Advice on an indoor rabbit cage before I buy

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jcottonl02

jcottonl02

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So i've been looking lots for an indoor rabbit set up for Benji for september and I want to buy it asap so I know I'm prepared. I was considering NIC panels but after looking with my Dad at cages instead I've found some pretty nice and really quite sizeable ones.

What do you guys think of this? It is 120cm by 50cm by 58cm so it's just shy of 4 feet long. The one Benji is in right now is 227cm long so it's just under 7 and a half foot. That's quite a big change BUT Benji would be out an awful lot of the day. He would only be in his cage at night and also while I am at lectures (10hours a week). I also go to bed about 2am so he wouldn't be confined for more than about 8 hours at very most lol.

http://www.ideas-4-pets.com/large-indoor-rabbit-cage-2807-pen-p-4584.html

Do you think that is ok? Also I have my own private (shared between 2 houses) gardens which I can take him to for grass time but I have to figure out what kind of pen I will get for that.

Any opinions?

Jen
 
The NIC cube cages to me are just so much nicer for them. Its completely up to you though! When I built mine, I built it to be exactly like the cage the guy from RabbitCondo made. It only cost me around $60. My bunny loves it, its very neat and to me doesn't take up a lot of room. I like having such a big cage because when I sleep or when I leave for a while, I don't feel guilty because I know she has plenty of room.

It only took me a few hours to build this cage, and that was only because I had to run out to the store to buy the materials. It was a fun project, maybe your dad could help you build it?

http://www.rabbitcondo.com/
 
The only reason I went against NIC cages is because I had immense trouble finding them anywhere and the only place I found them was a set of 6 for £60 I think...and I worked out I'd have to buy at least 3 bundles just to have a sizable cage.
Would you be able to send me the link for where you got your NIC panels?
I mean...time and money haven't ever been an object for us when it came to the bunnies- in their new hutch it was a huge shed bought and worked on for weeks by my Dad. Think it cost about £600 which must be nearly $1000? With three levels and it's over 7 and a half foot long.

I'm just thinking about whether a large indoor cage would be a better way to go, especially as he'll be living in my room (it's a large room, the biggest of all three in my flat share) and I don't want to take up his running space of the floor which he'll be in most of the day, if not all day, by a very big cage. Although I suppose the door to his cage will be open all day anyway because of his litter tray.

I was just thinking this looked SO easy to clean and keep non-messy- can easily just pop the top off and scrub the base in the bathtub or something. Whereas I'd have to dismantle the whole NIC cage if I need to clean an area of it.

I'm new to this whole indoor stuff but I would never get a cage that was too small for Benji or that I thought I would feel guilty leaving him in. I mean....4ft long is longer than many hutches sold that rabbits are kept in all day every day outside! But Benji will really only spend the night (as I said after at least midnight, probably more like 2am) in. And lectures which I have only 10 hours a week of (stupid uni lol).

Not sure now. Any other opinions? Anyone have a cage of a similar size/style for their bun at the moment? That they like? Or do you dislike it?

Jen
 
What about using an x-pen? You can adjust it to fit the space and it would be bigger (and cheaper) than a cage. You would need a bottom for it, but that should be easy enough to figure out. They do come in different heights, so you can pick one that is tall enough that Benji can't jump out or you can make a top for it. X-pens are also good as you could take it outside if you wanted to, they fold up easily. However you would not be able to take it out easily if you has a bunch of stuff attached to it or something. You can usually find used ones for a good price.
 
I have one of those commercial wooden hutches. But before i settled for that i was trying to find the NIC cubes which i migh have used instead if i could find any, but i couldn't. I'm a bargain hunter so i got the hutch for half price. Usually costs over $250. It also has a wooden floor unlike most commercial wooden hutches, so it's great as an indoor hutch if you don't mind the fact that it will take up half a wall space. <3 ebay. ^.^

Pippinhutch1.jpg


 
WOW that site has some nice cages! and hutches... *drools*

What about some of the 120 cages on there with multiple levels?
http://www.ideas-4-pets.com/buzz-120-indoor-cage-12875-888-p-3668.html
or the 140 near the end of the 2nd page.
but the price really jumps up :S

Honestly he should be fine in it.
Its a really standard size for large rabbit "cages" from pet stores and alot of people keep a single bun in a cage that size. My old lionhead (3lb) lived in a cage that size, i didn't take him out much and he loved it, he would bomb around it has his litter corner and house and it worked great for him.

He wont be in it for long so I dont see why not. But whats the deal with his current cage? he cant use that as his nighttime/while your away cage?
 
Like Jerseywool, I built Gus's NIC cage to the Rabbitcondo.com specs and really love it! It's easy to clean, it's HUGE, and it only cost me about $75for all the materials. Plus, if I ever decide to get Gus a girlfriend, I can easily build another level or two onto it. :)

Whatever you choose, I think the best cages are the ones with multiple levels so they take up less floor space, yet the bun still has lots of room to move around.

JMVHO

Hope that helps!

Rue
 
Hmmmm well I like the idea of one of those multiple-storey cages but I don't know exactly if/where such a rigid thing would fit unless I custom built it.

But what I was thinking (does anyone else have this set up and can give me some advice on how to attach it all together) maybe the cage I have already suggested, surrounded by an XL xpen all the time? And then I could use the xpen as an outside run too! What does everyone think?

How would I attach these two together? Just by some clippy thingies? Zip ties?

Thanks!!!

Cos that would be loooadss of room! The 4ft cage (albeit not double storey) but ALSO 16 foot perimeter run space of xpen.

Which sounds awfully big now lol....maybe I should just get the large one! Well if this the XL one fits in then I'd like to have that. What sizes do other people have, xpen wise?


Jen
 
I've done a cage/X-pen combo (though the x-pen was made out of NIC cubes ;)) when I was bunny-sitting and it works really well. You just need to make sure the x-pen completely surrounds the cage, otherwise you risk your bun-bun hopping up on top of the cage and out of the pen! :p

To connect it to the cage, you can use caribiner clips:

09869_MagellanCarabinerClip_CP_med.jpg


They come in a variety of sizes, so just get some small ones, since the large ones leave a gap wide enough for a bunny to squeeze through. :p

Hope that helps!

Rue
 
The first cage you picked out will be fine, as long as Benji gets free time out of the cage. I keep Sir Callebaut in

http://www.mrpets.ca/Products/Product.aspx?ID=11955&&categoryid=7

and it is smaller than the one you picked out. As long as it fits a litter pan, possibly a shelf or a box to climb on and hide under, and has enough space for him to turn around and stand up high, he'll be comfortable and ready for a run when you let him out. Of course, if you're planning on letting him into the garden, then you might as well get a pen and then you can use it inside and outside. I suggest one with a covered top. You still need a litter pan and a box for a look out and hiding spot, plus some kind of floor cover (old towels or blankets, cardboard, newspaper, a tarp). And make sure it is not too heavy for you to move on your own, cage or pen.
 
jcottonl02 wrote:
OOHHHHH YUMMY unless I get this one and an xpen!

http://www.ideas-4-pets.com/double-100-indoor-cage-07157-888-p-3644.html


It is a bit more money than I wanted to spend but I will do if needed.

Jen
Click to expand...
That one seems awefully high and awkward, more of a ferret chinchilla cage. Plus now youve gone shorter only going 100cm with that one.

I like this one
http://www.ideas-4-pets.com/buzz-120-indoor-cage-12875-888-p-3668.html
youre adding 2 levels for hight but keeping a good length which iswhat buns need(120cm)
OR
http://www.ideas-4-pets.com/cavia-140-indoor-cage-09957-888-p-3624.html
Nice length, you could aways add a level, but its not that high and seems like an awefull lot to pay for just a cage with no levels or anything.

x-pens just pick one up used if you dont already have one :coolness:
 
Thanks so much everyone for your advice.

I deliberated for a looonggg time pros and cons wise and I have bought the original cage I was after, and may possibly buy another of the same if I have the room, and attach the two together (well I won't but my Dad will!)!

But I am also going to buy a medium x-pen to permanently attach onto the cage aswell, which will give him lots of room but I was wondering what kind of protection I could use for the flooring under the x-pen. It's going to be about 8ft x 2ft but I can squeeze the shape around if I want. I've been looking at vinyl flooring but it's so expensive I was wondering about corrugated plastic? Anyone have any experience with this and what might be best? If so where do you think I could get a large enough piece from?

Thankies!

Jen
 
Wow vinyl shower curtain! That's so much cheaper than actual vinyl flooring (which is great!).

So does that not let anything through? I need to make sure that NO spillages go through to the carpet because when I move out I will not only lose my £600 deposit but I will have to pay possibly for damages too lol.

Jen
 
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