new or old cage? pics uploaded.

[butsy]

ok so heres the deal. i find butsy's cage to be to small. i bought it like, 3 months ago, but i dont feel like its big enough. she does get A LOT of time out but still. heres a pic of my current cage :

dont mind the mess lol. here is a pic of the cage i want :

its three storys. my mom thinks the cage i want wont be solid enough and that im making a mistake. what do you guys think ? a lady is comming to look at the cage saturday, she is willing to pay 175 $ for it. helpppp

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Korr's cage is one level taller than that are quite sturdy. You might want to use zip ties along with the connectors or use wooden dowels to help support it.

I would not use the doors in that picture. They are really too small for you to be able to reach in and get Busty out. I like my doors to be 2X2 grids, but 2X1 can also work, but it is a bit cramped when cleaning. It is really easy to just zip tie the grids on as a door.

I would go for the cage. You can start smaller if it is hard to get the materials where you are and but it bigger if you need to.

 

[butsy]

i havent thought about the doors ! thanks, and i am ordering this online, it comes with everything including zipties , so how would i close the door if i did what you recommend?.
and just to make it clear : i should go for the new cage ?

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

What you use to keep the door closed depends on the buns. Korr has 10" bungee cords, but they go around the corner. Lillian has binder clips as the door for her cage is not on the edge. If you have a chewer, go for something metal so he can't escape. You can also use dog leash clips or other clips.

If you are ordering that cage, you can use the grids from the bottom as the doors instead of the ones that come with it. You really don't need grids on the bottom anyway.
I would also tape the floor pieces together so it is solid. Duct tape works well and should be good if you put something on top like fleece.
One of the good things is that you can make the inside of the cage however you want, you don't have to use the design they did.

Yes, get the cage. It will probably be at least 2-3 times the size of the one you have now and hopefully not more expensive.

 

[butsy]

great idea !! thank you so muchh ! you are very creative yes it will be waaay bigger , i'm starting to get exited ! i obviously want the best for my babygirl any other ideas would be great !! share pics of your bunny cages to !

 

[funnybunnymummy]

NIC cages, when they are properly constructed with zip ties (instead ofthe connectors) are EXTREMELY sturdy. I got my zip ties from the dollar store. I think I needed about 300 ties and that cost two dollars.

To be honest, I wouldn't buy the kit unless you absolutely could not find the panels anywhere else.

Do you have a Rona, Walmart, Canadian Tire, Superstore,or Home Depot nearby? They all sell the NIC panels. I don't know how much they're asking for that kit, but you can buy 48 panels (enough to build that exact cage) for about $60.

As for the flooring (whichever route you choose to go)I recommend gettinga piece of plywood (costs about $20) cut to size (pretty much any building centre will do this for free or a nominal fee) for the base and cover it with sticky tiles (try to find some with a matte finish so they're not too slippery). I had plywood cut to size for the shelves too. I sticky tiled them (for easy cleanup) then wrapped them in cheap fleece blankies from the dollar store.

Here's Gus's cage (yes, that's a bathtub under it!):

I can't remember what the exact final total was on Gus's cage, but it was around $120.

Check out thiswebsite on how to build a NIC cage: http://www.rabbitcondo.com/

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[butsy]

wow it looks great !! thanks for the ideas the one online only comes with 60 zipties, so i will go buy more !! the reason for ordering it online is because it saves me 30$gas to go buy the things, i live in the middle of nowheres here lol.

 

[Whiskerz]

I would choose the C&C cage over the one you have now, they are actually quite sturdy

 

[okiron]

funnybunnymummy wrote:

NIC cages, when they are properly constructed with zip ties (instead ofthe connectors) are EXTREMELY sturdy.

^^ Just use a lot of zip ties and that thing wont move even if you wanted it to. I'd go with the C&C cage.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

butsy wrote:

the reason for ordering it online is because it saves me 30$gas to go buy the things, i live in the middle of nowheres here lol.

Ah, that makes sense then!

Good luck with it!

Rue

 

[butsy]

thanks

 

[Tweetiepy]

Yeah go for the cage - if you want make it 2x4 and only 2 levels if you want - I took apart my kids NIC bookshelves to make our cage (they were the smaller packages) and I used both and an extra pack with leftover grids for his 2nd level and half shelf as well as making a hay rack and using the leftover grids as a "low fence" to keep him contained.

Go for the new cage - make a big door cuz you're gonna have to clean it out and you may need to get in there too.

 

[butsy]

ok, thanks

 

[snap]

If you honestly and truly believe it will cost less to buy the cage and ship it than to go out and buy it yourself, then go for it. NIC cages are very adaptable so if you ever have the need you can easily change the cage. I have two boxes of grids that I bought for $18 at Target, I love them even though I haven't even built a cage yet((I have a towel basket, a shelf for in a cage and a freestanding shelf/level for in the playpen)).

You'd just have to buy a ton more zip ties, and something like leash clips for the doors((as others said, the doors they come with are way too small even for a rabbit)). And of course secure the coroplast down.

What is that website you're buying from, though? Just curious, I'd like to look around on it too. ;D

 

[AquaticRex]

feel free to order more panels lol. the bigger the better. i just expanded Dante's cage (i personally think it looks like a boot now lol) and he loves it.

 

[Zia]

Your bun might also not need the grids to use as ramps. My bun looks like he's about the same size as yours, and he can easily jump from one level to the other. You might be able to re-configure the shelves to give him more sprawling room on the upper levels. I zip tied cheap little rugs on top of the grids on the upper levels to give him good footing, but my bun doesn't chew and has wonderful litter box habits so I don't have to worry about any messes up there.

 

[butsy]

the flooring is made of plastic, so i might put cheap rug@ she has exellent litter box habits, but i am woried about the chewing