Space for second bunny
- Thread starter Anya
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Cage size is something that depends largely on how much out-of-cage time the rabbits will get. Rabbits that consistently get several hours of out-of-cage time every day can be ok in cages. You can see a summary of cage size suggestions on the first post of the following thread:
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/2018-cages.88690/
That thread also shows photos of some our members' cages.
You will also need a temporary 2nd cage for during the bonding process. One can't just stick two rabbits together in the same cage right off the bat. (Don't know if you knew that or not, so thought it should be mentioned just in case.) For bonding tips, check here.
Some of the disadvantages of that cage are that...
- the floor appears to be slippery plastic,
- the hay rack is way too small and the manner in which the rabbit has to get the hay through that rack isn't as easy as it should be,
- the "shelf" is also too small to be of much use (especially if one switches to a water bowl and then would have 2 bowls on that shelf),
- there's no room for a decent size litter box (and a litter box would shrink the usable floor space)
https://www.rabbitsonline.net/threads/2018-cages.88690/
That thread also shows photos of some our members' cages.
You will also need a temporary 2nd cage for during the bonding process. One can't just stick two rabbits together in the same cage right off the bat. (Don't know if you knew that or not, so thought it should be mentioned just in case.) For bonding tips, check here.
Some of the disadvantages of that cage are that...
- the floor appears to be slippery plastic,
- the hay rack is way too small and the manner in which the rabbit has to get the hay through that rack isn't as easy as it should be,
- the "shelf" is also too small to be of much use (especially if one switches to a water bowl and then would have 2 bowls on that shelf),
- there's no room for a decent size litter box (and a litter box would shrink the usable floor space)
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I have that exact cage. I use it when I board my bonded pair for a week during Christmas when I visit family out of state. I haven't actually seen my buns inside the cage, or know how they care for it... but it is pretty well-built and should last a while.
I agree with everything Blue Eyes said above. Take note of her bonding advice!
A few items I'll add:
There's no absolute answer to this. I've heard 2' by 4' as a minimum for a single rabbit. I've also heard the ability to hop 3-4 times unimpeded + lay down fully + stand upright fully as a minimum.
A standard sized xpen usually covers this, with ~15 square feet of space. This allows for the use of appropriate litter boxes (my rabbits don't like sharing, so I have two), hidey houses (when I first got mine, I made sure to have n+1 hidey spots), a larger water bowl (small ones get dumped, so I have one with a 0.5 gallon resevoir), and other toys for interaction. And, of course, space to hop, run, and binkey.
I agree with everything Blue Eyes said above. Take note of her bonding advice!
A few items I'll add:
- My guys are 5 lbs and 7 lbs, and it's a tight fit for them both... even though the cage will look gigantic to you.
- There's a hidey space under the shelf, but it's too tight for my 7 lb dutch. (Note the shelf is removable.)
- The water bottle and hay rack the cage comes with are junk; find other options for hay and water.
- The flooring has texture, but it's still too slick for furry rabbit paws. I give the vet a bag of bedding to use with the cage, but they go through almost the entire huge bag in just 7 days. A full-size rabbit litterbox would take up half the cage's floor space, though.
Anya said:
There's no absolute answer to this. I've heard 2' by 4' as a minimum for a single rabbit. I've also heard the ability to hop 3-4 times unimpeded + lay down fully + stand upright fully as a minimum.
A standard sized xpen usually covers this, with ~15 square feet of space. This allows for the use of appropriate litter boxes (my rabbits don't like sharing, so I have two), hidey houses (when I first got mine, I made sure to have n+1 hidey spots), a larger water bowl (small ones get dumped, so I have one with a 0.5 gallon resevoir), and other toys for interaction. And, of course, space to hop, run, and binkey.
