I just got a bunny (around Easter-- don't hurt me, I know how to follow through on my commitments) and now that he's getting a little older his cage is starting to look much too small. It was probably too small to begin with. I'm planning on building him his own indoor rabbit cage (with enough space/features to be called a hutch, I hope) for him to chill in style when he's not out with us.
I'm a newbie at building but I'm very well-equipped and know plenty of people who are willing to help me build it. I'm lacking in the 'bunny expert' department, though, and I'd like to run my plans by you all to see what you think.
I have a holland lop, which I'm told is a medium-sized rabbit? I have no clue what he weighs, and he's still growing, so it wouldn't say much anyway.
The initial cage/hutch (in the end, there's going to be two connected, but I'm tackling one at a time) is going to be two feet by four feet, three floors, with the first floor starting at one foot off the ground (below will be storage space) and each floor being a foot and a half tall. The ramps between floors will have as shallow of a slope as possible and I will make sure to make the ramps as safe as possible (the bunny will not ever have a chance to fall off them, ever). The bottom floor will be two sides wood (one long, one short) two sides 'safe'? metal caging, with doors in the caging so I can get to him if needed. The middle floor will have a square foot box, wood on five sides, with a cabinet-style door facing me instead of caging, because bunnies like their dens? (right now that need is being met by a towel over half of his cage) and the rest will be in the style of the first floor. The top floor will be completely open, with caging around all four sides (and top).
The second cage will add much of the same, except only two floors and 2x5 instead of 2x4.
The reason I don't want to go over 2 feet deep is because I need to be able to move the cage if needed. I measured my doors and two feet is almost scratching the doorframes. I'm not sure I can make the cage any deeper unless I plan on disassembling it if it ever needs to be moved.
Anyway, is there anything else I need? I currently have a fan attached to his cage to keep him cool in my sometimes-over-75oF room (and I'm planning on installing a floor unit to keep him cool, considering my house AC obviously isn't-- I've had to move him to the living room twice because it's gotten too hot in here). Should I attempt to leave more sides as caging for airflow, or would that freak out my bunny (he's not going flat against the wall, which is why I'm concerned)? Should I be taking anything else into account other than his den area and the 'guardrails (they'll be more than just guardrails)' on the ramps? Is it big enough-- we give him ~2hrs of free running a day (sometimes more) and adequate attention, and I suppose I can get a larger pen and another ramp to the floor for him, but I have an unfriendly dog that I have to work around, too. WHAT WOOD SHOULD I GET (most important)-- and what should I put on the wood to deter bunny from chewing on it-- any kind of paint? I thought coating it all in layers of adhesive paint but like I said, I barely know what adhesive paint is. I'm sanding all the edges down, but honestly, you haven't seen this guy chew (well, you probably have).
I'd really like to add removable thin wood panels for ease of cleaning (he's not...completely litter box trained), like just a wood panel sitting on top of the normal flooring, fitted for that. On that topic, though, I doubt slippery wood is good for bunny's momentum. Is there something I should put on top of it? Is there anything easy to clean that will allow extra traction for him (that's still good for his feet)? A towel will just slip and slide with him, so I can't do that. I think it needs to be something that's PART of the flooring.
I feel like I just made a giant unfocused bunnyrant. Uh, thank you, anyone who reads through that mess. Your help (and amazing attention span) is appreciated.
I'm a newbie at building but I'm very well-equipped and know plenty of people who are willing to help me build it. I'm lacking in the 'bunny expert' department, though, and I'd like to run my plans by you all to see what you think.
I have a holland lop, which I'm told is a medium-sized rabbit? I have no clue what he weighs, and he's still growing, so it wouldn't say much anyway.
The initial cage/hutch (in the end, there's going to be two connected, but I'm tackling one at a time) is going to be two feet by four feet, three floors, with the first floor starting at one foot off the ground (below will be storage space) and each floor being a foot and a half tall. The ramps between floors will have as shallow of a slope as possible and I will make sure to make the ramps as safe as possible (the bunny will not ever have a chance to fall off them, ever). The bottom floor will be two sides wood (one long, one short) two sides 'safe'? metal caging, with doors in the caging so I can get to him if needed. The middle floor will have a square foot box, wood on five sides, with a cabinet-style door facing me instead of caging, because bunnies like their dens? (right now that need is being met by a towel over half of his cage) and the rest will be in the style of the first floor. The top floor will be completely open, with caging around all four sides (and top).
The second cage will add much of the same, except only two floors and 2x5 instead of 2x4.
The reason I don't want to go over 2 feet deep is because I need to be able to move the cage if needed. I measured my doors and two feet is almost scratching the doorframes. I'm not sure I can make the cage any deeper unless I plan on disassembling it if it ever needs to be moved.
Anyway, is there anything else I need? I currently have a fan attached to his cage to keep him cool in my sometimes-over-75oF room (and I'm planning on installing a floor unit to keep him cool, considering my house AC obviously isn't-- I've had to move him to the living room twice because it's gotten too hot in here). Should I attempt to leave more sides as caging for airflow, or would that freak out my bunny (he's not going flat against the wall, which is why I'm concerned)? Should I be taking anything else into account other than his den area and the 'guardrails (they'll be more than just guardrails)' on the ramps? Is it big enough-- we give him ~2hrs of free running a day (sometimes more) and adequate attention, and I suppose I can get a larger pen and another ramp to the floor for him, but I have an unfriendly dog that I have to work around, too. WHAT WOOD SHOULD I GET (most important)-- and what should I put on the wood to deter bunny from chewing on it-- any kind of paint? I thought coating it all in layers of adhesive paint but like I said, I barely know what adhesive paint is. I'm sanding all the edges down, but honestly, you haven't seen this guy chew (well, you probably have).
I'd really like to add removable thin wood panels for ease of cleaning (he's not...completely litter box trained), like just a wood panel sitting on top of the normal flooring, fitted for that. On that topic, though, I doubt slippery wood is good for bunny's momentum. Is there something I should put on top of it? Is there anything easy to clean that will allow extra traction for him (that's still good for his feet)? A towel will just slip and slide with him, so I can't do that. I think it needs to be something that's PART of the flooring.
I feel like I just made a giant unfocused bunnyrant. Uh, thank you, anyone who reads through that mess. Your help (and amazing attention span) is appreciated.
