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Forum HABITATS AND TOYS housing issue – might build a cage

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    • Kat_got_Attached
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        Here is the deal: I took these two rabbits from an associate who was not the best animal care- taker. Infact, I believe he was trying to breed them, and became very upset to find that the female was fixed. Whatever, I took them.  He did not care. I planned to re-home them to someone who would love and care for them. . . but now I am attached. I do not really have room for a big cage, but I knew the one he had them in was way too small. I currently have them in my great-dane’s dog crate. Its huge, it was big for the dog. . .

        So it is taking up too much space in my bedroom (it is the only place in the house I can keep them) and I know it is driving my husband crazy. . . even though he is just as attached as I am. (He cannot walk into a store with out buying something for them)

        I do not have the money to go out and buy a proper cage, so I am going to have my husband build one in the next week or so. I am asking for advice and tips for this cage. I have already figured out to build UP, to save floor space. But does anyone have deminsions or maybe some pre-drawn plans for this thing? Any advice would be appreciated. Are there certain materials I should NOT use?


      • tanlover14
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          Hahaha, I love your username!

          It really depends on what kind of house you would prefer.  But you have LOTS of options so no reason to get rid of bun!  

          First off, the easiest solution is what I have now.  Which is an x-pen area. 
           

          My x-pen is two put together since I have four bunnies.  But you would only need one since you have the two.  The great thing about x-pens is you can move them around to fit into spaces in odd shapes and angles.  As well as you can put dowels across between two sides and put a wood board on top of the dowels topped with carpet or anything of your choosing to create a 2nd level.  This is what I would deem the easy version as it’s easy to put together, easy to take down.  And depending on how high your buns are jumping (I have one that never jumps, I could put him in a 2 foot set up and he would never attempt to get out) or a taller one if necessary.  They obviously get more expensive as they get taller but you could also invest in something easy to drape over the top if you’re worried about them jumping out.  Or specifically just the area around the 2nd level where they would be more likely to attempt to jump out.  

          Another option is the bunny condo.  I had one of these for my three buns (when I only had three). 

          The condo was built entirely of NIC cubes.  (Great to build your own habitat with!).  And the NIC panels are all held together with zip-ties.  We used the bottom of the old cage they were in for the bottom and then used the dowel and wood trick to create more levels within the condo.   So in this condo they have three levels.  But many others have created some HUGE condos (height wise) for their buns out of NIC cubes. 

           

          Not sure if you’ve checked out this link in the Information Section but:

          https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/GreatHabitats/tabid/229/Default.aspx

          It’s the link specifically on habitats with lots of different pictures with different options! 


        • MoveDiagonally
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            Welcome to BB!

            The easiest/adaptable option for rabbit housing is a puppy x-pen. They cost around $40-$50. You might be able to find one cheaper on craigslist.

            I think the minimum for two rabbits is a 4’X4′ habitat (16 sq feet) with an additional 24 sq ft of exercise space for at least five hours a day. Generally building up can give you more “home space” but does not count as “excersise space”.
            http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/housing.html

            How much room do you have to work with?


          • Kat_got_Attached
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              I actually found the habitat section after I posted, so I feel silly. but I really appreciate the advice. what I have for space is basically the end of my bed to my closet. about 6 feet long by 3 feet wide, the height is unlimited. I let them out a few hours in the morning and at night. I think I am looking forward to building a cage now, my husband and I were drawing plans this evening. Now I need to figure out what wood is safe for them. . . because they will chew anything and everything they can get to. And my current puzzle is what to make the bottom with, like a tray that slides out or just solid with carpet. any advice for an easier clean? it took less than a week to litter train them, so I was impressed with that. And I have to admit that I am now a bunny person. And I never meant to get attached, but I am in love with these two. very glad I took them.


            • MoveDiagonally
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                Vinyl flooring can usually be found cheap and is easy to clean.

                A 3′ X 5′ would be 15 sq ft which is close enough to work.

                Off the top of my head, I know untreated pine lumber is safe and redwood is toxic.


              • Beka27
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                  A 3×5 would work pretty well and you can do 3 levels high, giving them lots of jumping and lounging space.

                  I have another question about the buns themselves. You said the female is fixed, is the male neutered? Are they firmly bonded or do they scuffle from time to time?


                • Sam and Lady's Human
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                    An xpen is probably going to be the same size or larger than a great dane pen, but a bunny needs at least 4×4 feet of living space. How are they with litter training and destruction? Maybe letting them free roam a room is an option?


                  • Kat_got_Attached
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                      The female is fixed, and She went to my vet first, to verify that fact. She is not even a year old yet. I guess the Store he got her from had her fixed. The male goes to the vet next pay-day. I don’t think he is fixed so that is on my to do list. They are firmly bonded, best friends. As far as destruction goes, we lined the bottom of the dog cage with a firm cardboard boarder, about 6 inches high, to prevent the hay and bedding from getting everywhere. It has lasted about 2 weeks, but now they are pulling it down. . . which is why we are in a hurry to give them their own home.
                      The only other thing was the first time i let them free range i forgot to pick up my cell charger. . . the little girl was really cute when she came and dropped the last 6 inches of it on my foot. like “look what i did”.
                      They can not run free all the time, but for the majority or the day they are free-range in my room. They have already figured the schedule out. . . I let the dog out and open their cage. At night they know when I feed them their dinner it’s time to go back in the cage. My dog sleeps in my room at night, and I’m not risking anything. . . but as far as we have seen, she is actually terrified of the bunnies. She will not walk around the cage to get in bed unless someone “guards” her. . . great scary big protection dog. . . let me tell you. -_-.
                      The litter training is so-so. They will pee in the box. . . but I cant seem to help where they poo. . . any ideas on that?

                      Just some more information about the rabbits and the situation they were in:
                      As far as their life goes, the situation i took them out of was really bad. The guy is lucky I didn’t call animal control. Their cage was 18inches by 3feet. a small cage. they were BOTH crammed in there. never let out. The first thing i did when i got them was give them a bigger cage, and after two days, i got to see the male “flop” and stretch out. . . at his full length, he was about the size of their previous home. He had them on horse hay, as bedding, and apparently, he expected them to eat it as well. they had a plastic bowl of water, and if they flipped it, that was it. . . no more water. =/. So for me, it is really rewarding getting to know these guys. They are always happy and twisting and jumping, and the little girl follows me around my room and jumps on my feet. I am in school to be a vet, and I am all about rescue, don’t breed. The best thing about rescuing a dog, is that in a year or so, that dog will know what you did and show appreciation. With these guys, whom I never intended to keep, they showed that appreciation in less than a week. It was really a great feeling.

                      So If i use untreated pine, won’t they just chew through it eventually?


                    • Kat_got_Attached
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                      • Beka27
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                          They will nibble untreated pine, but they shouldn’t really chew through it. If you include wood, I would try and make it where parts can be replaced as needed.

                          I am so glad you were able to take them in. They sound very happy to be in a loving home. I’m looking forward to hearing more about them!


                        • MoveDiagonally
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                            If you use screws (instead of nails) you can replace chewed on sections easier. But they shouldn’t chew through any of it. It’s just safe for them to nibble on.


                          • Sam and Lady's Human
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                              Hah yup, you’ll have to bunny proof, aquarium type tubing works great for cords, they sell it at the hardware store for cheap

                              Stray poops are going to happen until everyone is fixed and hormones are gone. My girls will poopp a few in their pen, but they are out most of the time and don’t poop or pee anywhere else.

                              They don’t need bedding, I wouldn’t put anything on the floor at all ( the bottom is solid plastic right?). Only have litter in the litter box, and hay in the litter box ( I put it on one half of the box, they move it around and rearrange). Hay can get peed on, it won’t absorb it and they will forage for the edible stuff. I’d love to see a pic of their set up to help you brainstorm!


                            • Kat_got_Attached
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                                The last time i cleaned the cage i realized they did not need the bedding. (pictures on here helped) I now use the bedding only in the litter box (really helped with the training) and just have a sheet on the bottom. Tomorrow morning we are going to the local Home-Depot to get the new cage supplies. . . I am really excited about this. The new measurements are 3ft deep by 5.5 feet long by 5 feet high. Right now we have it so there are two full levels and a third half level on the top. Is there a general height to go by in between levels? I am thinking about 18 inches. . . does that sound right? I don’t want it too low, but also trying to save some space with it.


                              • MoveDiagonally
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                                  You want them to have enough room to be able to periscope ( stand on their hind legs) in at least some areas.

                                  Flooring suggestion, I got this stuff at HomeDepot:
                                  http://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMaster-12-in-x-12-in-Chaucer-Newport-Select-Solid-Vinyl-Tile-30-sq-ft-case-5683/100128792#.UXXJzrVJP4s
                                  You can use the website to see if they have it in your area. It’s .39 a sq ft which is pretty cheap. I used it recently in a bunny condo. I haven’t had any issues with gaps but you have to make sure you push them really tightly together when you lay them (any vinyl tile).


                                • Kat_got_Attached
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                                    yes, Princess is really big on periscoping. I have never seen Biggins do it though. . . is that normal? Thankyou for the tip on the vinyl we are going to look at it tomorrow. we also have some indoor/outdoor carpeting they might like because he likes to scratch and dig. I can not wait for this to be done.


                                  • bunnylova123
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                                       That’s normal in some bunnies, Clent never periscoped unless he was in the garden and there was a cat next door ( don’t worry, he was totally safe, he had an enclosed run, and I had my trusty water pistol   


                                    • Kat_got_Attached
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                                        alright guys, I would like to thank you for all of your help and advice. the cage is almost complete, it will be done in a few hours. I have one more question though. for a ramp to get to different levels, are there standards to go by? I made it longer so there is not a steep incline im just wondering about the steps or bumps we are attaching for grip. we made sure all of the wood was untreated pine, used screws for simpler repair/ replacement. I went with a soft indoor/ outdoor carpet that is machine washable (and atttached it so it is easy to remove and replace). all that is left are the ramps and hidey-box. again, that you all for your help in this!


                                      • Kat_got_Attached
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                                          thank you*


                                        • tanlover14
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                                            Would love to see pictures once you’re done!


                                          • mocha200
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                                              The ramp sounds great! Please post pictures when you are done! I am so excited to see it (I have been stalking this thread! haha!)!


                                            • Kat_got_Attached
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                                                I have many pictures, and for some reason I am unable to upload them here. I will post a link to my face book album, that has the entire construction process. until i figure out how to get one up here.

                                                https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.424043032159.214030.688307159&type=3


                                              • mocha200
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                                                  Lovely house! I love it! one thing about the wire is that chicken wire tends to not be strong enough and rabbits can chew right through it. Otherwise it looks great! I love the window seat! I have one for my rabbits and they love it too!


                                                • MoveDiagonally
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                                                    Very nice job! You have a couple of adorable buns.

                                                    As Mocha said the chicken wire can be problematic but if they don’t chew on it, it should be fine If they do chew on you can replace it with “cage wire” which is a thicker square mesh, that seems to work pretty well. Very cool, though!


                                                  • Kat_got_Attached
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                                                      yes, i knew the chicken wire was not ideal. . . but we had some around anyway, so we figured we would try it before we bought new stuff. easy to take off if i need to change it. They LOVE the top level. especially the box. they never moved around much in their other cages, but now all they do is run little “laps” from the bottom to the top and back again. Someone helped me out so i think i can add a picture here now:


                                                    • PurpleBunni
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                                                         I need to build a cage for the bunny I will be adopting this spring, but haven’t decided between space and costs what the best route will be for us.  Do mind sharing an estimate of what you spent?  It looks like something that would work really well in the space I have.

                                                        Thank you,

                                                        Melissa

                                                         


                                                      • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                                                          I used Nic Cubes to make my bunnies cage the cubes itself cost about $40.00 I bought them at bed bath and beyond and had coupons. For the flooring I used ceramic tiles or you can use linoleum. If you look under habitats you will see pictures of nic cube cages.


                                                        • Kat_got_Attached
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                                                            For the material we bought, we ended up spending about $65 dollars. We also had a lot left over, so if you plan better than we did it might be cheaper. The plywood i used for the “floors” was $12 for a 4′ X 8′. (we bought 2) We bought the cheap stuff because we knew we were going to carpet over it so they wont chew. Its some mixture of pine, oak and something else. We used 2x2s for the frame. They were heavy duty furring strips; those were the expensive part, about $2 per 8 foot length. THOSE we made sure were untreated pine, because they do have access to it.

                                                            Hardware will be a bit different depending on how you build the cage. We bought 2 packs of hinges, larger for the door, and smaller ones for the mini “bunny door” on top. ($6 for both) My husband opted for the large pack of expensive screws, about $12, because he had other plans for them when the cage was done. I would have only spent $5 or so.

                                                            We had the hex wire (chicken wire) here already, and i highly advise you listen to everyone else and get “cage wire”. I dont like the chicken wire because it is really weak. . . i just dont trust it. We are switching it out on our next free day. It will be about $40 for a good size roll of it. We used a staple gun to secure it.

                                                            The two things i did not purchase were the indoor/outdoor carpet, it was left over from when my husband re-did the interior of his boat. And the “boarder” on the very top level is actually left over parts from when we put new flooring in my room. It is pergo laminate click/lock stuff. I worried about whether it was safe for them or not, but they never chew it. . . plus it is all over my room anyway, so i figured it should be fine.


                                                          • PurpleBunni
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                                                              Thank you, Kat. That was VERY helpful! I have found a place to get chloroplast if I decide on a nic condo, but our Bed bath & beyond doesn’t carry the cubes and I read that Target’s cubes have too big of spacing. And yours looks so nice and solid.


                                                            • mocha200
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                                                                one thing with chloroplast is that it can be very slippery.

                                                                you can order NIC cubes online, the shipping might be expensive though.


                                                              • PurpleBunni
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                                                                  Thanks for the tip Mocha! I want a bottom with deep enough sides to hold in litter and hay, so I may have to line it with textured tiles or fleece.


                                                                • mocha200
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                                                                    I would try linoleum with 2×4 pieces of wood as trim!

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                                                                Forum HABITATS AND TOYS housing issue – might build a cage