Cage Set up

[gmcneil1]

I am getting my first rabbit. People say not to keep them in cages with wire bottoms but I see it a lot I would think a cage with a wire bottom would be a lot easier to clean but I know I would not want to walk around on wire. I have never had a rabbit before so I really don't know. What do you think would be the easiest inside cage to clean would be and how do you have it set up. I was going to build a cage out of those NIC things because I am good at building stuff but I don't know what I should put on the shelves of it. What do you use for bedding and litter. Any other information you have would be greatly appreciated to me and my new bunny.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

People say not to keep them in cages with wire bottoms but I see it a lot I would think a cage with a wire bottom would be a lot easier to clean but I know I would not want to walk around on wire.

 

[undergunfire]

Hello!

Is you're bunny neutered? I am assuming he is a boy because of his name . How old is he? Is he currently litter box trained?

I really like NIC cages because they are easy to build, cheap, and you can build them to fit any space. They stay pretty clean if you're bunny is litter box trained. I just take a shop vac and vacuum up all the hair/stray poop/hay every few days.

You can go to a sign shop (or order off of ebay) sheets of coroplast. This is "plastic cardboard". I use this for the base of my NIC cages because you can fold it to have 3" sides to keep hay/hair/poop in the cage and it can also be cut to fit the shelves of a nice cage (just zip tie it down). You will need some duct tape (you can get it in a color to make the coroplast) to duct tape the folded sides together.

This site has good information on how to cut coroplast and put together a cube cage.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm

^ I put my grids inside of the coroplast base, so my bunnies can't chew down the sides.

You will want to make a cube cage at least 2 cubes high for rabbits. Tops are optional, depending on you're design. You can check out the NIC cages threads on this forum stickied to the top, for ideas.

For bedding...I just give my bunnies a towel or a piece of fleece to snuggle up on. You can also use a carpet reminent...but be sure the bunny isn't chewing/eating it.

For litter...I use wood stove pellets or a pelleted litter from my local grain store. Wood stove pellets can be bought at Ace/Home Depot/Walmart/etc in the cooler months. Just check the bag to make sure that they aren't treated with chemicals. I really like the wood stove pellets because they put off a "woody" smell, which makes any pee smells not noticable.

 

[gmcneil1]

I haven't actually got him yet but I am going to get him today or tomarrow. He is a mini rex. He is a broken red and white, really pretty I will send pics. But anyways I just want to be able to have the cage set up so he isn't confused by spending one night in a small crate then next in his forever home just want to make it easy on him and me. I just like being prepared. He is three months old.

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

i am sorry for my post i had a whole post typed and sent it but the only thing that showed up is your quote,lol. So sorry.

 

[gmcneil1]

The only thing that is coming up is a sentence and a picture, why don't you just PM me.

 

[Spring]

Hi Gary!

Rabbits can easily be litter trained, especially if they are fixed - so you should be alright with a solid bottomed set up. Rexes have very thin fur on their feet so can be prone to sore hocks, so it's best to avoid a wire bottomed cage especially with that breed.

I'd definitely go with the NIC - they are cheap and roomy. There are many different flooring options, coroplast being one of the easiest. For the shelves, I like to zip tie a piece of cardboard covered in a towel.

I second wood pellets. They are great for odor control and are very cheap compared to other litter options.

For a general idea of a pretty easy to make and standard cage, here is the temporary cage I made when I first got Bruno.. you could easily adapt it to make it longer, add more shelves, etc. Total cost was probably around $40. If you went with this type, you could easily pop in a few shelves, stick a litterbox in with a fleece blanket, some hay, a few dishes and toys and be good to go!

 

[fear71851]

I have a wire bottom in my cage!!, it is true its not good for there feet but i cover it with hay, it is still easier to clean and its much easier on the feet.
And i use Timothy hay.
Hope i could help-:biggrin2:

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

This is my cage Storm my bun is not a carpet chewer the floor is a piece of pilewood with indoor outdoor carpet stabled to it. The second level is the panels with card board. The cage is a tad different now he has piece of 1 by 2 boards holding the second level up now.

But it is very roomy for him he loves it.

 

[sdrabbitlvr]

It's much easier to use an x-pen. They are cheaper than the large cages that don't even meet most rabbits' needs. At www.amazon.com, they have a large 6' x 2' x-pen that I use for my bonded pair, Paige and Sam. They love it because it is very large! If you use an x-pen, you'll need to litter-train your rabbit. All you'll need is a large cat litter pan (without hood), and some bedding and Timothy hay. Put a 1-inch layer of bedding as the litter and then a nice pile of Timothy hay. It's SOOOOO much easier to just change a litter-box than a whole cage. Litter box train and you'll be so much happier.

 

[Happi Bun]

I agree with everyone else. Litter-train your new bun and your best option is to use an X-pen or NIC cage. Here is the set-up for my guy Dunkin, he loves it!

 

[fear71851]

AWWW:yeahthat: Rabbit in the cage i so cute.