Rabbit Housing

[colleenbunny]

I am absolutely clueless. I need to know a few things:

1. How big to make it.

2. Where to get the NIC cubes and how many sets I’ll need.

3. The best place to put the cage when I’m done.

[colleenbunny]

Just to be more specific it will be for a rabbit that’s about the size of a holland lop.

[colleenbunny]

BTW could I use carpet as a flooring for the bunny? If not what else could I use?

[Thefluffybunny]

A typical NIC cube condo is three cubes tall, three cubes wide, and two cubes deep. However they can be whatever size you want, with multiple levels, it’s all up to you! You can usually find them around walmart, I think.

If your rabbit has good litter box habits and will not chew at the carpet, that is a suitable option. Linoleum and coroplast also works(a lot of people put seagrass mats, towels, or fleece over the linoleum or coroplast for traction).

[MoveDiagonally]

The minimum recommended space for a single rabbit is 4′ X 2′ (8 sq ft). Bigger is always better but I wouldn’t go smaller. The NIC cube panels I have are 14 inches so I wouldn’t make anything smaller than 3 panels by 2 panels.

You can find the panels at walmart, amazon, bed bath and beyond, home depot, etc… But the cheapest I’ve seen are at this website :
http://www.storesupply.com/c-1196-mini-grid-display-unit.aspx
Another member here posted the link so I have not dealt with them personally. It also looks like the single panels are cheaper than buying a set of them. The sets on that website come to about $1.20 a panel while the singles are $1.10 a panel. The single panels don’t come with the connectors but you don’t really need those when you make a NIC Condo.

Carpet can work if you’re bunny doesn’t chew it and is decently potty trained. I use vinyl flooring for by bunnies flooring.

As for location that depends on whether or not you have other pets and your living situation. I have dogs so I keep my bunnies in bedroom. If I didn’t have dogs I’d probably have them in the main living room.

EDITED TO ADD: I would also keep an eye on craigslist. I ended up getting my NIC panels that way for about 30 cents a panel. 

[colleenbunny]

Would it be okay to house a rabbit in a large shed that has a really nice lock? We have a shed that’s probably about 4’x6’x5-7′.

[MoveDiagonally]

A shed outside?

[colleenbunny]

Yes.

[colleenbunny]

It would be the largest type of housing for the rabbit that I can get. (Any other type of housing would be 3’x3’x2′.)

[MoveDiagonally]

Is there a reason your bunny can’t stay in the house?

While I think sheds are a better idea that housing a bunny outside in a hutch there is a lot to consider. You would need to find a way to cool the shed in the summer and keep it heated in the winter. You would need to figure out a way for the shed to get airflow so it doesn’t get too stuffy/dusty. It’s also easier to miss signs of health issues  when a bunny lives outside because you’re interacting with them less.

I’m confused when you say “It would be the largest type of housing for the rabbit that I can get. (Any other type of housing would be 3’x3’x2′”. What are your restrictions? Why is that the only other option? If we know more about your situation I think we could help give you better ideas.

I think an inside 3′ X 3′ cage is better than an outdoor one. 3’X3′ is 9 sq ft which is 1sq ft more than the minimum (8sq ft). So 3′ X 3′ would be perfectly fine for a single rabbit as long as they got some outside of pen time. 

[colleenbunny]

There is not much space in the only available room as it is, and keeping it indoors in a large exercise pen would be out of reach as most ex pens are too expensive (But let me know if you find a large enough ex pen for under $100!). Keeping it in a bunny proof room is my dream housing for a rabbit, but we have no spare rooms that are fit to be a bunny room. But if I keep it in a 3×3 cage, how deep do I have to make it?

[MoveDiagonally]

 What do you mean by deep? You’d want it to be tall enough for your bunny to perescope. 

Here are two pens for less than $50 dollars. I have two X-Pens and paid $40 for each at a local store. 

http://www.amazon.com/Pet-Trex-Premium-Qua…ref=sr_1_5

http://www.amazon.com/EliteField-Exercise-…ef=sr_1_17

I definitely think a shed is not a good idea since it would probably cost more than $100 to outfit/make it safe for a bunny. 

[colleenbunny]

I see your point. I think I will try to have the rabbit enclosed in an expen until an adequate room clears up. I like the ex pens because they are easy to adjust to whatever shape will fit in the room. Do you think a rabbit would try to dig it’s way out? What could I do to prevent that?

[MoveDiagonally]

Digging habits vary from bunny to bunny. 

 

My bunnies can’t be on carpet because they tear it up so I built wooden bases for their x pens. I don’t think that would be the best option for you because you can’t really customize it after it’s constructed.

 

I know some people here have had luck with puzzle foam flooring like these:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Norsk-Stor-24015…t/13253265

 

[colleenbunny]

Looks nice! Could I do anything to prevent bunnies from jumping over the top. (I’ve heard of bunnies making 3 foot jumps.)

Off topic: Do you mind if I bun-nap your cute English Lops? They are so cute!

[MoveDiagonally]

Haha, thank you. Funnily enough, all my English Lops will jump/climb out of their pens if given the chance! I made a lid for one of my x-pens because of the jumping out problem. I used left over stuff from building my wood bases and it’s not very adaptable to changing the shape of the x – pen.

I think you should see if your bunny is inclined to jump out of the pens before worrying too much about it. Most bunnies seem to do fine in their x pens without any sort of lid or cover.

[colleenbunny]

 What do you mean by periscope? (From a few posts back.)

 

Would it be enough just to put a large piece of wood on top or would that not be heavy enough?

[colleenbunny]

The reason I’m asking is because I don’t have a rabbit yet, just doing a lot of research first.

[MoveDiagonally]

Periscope is just bunny slang for when they stand up on their hind legs like this:

A piece of wood would probably work fine if your bunny likes to jump out of their pen. A visual deterrence might be enough so just laying a blanket over the top might keep them from trying. You could also zip tie some NIC Cubes together over the top.

[colleenbunny]

Thanks! I really don’t know what I would do without the forum!

[Eucalyptus]

A bunny is happier, healthier, and safer indoors. Outdoor activity is perfectly fine – under supervision – but a bunny’s life is best spent indoors with you. Not only does this protect it from outdoor hazards like predators, theft (people do this), and weather, but your bunny will be a closer part of the family as it gets to spend more time with you, even if it’s just watching you from inside it’s enclosure.

NIC is the cheapest route for building your own condo. It’s recommended that your bun’s enclosure allows it to hop 3 times in all directions and stand up to the fullest without hitting its head. Multiple levels are ideal because they can get leg exercise while staying in their enclosure, but a large, one level enclosure is perfectly fine. If you’re concerned about space, then multiple levels are recommended because you can build more space in a smaller area of the room.

Unless your bun is going to have its own room, you should keep its enclosure somewhere that it will be around you. A livingroom is nice for this, but if you have family members who aren’t going to be as trilled with a bunny condo, this might be a lesser option. Your bedroom would work, or an office/den if you spend a lot of time there. It’s good on the bunny to be able to see and watch you from its enclosure throughout the day if they aren’t out playing with you.

Always consider the best options you have available for your pet. It’s going to be a part of your family, and shouldn’t be restricted to minimal options. If you are able to keep it indoors, please consider that because there are more risks with outdoor bunnies. And imagine how it would feel to have your family member leave you outside alone whenever they aren’t going to spend time with you.

[colleenbunny]

Would a good size be 3’x3′ on every side, and then have a 2nd level that looks like THIS:

 

 Off topic – How do you uploud pictures?

[Eucalyptus]

That’s definitely a suitable enclosure. The two levels give even more room which is great.

If you click the reply button (instead of just typing in the quick reply box below) there’s a drop down called attachments. You upload the image there and insert into the chat box. It’s easy! But you can’t upload a very large pic.

[MoveDiagonally]

Multiple levels are generally counted as “living space” but not “exercise space”. So unless you have a lot of space for a bunny’s habitat they’re going to need time out of their enclosure everyday.

A 3X3 pen or condo, no matter how tall, is not going to meet all your bunnies exercise needs but both can meet your bunnies living space needs. I think in your situation a pen is a little bit more realistic because you can adjust it’s size quickly and it’s much easier to move.

It’s great that you’re doing all this research but I wouldn’t get to set on “this is what I want” because if you convince your parents to let you get a bunny they might have their own ideas about what kind of enclosure they will allow/not allow. Where the bunny can be, etc…

[colleenbunny]

 Okay here’s the second level, I hope it attaches well. Might be able to put the bunny in a different room after all, but I’m not sure yet. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to attach an x-pen the most, if not all of the day.

[colleenbunny]

 Sorry about that. Here it is.

[colleenbunny]

 Let me try again.

[colleenbunny]

Oops, didn’t realize I attached it twice.

[MoveDiagonally]

Here’s the tutorial for how to insert pics.
https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/114117/Default.aspx

 

Here’s your pic:

 

Just make sure click “insert image” after you upload the attachment. 

[colleenbunny]

Thanks! Also, I’m thinking of fostering a pair of rabbits, so would a 4×4 living space be big enough, and if not how big would it need to be?

[MoveDiagonally]

In my opinion , 4′ X 4′ would be the minimum for two small to medium size buns. Larger buns need more space. Remember they need daily out of habitat time too.

I thought you only had room for a 3′ X 3′ habitat?

[colleenbunny]

At first I thought I would only have half of a room available to me, but there 50/50 chance that a cage in the whole room is available! But of course I need to leave some room for us!

[Author]

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