12 Favorite Animal Planters + how to Transform Any Container into a Plant Pot

How to turn any container into a planter by adding a drainage hole. And a roundup of our favorite animal planters to add fun decor to your home.

I bought a llama plant pot at a thrift store this week.

Is it a llama or an alpaca?

Either way it’s perfect! And then, guess what?

I found out that Larisa bought these adorable bunny planters the…very…same…day!

Animal planters are the perfect way to add some personality to your decor.

I have a lot of standard, neutral plant pots. But plant pots in the shape of animals are fun!

Larisa and I got totally preoccupied with animal plant pots and couldn’t stop texting our favorites back and forth half of the weekend!

Here are a few of our favorites:

Table of Contents

• Animal Planters
• How to Turn any Container Into a Planter
• Supplies to drill a hole in a container
• Step 1: Determine what material your container is made of
• Step 2: How to Drill a Hole in a Container
• Frequently Asked Questions:
• Is there an alternative to drilling holes for drainage in a container without a hole?
• How many drainage holes and what size drainage holes should a plant pot have?
• Should I cover the drainage hole(s) in a planter to prevent the soil from falling out?

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Animal Planters

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Well, I actually have a confession to make.

My animal planter wasn’t technically a plant pot…it was more of a container…it didn’t have a drainage hole.

But I have always wanted a llama plant pot planted with succulents.

So, guess what?

We’re gonna make this llama container into a beautiful llama succulent planter! And I’m going to show you how to turn any container into a plant pot too!

How to Turn any Container Into a Planter

Turning a container into a plant pot is easy! Just make a hole in the bottom for drainage.

One of my tips to be more successful with house plants is that plant pots must have a drainage hole.

When I first started my suburban jungle I would buy pretty containers to plant my plants in. But a lot of pretty containers, even ones marketed as planters don’t have drainage holes.

Planters have drainage holes in the bottom for a reason. They keep plants healthy by allowing excess water to drain out of the bottom of the plant pot so that the roots don’t sit in water.

It’s difficult to give a plant the correct amount of water it needs in a planting container without a hole in the bottom.

You water a plant, the extra water follows gravity to the bottom of the pot, and the roots sit in water. When the plant roots are submerged in water, they are not able to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with the air like they usually would. It’s like trying to breath under water.

So, I learned how to drill holes in most any type of material so that I could add drainage holes to the bottom of any container that I liked.

Supplies to drill a hole in a container

• Container without a hole
• Drill
• Drill bit

Step 1: Determine what material your container is made of

You can drill a hole in most any material. But you need to know what it is first so that you can make sure you are using the right tools for the job.

• Wood or Plastic: Use a standard drill bit
• Ceramic: Diamond tipped drill bit
• Metal: I’ve used a standard drill bit, on light weight metal, in the past and been successful. If the container is more heavy-duty metal, you may need to use a drill bit specifically for metal.

Step 2: How to Drill a Hole in a Container

For wood, plastic and metal it’s pretty simple to drill a hole in a container.

Just tip your container upside down and drill hole(s) in the bottom.

I usually just use a 3/8 inch drill bit and drill 1-4 holes.

For ceramic it’s a little trickier, but definitely doable. Use a diamond tip drill bit.

Tip your container upside down.

Hold your drill bit at an angle and gently press to make an indent in the surface. It may be helpful to have an extra pair of hands to hold the container still at the beginning. This helps get the drilling started into this hard material.

Once you have an indent in the surface of the material, place a few drops of water where you are drilling and continue to drill. Slowly tilt your drill bit so it is drilling straight into the container.

Don’t push down on the drill, let the drill slowly drill through the hard material. You can add more water if the spot you are drilling gets dry.

Be patient. I like to get things done quickly, and have to remind myself to be patient and let the drill and bit do the work.

If you push down on the drill it will eventually bust through to the other side leaving a messy looking hole on the inside of the container. This happened to me a lot when I was first learning to drill holes in ceramic containers.

Once you have a drainage hole in your container, you are ready to pot your plant, where it can flourish in a healthy environment free of flooding!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is there an alternative to drilling holes for drainage in a container without a hole?

Yes, there is another option. Instead of drilling a hole in a container for drainage that you want to use as a plant pot, you could plant the plant in another plant pot with drainage and then place it inside the container without drainage.

How many drainage holes and what size drainage holes should a plant pot have?

The general principle of a drainage hole is to drain water from the bottom of a planter when a plant is watered to prevent the plants roots from sitting in water.

The water will drain, through gravity, to the bottom of the pot. And it will come out the path of least resistance, the hole or holes.

As long as you have a hole or holes that are allowing water to get out of the plant pot, that is the goal.

My main consideration about sizes of holes would be that you don’t want your hole too big or soil may fall out.

Should I cover the drainage hole(s) in a planter to prevent the soil from falling out?

I haven’t had much of a problem with potting soil falling out the drainage holes of plant pots.

Again, I wouldn’t make the holes too big if you are making them yourself.

You can cover the hole with a few stones or shards of broken pottery, but make sure they aren’t plugging the hole. And it usually is not necessary to do so.

Word of caution about water damage from watering plants: Even though it is an extra step, I always carry each of my plants into the kitchen sink or bathtub to water them. That way I let the water drain out of the bottom of the pots in a waterproof area.

I let them sit there for a while, so as much water drains out as possible. And then I wipe off the bottom and put it back in its spot in my home.

I’ve actually seen pictures of water damage to a subfloor from a plant being watered and water draining through carpet. So just be mindful of where the water is ending up once it drains out the bottom holes of a plant pot.

Wfew! That was a lot of information about drainage holes in plant pots. I hope you found it helpful.

One last look at my DIY animal succulent planter 😍

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