I have some kits which I expect will be venturing out of the nesting box soon. I wonder if when they do so if their little feet might slip through the wire mesh floor and possibly hurt them. I have the standard wire mesh flooring used in many rabbit cages, what is I am guessing is the one half inch squares. This is the wire mesh found at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Should I be concerned in this regard? Also, do I need to keep returning the kits to the nesting box or should I allow them to stay out of the nesting box once they've ventured out the first time? I looked but could not quickly find this same question posted in any forum here. Really appreciate any advice.
Kits leaving nesting box. Will standard wire mesh flooring be too big?
- Thread starter clalso
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They usually start venturing out once their eyes are open, so I'm guessing yours are about 2 weeks or so. We've never had a problem with kits on wire flooring. We always have a ceramic tile or plastic resting pad in there so any of them can sit on that, too. You could also lay the nestbox on its side once they're all jumping out. Kits first getting out usually have a little harder time getting back in anyway. After a week or so you can take it out completely.
kilabuni
Member
Why on earth would you have rabbits kept on wire, even part wire, in the first place? That's unbelievably cruel. Would you like the walk about on wire of the equivalent size to your body weight, in just your socks? No you would not. Put a solid wooden base over that wire if you truly care for those animals IN your care.
iLuvMyLilBuns
Well-Known Member
Calm down, it's not cruel if you have a board or a place for them to go off of the wire. They'll be fine.
Chill out! Their feet aren't like ours. We always have something else on the wire floor and they can always get on that, if they want. It's actually more sanitary for rabbits who aren't litter trained anyway.
It depends on the wire and on how furry the individual rabbits feet are as to whether wire is cruel or not, (in my opinion). If the gauge of the wire is big and its spaced close together - and if the rabbit has furry feet, I think wire can be actually the best most sanitary thing. I think a lot of sore hocks come from rabbits who sit on solid surfaces and get their fur on their feet completely saturated with pee and then sit somewhere else on a solid surface and their feet never dry out. I read posts on forums all the time about sore hocks, and bald patches on feet on rabbits that do not live on wire, so I don't think wire is what causes the problems. I think solid wood would actually be pretty unsanitary. But, of course if you have a rabbit living on an all wire surface and its got small feet, or not a lot of fur on the feet, then that could be cruel.
ChocoClover
Rabbit Geek
I don't think it is cruel. I keep my bunnies on wire. I think it would be cruel if you gave them no resting place ever, but cardboard works fine for this.
Also, consider the opposite side of things. It's sort of cruel to keep rabbits on solid floors where they can sit in their pee!
Either way, you can pick something cruel out of the picture. Personally, I think as long as the bunnies have a resting place and they don't have to sit in their mess, they are okay.
Sorry, we're getting off topic. About the babies, you will probably want to keep cardboard over the wire all the time. It would be horrible, not to mention painful, to have a small foot fall into the yucky urine.
