unpleasant visitors. Their carnivory also necessitates feeding them meat, something that most people do not grow in backyard gardens. Some people have tried turning cats and dogs into vegetarians, but the animals’ digestive systems are not designed for vegan-ism.Rabbits, on the other hand, do not carry the same sorts of worms and parasites. They naturally eat plant material, so you can feed them kitchen scraps that you would otherwise throw. You can give them cuttings from your tree pruning efforts; they are absolutely enthralled by citrus leaves for example. They will even eat some things poisonous to humans, such as poinsettias. Do you have weeds in your garden? A rabbit can make them disappear in record time. House rabbits can be taught to use a litter box inside the house. Training them to do this is not as easy as it is with cats, but it can be done. Biodegradable litters are commercially available, made from paper, wood, maize kernels, sawdust, and other materials that are safe to mix into to your garden. And bunny pellets are dry, so if any happen to fall outside the box, you can easily sweep them up. Be forewarned, though, that bunnies have also been known to nibble on book bindings, sofa cushions, and electrical cords. I have never known one to consume an entire book, just nibble on the edges. So if you allow a bunny to hop around your home, you will need to make preparations. Place a screen in front of the bookcase, hide the cords under the carpet, etc. They will also eat any house plant within reach, and swipe muffins off your plate if you are not looking.Image: Cora Mueller/Shutterstock