First Time

[ApocalypticToast]

I've never had a rabbit of any sort before, butI want to get a Mini-Lop. What all would I need to keep it happy andhealthy. I have a 40 gallon breeder aquarium thats never been usedbefore. It's 3 feet by 18 inches and 16 inches tall. Would this be alarge enough enclosure? I'd rather not go with a wire cage because itwill be in my room and I want to minimize the mess. Thanks in advance.

-Colin

 

[Spring]

Hi! And welcome to the forum!

Rabbits need quite a bit of room, so a cage that small would not besuitablefor any rabbit. With all the food bowls, hay, etc. itwould be very crowded. Also, a rabbit can easily jump out of a16 inch cage. If you were to put a top on it, even if the top hadholes,there would be a problem with ventilation.

Hope you stick around as this forum is very good with answering any questions you have before getting a rabbit .

 

[naturestee]

Welcome to the forum!

I wouldn't recommend using an aquarium of any size. There'snot enough air flow no matter what you do, and it can cause respiratoryproblems. Not to mention any bunny worth his hay could jumpout.

Have you checked out the Cages thread in Bunny 101? There's lots of ideas there.
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11792&forum_id=17

My personal favorites are NIC cages- made with wire shelvinggrids. They're less expensive than buying a decent-sizedcage, easy to make, and can be made to fit your home. There'smore examples in Bunny 101, but here's a thread with lots of examples.
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=15348&forum_id=1

I have a dutch, which is about the same size as a mini lop, and Iwouldn't keep him in anything smaller than a 42" dog crate or a 2x3grid NIC cage (same size). And that was actually too smallfor him because he likes big toys- he's much more active in a largerpen. When looking at size, you need to give enough space forthe adult rabbit to hop several times and stand up all the way (shortercages can cause back problems), and that's after you count room forlitter boxes, food bowls, and toys.

BTW, most of us only have litter in the litter boxes, and usually woodpellets or Carefresh, etc., not shavings. That cuts down onthe mess a lot.

 

[pamnock]

I agree that a 40 gallon aquarium isn't large enough nor does it provide enough ventilation.

You might consider putting 5" plexiglass along the sides of a regularcage, or placing the cage in a deep bin to minimize the mess.



Pam

 

[ApocalypticToast]

Thanks for all the input. Guess I'll be investing in a cage, then.

 

[maherwoman]

Hello! Welcome to the forum!

You could also build an NIC cage, which is quite less of an expensethan a prefab cage, and you can do all SORTS of things to minimizemess. Building your own cage also allows for you to design itso it fits into the space allowed for your bun to live in, and you canadd additional levels any way you can think (as long as things are wellsupported). You can try googling "NIC condo" to look forideas, and there are LOTS of good sites that give good instructions anda list of what you'll need for it.

Here's a site that contains good links to sites that have step-by-step instructions for an NIC condo:
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/nic.html

A few ideas to help you out:

- You can find the panels at places like Target, Bath & BodyWorks, Linens N Things, Walmart, KMart, etc. for fairly goodprices. It would help to shop around. We got oursfrom Target for approx $12 for a box of, I believe, 24 panels.

- It's good to sit down and think about what kind of design you wantfor your bun's cage, and diagram it all out, so you're sure youpurchase the right amounts of what you'll need.

- I used zip ties (aka cable ties) to connect my NIC panels, but somepeople also use the round connectors that come in the box with thepanels.

- We used dowels that we zip tied to the panels that made up each floor, to give the cage more stability.

- We used pegboard as the flooring, as buns have a hard time and canget sore hocks from just open grated flooring. It's nice andinexpensive, you can find it at hardware places like Home Depot, andthey'll cut them right in the store for you for free!

Hope all that helps! You can do so much with an NIC cage, Ihope you're able to find something that inspires you as to what you'dlike to do for your bun!

Rosie*

P.S. Also be sure to check out the thread here on this site that has ideas about housing your bunny:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11792&forum_id=17

Lots of ideas there as well!