Cabinet Conversion Thread

RoseBun1 said:

Does this seem unreasonable? I can't tell if I'm just being overly emotional or if it is just dumb. Here is the image she sent me of a "proper setup" It's smaller then what they would have with the hutch and x pen, and I'm not comfortable using those foam pieces because so many people have had issues with chewing.

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How were you planning on arranging the x-pen to provide more space than the rescue's photo shows?

I have a suggestion. Why not (at least temporarily) keep the doors off of the hutch you are making. Then set up the x-pen around it as you had intended and take a photo of that. (You can even attach the photo here for suggestions.) But then you could submit that to the rescue as your housing set-up. They don't need to know if you eventually decide to put doors on the hutch.

I'm just curious how you will create a large enough space with the x-pen. Their photo makes use of 2 pens. (But they could have created the same space with just one if they kept the pen off of the 2 walls.)

Blue eyes said:

How were you planning on arranging the x-pen to provide more space than the rescue's photo shows?

I have a suggestion. Why not (at least temporarily) keep the doors off of the hutch you are making. Then set up the x-pen around it as you had intended and take a photo of that. (You can even attach the photo here for suggestions.) But then you could submit that to the rescue as your housing set-up. They don't need to know if you eventually decide to put doors on the hutch.

I'm just curious how you will create a large enough space with the x-pen. Their photo makes use of 2 pens. (But they could have created the same space with just one if they kept the pen off of the 2 walls.)

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I didn't realize it was 2, but I was planning on putting ours in an L opposite the wall, if that makes sense. So in the square that is their area, 2 sides would be the actual corner/wall of the room, and the other 2 would be the x pen. The hutch would be in the corner and not actually attached to the x pen. This is assuming the buns won't chew the baseboards. If they do, I'll have to rethink some stuff.

That's a good idea doing the setup and taking a picture of that. I need to move a bunch of stuff, which I have to do anyway, I'm just not motivated right now. I'll attach a pic once I get it all moved tomorrow.

OMG things have happened this weekend.

1. Finished the hutch. I did decide to put the doors on. I just needed it to be complete. I still need to get stuff to fill it and like actual supplies, but the construction is done.

2. This is how I plan to arrange the x pen. Will this be big enough? It's roughly 6 x 6. suggestions on how to keep it against the walls without having to put like eye hooks in there? I don't really want to add holes to my wall but want to make sure my dog and kids can't move it. I also need to move the actual door for the gate, I just haven't yet.

3. I convinced my husband to let me apply to a rescue and hour and a half away and they accepted our application. We should be setting up a home visit this week! If this one falls through though, I think we'll be done with the rescue route. Fingers crossed!

4. This is more of a question. Is flooring a trial and error thing? One of the concerns from the strict rescue was the flooring in the hutch (peel and stick vinyl) and on the actual floors (hardwoods). I have some grass mats on the bottom floor of the hutch but they are way too small and I was thinking of ordering some seagrass place mats instead. I feel like everyone has a favorite but everyone also has reasons why the other options are bad. Should I just put a variety of things down and see what happens?

The reason I had suggested to hold off on the doors is so the rescue doesn't consider it an enclosed cage/hutch. With doors off, it would seem to be just an addition to the permanent space of the ex-pen. Any rescue could possibly reject that cage (with doors) if they think that a rabbit will be confined to it.

I would strongly suggest protecting your main floor with something on top. Even a single sheet of rolled lino would do the trick. Just be sure the edges are beyond the edges of the pen so bunny can't get to it and chew it. If bunny is good with carpet, an area rug is another alternative for the floor there.

The stick vinyl inside your cage could only be a problem if the edges are accessible. Particularly, the opening edges could be a temptation. A U-channel piece could serve as a block for that.

Your pen area: I would suggest putting the edge of the right side directly into the corner of the room at an angle so that it is equal angle from the wall on each corner. The corner itself could act as a barrier preventing pushing or pulling. That may have to be tested out though. As for the left side, a brick or two (or something similarly heavy) could snug the pen against that wall.

And, yes, flooring is absolutely a trial & error thing. What some rabbits will chew or slip upon is totally different than others. And it can change for an individual rabbit as well. I've had mats that went months untouched and then suddenly they decided to chew them.

That's great! I hope it works out.

Flooring really depends on the rabbit that you end up with. If the rabbit is a chewer, that can limit options. Also some rabbits are very nervous on slippery floors and will even avoid hopping on them at all. So you will really just have to see what your rabbit is comfortable with.

Hard floors are good for clean up, but the problem is that it alters a rabbits natural body position. They have to shift their weight so it's more on their back feet, and this can sometimes cause sore hocks due to the increased pressure on the heel, if they spend a lot of time on the hard flooring without having another soft option to be on.

For my rabbits I use those foam flooring pieces as my rabbits don't tend to try and chew on them. If you had a big chewer then they definitely wouldn't work. I use the wood veneer ones for my little rabbit group that has a tendency to urine mark outside the litter box, so it makes for fairly easy cleanup. Though I have had to seal the cracks where the tiles connect so I don't get urine seepage under them.

For my big rabbit pair I just use the foam tile pack from costco, then I have a microfiber rug on top of that. I like the microfiber rugs because they have a very soft surface and aren't as abrasive to rabbit feet(help prevent sore hocks) as other types of rugs. If you use a rug, just make sure to use something with a soft surface.

Fleece fabric is another option, though it will tend to slide around unless you have a way to secure it. Vet bed with none slip backing would also be an option, though it is a bit expensive.

But the problems with using rugs and other soft things for flooring is that some rabbits LOVE to pee on soft things. They may also try and chew them. My rabbit pair has a rug because they don't pee outside the litter box except for the occasional accident. My little rabbit group doesn't get a rug because they do pee outside the litter box. So the foam flooring gives them a softer surface, but is urine resistant. I do give them pet beds to snuggle up in, that I just rotate out and wash as needed though.

You'll find that finding the right set up for your individual rabbit, takes a bit of trial and error. I don't know hay many different flooring, litter boxes, arrangements, hay holders, etc, that I've tried until I found just the right one or situation for each rabbit. I hope you don't mind spending money

Thanks everyone.

I guess I'll just wait and see what rabbit we end up with and go from there. I should be able to get some background info and see their current setup or at least get info on it before bringing them home, so I can get flooring they are used to/comfortable with.

RoseBun1 said:

OMG things have happened this weekend.

1. Finished the hutch. I did decide to put the doors on. I just needed it to be complete. I still need to get stuff to fill it and like actual supplies, but the construction is done.

2. This is how I plan to arrange the x pen. Will this be big enough? It's roughly 6 x 6. suggestions on how to keep it against the walls without having to put like eye hooks in there? I don't really want to add holes to my wall but want to make sure my dog and kids can't move it. I also need to move the actual door for the gate, I just haven't yet.

3. I convinced my husband to let me apply to a rescue and hour and a half away and they accepted our application. We should be setting up a home visit this week! If this one falls through though, I think we'll be done with the rescue route. Fingers crossed!

4. This is more of a question. Is flooring a trial and error thing? One of the concerns from the strict rescue was the flooring in the hutch (peel and stick vinyl) and on the actual floors (hardwoods). I have some grass mats on the bottom floor of the hutch but they are way too small and I was thinking of ordering some seagrass place mats instead. I feel like everyone has a favorite but everyone also has reasons why the other options are bad. Should I just put a variety of things down and see what happens?

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Your project is looking gorgeous, you've really put lots of work into it and really done professionally, perfect project
If you want my honest opinion I've got four rabbits one dwarf mix with lionhead he's very light and active I could imagine him using your hutch, occasionally, but I wouldn't really even put my other rabbits into it.

My Smokey she's a holland lop in my avatar she's not that big but she's very active and moving fast in her cage, she wants to run wall to wall, wants to stand and reach the top etc, she'd hate to be there, there's three levels so the ceiling would be too low she couldn't stand at all, and it is not deep enough for her either.
Then, when she's in the third level I'd say I'd better fix it to the wall.

It is an excellent display unit, dollhouse, or maybe would suit some smaller animal like gerbils or hamsters, in my opinion a rabbit needs first floor to be very solid and large enough to fully stretch and also can fully stand.

The floor around also completely unsuitable for rabbits, two of my rabbits wouldn't be able to even walk there, you'd have to put something, lino or low-pile carpet or something so they can use it.

Apologies for my criticism but this completely unsuitable for a living rabbit, this is a museum display unit! It looks fantastic really, you could sell it for a couple hundreds as a doll house.

RoseBun1 said:

After much searching, I finally found the cabinet I plan to convert into a hutch, and I got it for $24 because today was half off day at the thrift store!

It's 4' long x 2.5' deep x 3.5' tall.

Hoping to get all the doors and hardware pulled out tonight after the boys go to bed and figure out what I'm going to need for shelves.

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Just checked your measurements now, it would be better if you only had two levels instead of three, 4 ft is long enough but you've cut holes so it's less now, it is deep enough too, I don't know why it doesn't look deep in your last pictures. But if you have 3.5 ft per three level it's only 1 ft high each, if you had two levels would be enough probably.

Or maybe I am missing something, sorry then

Here's rabbit housing size guide it has to be at least 2 ft high

Poopy Poo said:

Just checked your measurements now, it would be better if you only had two levels instead of three, 4 ft is long enough but you've cut holes so it's less now, it is deep enough too, I don't know why it doesn't look deep in your last pictures. But if you have 3.5 ft per three level it's only 1 ft high each, if you had two levels would be enough probably.

Or maybe I am missing something, sorry then

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Poopy Poo, I think you missed the conversation earlier in this thread about the height between the shelves. That was discussed earlier. She cut back on the 2nd level to allow overhead space on half the first level. The top shelf has 16" overhead space.

Honestly regardless of if something is too small, rabbits love to have something that is space just for them. When I rescued Delilah she came in one of those crappy pet store cages. I kept it, stuck it in their enclosure with the door permanently open, and they happily claimed it as their bed/litter box.

When I moved, I decided I wanted to convert an entertainment unit into a condo, and after much searching found the perfect one on Kijiji for $70. The original plan was that it was going to be big enough to be their home, and then through the day the doors would be opened so they could come out into the spare room.

To my surprise my hubby wasn’t concerned with them getting into trouble at night, so now the condo doors stay open and it’s the spare room door that closes when we’re worried about leaving them unsupervised.

Despite this, the vast majority of the time Lahi and Delilah can be found cuddling on the middle shelf. If they’re not on the middle shelf, they’re probably in one of the litter boxes.

Delilah is also quite chubby, and Lahi very skinny. So now what I’ve been doing is trading them off at night, one bun gets 2/3 of the condo for the night, the other bun gets 1/3 of the condo and the rest of the room. That way they’re separated and can be fed apart. And it does take Lahi all night to eat his food.

But even with this setup whichever bun got the room to themselves can typically be found in the morning lounging on the shelf of the condo.

They just love their condo! They love having a tunnelly, enclosed space that is just theirs. And I don’t know if this is all buns or just mine, but they LOVE being up high. When I made them an NIC condo before we moved, the top shelf was their very favourite!

Rabbits don’t tend to like wide open spaces, and condos such as what we make resemble the warrens European rabbits dig in the wild. As long as they have room to roam outside their condo, imo condos with a little bit of sprinting area make bunnies just as happy or happier than a huge pen without enclosed spaces. Even people whose buns are completely free-range through their entire house still usually have a hutch somewhere as the bun’s home base.

Liung said:

Honestly regardless of if something is too small, rabbits love to have something that is space just for them. When I rescued Delilah she came in one of those crappy pet store cages. I kept it, stuck it in their enclosure with the door permanently open, and they happily claimed it as their bed/litter box.

When I moved, I decided I wanted to convert an entertainment unit into a condo, and after much searching found the perfect one on Kijiji for $70. The original plan was that it was going to be big enough to be their home, and then through the day the doors would be opened so they could come out into the spare room.

To my surprise my hubby wasn’t concerned with them getting into trouble at night, so now the condo doors stay open and it’s the spare room door that closes when we’re worried about leaving them unsupervised.

Despite this, the vast majority of the time Lahi and Delilah can be found cuddling on the middle shelf. If they’re not on the middle shelf, they’re probably in one of the litter boxes.

Delilah is also quite chubby, and Lahi very skinny. So now what I’ve been doing is trading them off at night, one bun gets 2/3 of the condo for the night, the other bun gets 1/3 of the condo and the rest of the room. That way they’re separated and can be fed apart. And it does take Lahi all night to eat his food.

But even with this setup whichever bun got the room to themselves can typically be found in the morning lounging on the shelf of the condo.

They just love their condo! They love having a tunnelly, enclosed space that is just theirs. And I don’t know if this is all buns or just mine, but they LOVE being up high. When I made them an NIC condo before we moved, the top shelf was their very favourite!

Rabbits don’t tend to like wide open spaces, and condos such as what we make resemble the warrens European rabbits dig in the wild. As long as they have room to roam outside their condo, imo condos with a little bit of sprinting area make bunnies just as happy or happier than a huge pen without enclosed spaces. Even people whose buns are completely free-range through their entire house still usually have a hutch somewhere as the bun’s home base.

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I LOVE your conversion! It looks so well done. I'm glad to hear about your buns. With everything everyone has been saying, I was starting to wonder if I was doing the right thing with the hutch. I'm glad it has worked out for you and your buns.

On a positive note, we passed our home visit! The girl from the rescue an hour and a half away was very impressed with the hutch and the setup. We discussed flooring options and decided carpet and fleece will be best in the hutch and either an area rug or foam tiles or both on the floor. This is pretty standard for the foster setups.

They have an event on Saturday so hopefully we connect with some bunnies and get to bring one home.

RoseBun1 said:

I LOVE your conversion! It looks so well done. I'm glad to hear about your buns. With everything everyone has been saying, I was starting to wonder if I was doing the right thing with the hutch. I'm glad it has worked out for you and your buns.

On a positive note, we passed our home visit! The girl from the rescue an hour and a half away was very impressed with the hutch and the setup. We discussed flooring options and decided carpet and fleece will be best in the hutch and either an area rug or foam tiles or both on the floor. This is pretty standard for the foster setups.

They have an event on Saturday so hopefully we connect with some bunnies and get to bring one home.

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Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing pictures of your bunny!

Their enclosure before was 4x8 with a litter box, some hides, etc. When I found out Lahi had sore hocks from being on hard flooring and embarked on a complete renovation to install carpet and such, I decided to also create a NIC condo to give them vertical space. It was only 1 square wide but it was more space than they had. And they LOVED the top shelf. Possibly because it allowed them to see over the walls of the enclosure and watch what was going on, but tbh Delilah has always been ABSOLUTELY DETERMINED to be on top of the tallest object in any given room. A common thing to hear: “DELILAH YOU ARE NOT A CAT!!”

When I moved, I decided that what I had was functional, but over the years had really gotten beat up and looked kinda shabby. And it was very obviously handmade. I wanted something that looked like custom-built furniture instead of a DIY project, and wouldn’t stand out in my new home. I’m so happy with how the final condo turned out.

One thing I wanted to ask... what did you use to put vinyl on the shelves? I couldn’t find the clear vinyl sheets I’d used when I carpeted the old enclosure, so I bought a clear shower curtain and used that. In both cases I taped it down with double-sided carpet tape. But it’s such a hassle, and in a couple places wear on the vinyl tore holes in it and let hay pieces underneath.

The standard rule of thumb I've always heard is *either* 2-3 hours minimum of free-roam time OR 60+ square feet of space. The set-up you have with the hutch + xpen is perfectly suitable considering it's only for safety when you're not there to supervise them with the dog. I think the rescue is being overly strict/protective. "No enclosure ever" is insane. Also, I'm with you about the dubious nature of the foam tiles.

As others have said, don't let one crazy lady at one rescue deter you from getting rabbits!

Edit: Whoops! Posted without realizing there was a second page. I'm so glad you've found another rescue to adopt from .

They are here! And yes it's they.

The Dutch is Hare-ison Ford. And the black is Lola bunny (like from Space Jam).

They are a bonded pair. Both fixed.

I do have a question though. We have the x pen up, but I put them in the hutch where their litter box and such is with the doors open. They seem to relax quite a bit when I closed the door vs having it open. Is this normal? Should I start with it closed just for now? Also, they haven't really moved from their spot. I've seen them eat a little, but haven't eaten any hay or gotten into their litter box where their hay is. Should I just leave them alone, or should I put them in their litter box with their hay? We've been home for a couple hours.

I have a Bugs bunny and I will be adopting a Lola bunny on Friday! I named my bun after Space Jam characters too! Your little ones are cuties!

They're probably scared with all of the new changes so for now, you should leave them alone

Keeping doors closed for now is actually a good idea. It gives them a smaller space so they feel more secure. It also gives them time to establish that space as theirs. And it helps them find and use their litter box.

Just leave them alone for now. Still go about whatever normal activities will occur in that space/room, but just leave them alone in their new hutch. They should be left undisturbed for 48 hours. Only exception would be to refill food, hay or water -- and then keep it short.

After the 48 hours, then you can open the doors again. I know that may seem unbearable since you are anxious to get to know them, but this allows them to adjust in the shortest time possible.

Blue eyes said:

Keeping doors closed for now is actually a good idea. It gives them a smaller space so they feel more secure. It also gives them time to establish that space as theirs. And it helps them find and use their litter box.

Just leave them alone for now. Still go about whatever normal activities will occur in that space/room, but just leave them alone in their new hutch. They should be left undisturbed for 48 hours. Only exception would be to refill food, hay or water -- and then keep it short.

After the 48 hours, then you can open the doors again. I know that may seem unbearable since you are anxious to get to know them, but this allows them to adjust in the shortest time possible.

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I actually just read this in your website too, so I'm keeping everyone out of there until Monday.

I did put veggies in there tonight, but they aren't eating them. How long should I leave the veggies in there? The bunnies seem to really like that middle level, but haven't gone back down where all their food, water, hay, etc are. If they got up okay, they should be able to get down right? I know they aren't used to the multi floor thing so I'm not sure what, if anything, to do.

You could pick them up and set them in the litter box just once, in case they haven't realized that's where the food and potty is. It's likely overnight when things are quiet, they will settle in better and check things out.