Dog pen for a cage

I have been looking at what to use for a cage for the rabbits my fiance and I will be getting soonish. I know store cages are way to small and with most likely getting a baby I dont think free roam of the room would be the best bet at the start. I found a dog playpen on amazon that I think will work. What does everyone else think? If I put a tarp down then make flooring out of tile and zip tie that to the cage will that keep everything from seeping into the floor? I do have carpet so I dont really want to ruin it any suggestions?



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F97RHQE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The dog pen would definitely work. The flooring might work (I've never actually done it that way) but I would also recommend putting something soft down for his/her little feet, like towels. Being on just tile can be scary for some bunnies, and hard on their feet. If you work on potty training diligently, and consider spaying/neutering, you won't have to worry about ruining your carpet for to long either.

Exercise pens are great to have with a rabbit even if you don't use it for a cage. But the 24" height will be too short. Go with 30" height or taller. (I've never had a problem with 30" but a few members on here have had climbers or jumpers & prefer the 36" or 48".) Check Midwest Exercise pens on amazon for other heights.

I agree with Ravenous that once bunny is litter trained, you won't need to worry about pee on carpet. I'd suggest putting down a heavy duty tarp and then putting a fleece blanket or flannel sheet on top of that. However, some buns will dig and may chew the tarp if they get to it.

The other option would be to put down (instead of the tarp) a piece of rolled linoleum. You can find cheap, textured lino at hardware stores. Then just be sure the edges are beyond the pen walls. You could even get an area rug to put on top (consider the rug disposable). If bunny does not chew the rug, then it provides good traction for running around.

If you go with the pen for a cage, then you may want to consider using a wall (or corner) as a wall of the cage. This allows the pen to be made into a much larger space. The attached photos show samples of uses for x-pens. You can see on there how a wall made the space much larger.

Re pens, I build mine with CC cubes and zip ties. It's a lot cheaper and more customizable than buying ex pens. I've built one for my two dwarf/Netherland bunnies, it's two cubes tall and I reinforce it along the top with 1x2 strips of lumber zip tied to the pen. Otherwise, Zelda picks the whole wall up in her teeth and moves it to where she wants it!

On the floor I have a tarp topped with the foam floor cubes people use for kids' rooms. They scratch and chew at the cubes, but it's easy and cheap to replace them when needed. I do exactly the same for my two little dogs' pen. Another flooring you can use is black, textured, made for garage floors and can be cut to size. If you're worried about hay spilling out through the cubes, you can add coroplast along the bottom of the cubes, tied with zip ties. If you want to add a "door" you just tie the "hinge" side more loosely with the zip ties, then use climber's hooks or similar clips to keep the other side of the "door" closed.

I have been in touch with a rescue and I am looking into a bonded pair that is already spayed/neutered. One is a dutch the other is a mix but with what is unknown but she is notably larger than her male dutch friend. I am unsure on if they are litter box trained yet but will be finding out in a few days.

Does this cage seem better??

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017B7OLBS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

mnyablonski2796 said:

Does this cage seem better??

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017B7OLBS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Click to expand...

Yup! That looks great.:construction