NIC remodeling..

[gemgnir]

I posted about this in my blog, but I'm not gettin' any feedback (sad face!) so I figured this would be the better place to post about it anyway! :0)

My hubby and I re-rearranged the living room this past weekend. We had arranged it "ghetto style" with one of the couches up against the sliding glass door so that while my daughter was learning to walk, I could keep an eye on her at all times, and not have to crawl behind her around the couch. Haha!

Well, she's been walking since 9 months old and is now 14 months old.. so we thought it would be a good time to put our stuff back to normal. I'm so happy to have my apartment looking *decent* again! Hooray!

Anyway, We had to shorten Levi's NIC enclosure in order for it to work.. Marriage = Compromise! So in order to make up for the space taken away from Levi's house, I would like to make it two stories! I don't really know how to go about doing so, though, and want to make sure it's done right.

Pictures of what he has right now:

Levi's house.

I'm sure this is enough space for a small bun like Levi, but I just feel bad having taken space from him that he was used to having. But he does get free roam time while my daughter naps and when she goes to bed at night, so an average of about 5 hours out.

The dog kennel is what I would like to use as the 2nd level. It's already sturdy, so that's the good part! I will put it side ways against the back wall (there's a little door on the side of the dog kennel as well) but what should I put on top of that? Some wood? Covered with carpet (he doesn't chew it up too bad)? And how do I make a ramp (and out of what?)

He really doesn't seem to mind his new arrangements, but I know bunnies like to have a "lookout" anyway, and maybe he will stop napping in his litter box from time to time. (He didn't use to do that in his bigger space! )

Thank you!!


Meg

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Hi Meg,

It's difficult to tell from the picture how tall the crate is, but what I would recommend isattaching a row of grids to the top of the crate, then adding a top made of grids to the entirepen. (I'd also recommend tossing the plastic dohickeys that come with the cubes and zip tie the entire structure together. It will make it much sturdier.)

From there, I'd zip tie two grids together and then zip tie thembetween the crate and the side of the pen to create ashelf over his litter box. Get some cardboard or plywood cut to size and put it on top of the shelf and on top of the crate.Then cover both with sticky tiles (you can get them at the dollar store) for easy clean up. Then lay some fleece blankets on top to provide traction. Levi should then be able to hop from the floor onto the shelf, then onto the top of the crate.

If my instructions aren't clear, I've found this website a really great video that explains NIC building in simple steps:

http://www.rabbitcondo.com/how-to-build-a-rabbit-condo

Maybe it willgive you some ideas!

Hope it helps!

Rue

 

[gemgnir]

Wow, what a great idea, Rue! I would have never thought of doing "steps" that way for him. The entire NIC is zip tied together, but we also used to plastic corner thingies.... my hubby wouldn't listen to me and insisted we use them. Hehe.. men. It seems to be pretty sturdy with both, though. I do agree that we may need to add an entire row around the top (especially since my daughter has been dropping things in there. Why does she have to be so tall??). I will talk to my hubby about enclosing the entire thing. That's probably best! I was trying to get ideas from a picture I saw where the lady had a completely open pen (obviously she didn't have small children. ), so we have some improvements to make! I think he will like his "steps".

Do you think the plywood needs to be held down somehow to the "shelf" and crate? That's my only other concern. Eeek! I'm excited.

Thanks so much for your help/input Rue!!

 

[funnybunnymummy]

So glad my suggestions helped!

We've never used anything to secure the plywood to the grids. Generally it's heavy enough that it stays in place on it's own.

Don't forget to post pics of the remodelling job!

Rue

 

[gemgnir]

Awesome! Sounds good. I will definitely post pics when we get it remodeled! Thank goodness for that $50 Lowe's Home Depot card I just discovered... Hope it still works! Hehehe!


Meg