What indoor cages are good for rabbits?

[River]

I am located in the USA. Most of my rabbits are kept outdoors, but now we have an older bun and he just won’t be able to deal with the temperatures changes as well, even though we alternate out water bottles and provide constant shade. I also want to be able to monitor him more. 

My worry is that I have heard of rabbits refusing to pass stools or urine while they’re in a new location. Is this likely?

What cages would be good for an older New Zealand buck? I have a rather small bedroom, which is where he’ll be kept now, so I want one that is large enough for someone his size, and able to be kept easily in a corner or something. We can’t rabbit proof the whole house right now, so free-ranging isn’t an option. He is not litter trained. What should I use for his litter pan? I buy big bags of Kaytee Clean n Cozy for my mice, can I use this as his litter as well?

EDIT: I am thinking of using a dog exercise pen. How would I cover the floor while he uses this? As I mentioned before he is not litter trained yet and I would rather him not soil the carpet while I figure out what he chooses as his potty corner! 

[tobyluv]

It’s very good that you are bringing the rabbit inside. All the cages sold in pet stores are too small, especially for a large rabbit like a New Zealand. An x-pen is a much better idea. You can use it in a square shape, circular shape or rectangle. Make sure that it is high enough. Even though your rabbit is older, he may still be a jumper. The minimum recommended height for an x-pen is 36″.

It will be different for him to be inside (but better) and hopefully he will easily adjust. Make sure that he is eating as did before. If he has any favorite veggies or greens, have those on hand.

Some people get cheap carpet tiles to cover the floor of an x-pen, or use rugs or fleece blankets. Be careful if he is a chewer. Fleece blankets are safer to use with chewers. You can also get a remnant piece of vinyl flooring to put down, under the carpet, rugs or blankets, for extra protection for your floor. Bring in some of his poop and place it in the litter box. If you can soak up some of his pee on a paper towel, that would be good to put in the litter box too.  If he pees or poops elsewhere in the pen, pick it up or soak it up as soon as possible and place it in the litter box.  Here is a printout about litters to use and not use for rabbits, that we have at the sanctuary where I volunteer:

What To Use In Your Rabbit’s Litter Box

Remember that rabbits may sit in their litter boxes for extended periods, and that they nibble on everything, so it’s important to choose the right litter.
Do not use cedar or pine shavings. These contain dangerous aromatic oils that have been found to cause liver damage and respiratory problems. Swheat Scoop Litter should not be used since rabbits will often ingest it. It is comprised of wheat, is very high in carbohydrates, and can cause obesity, excessive cecal production, diarrhea and other health issues. Don’t use clay litter. The dust causes respiratory problems, and if ingested, it is harmful to the digestive tract. Don’t use any clumping litters–if nibbled on, they are likely to cause obstructions in the intestinal tract. Also avoid corn cob litter. If eaten, it can cause a lethal intestinal blockage.
Recommended litters:
1. Newspaper, shredded or cut-up. It’s inexpensive and readily available, but it offers no odor control. If the newspaper is cut into larger pieces, urine may puddle at first until it is absorbed into the paper, which could cause your rabbit to have damp feet. It can be composted.
2. Paper pulp litter. It has low dust, good absorbency, and no hazards, though it also offers little odor control. It can be flushed or composted. Brands include Carefresh, Yesterday’s News, Cellu-Dri, and Eco Fresh.
3. Oat, alfalfa and wheat straw based pellets. Low dust, good absorbency, and no hazards, although they can cause bloating if too much is ingested. They can be flushed or composted. Brands include Critter Country, Cat Country, and Oxbow Eco-Straw.
4. Compressed sawdust (pine) pellets. Unlike pine shavings, these are safe, since they have no dangerous aromatic oils. They are economical, highly absorbent, and have good odor control. They may be composted. Brands include All Pet Pine, Feline Pine and Exquisicat.
5. Aspen bark, pellets or shredded. Highly absorbent, with good odor control. Pellets are economical, because it only takes a thin layer in the litter box. They may be composted. These larger pellets are good for long haired rabbits, since they don’t get stuck in their fur as easily as the small particle litters. Brands include Aspen Fresh, Gentle Touch and Aspen Supreme.
6. Straw or hay. Straw can be dusty and is not very absorbent, but has no hazards, unless it becomes moldy. Any of the grass hays can be used. Be sure to clean frequently, as your rabbit will also be eating the hay. It may be composted.
7. Wood stove pellets. These are compressed pine or hardwood pellets. Make sure that the pellets are plain and that they don’t contain accelerants. These are very economical.. They can be found in home supply or tractor supply stores.
8. Horse stall pellets. They are compressed sawdust (pine), also very economical. Found in feed stores, home supply stores, or tractor supply stores. One brand is Equine Pine.

If you change to a new litter, your rabbit may hesitate to use it. Mix some of the new with the old, or put some of the dirty litter into the new litter. Daily cleaning of the dirty areas is best. Regularly dump out the whole contents of the box, and thoroughly clean with an organic cleaner or a natural cleaner, such as white vinegar.

Many of these litters are available in pet supply stores, grocery stores, or discount stores. Litter, food and other rabbit supplies can be ordered online from drsfostersmith.com, wag.com, bunnybytes.com, petfooddirect.com, binkybunny.com, leithpetwerks.com, or various other pet supply catalogs and websites.

[River]

Ah! Kaytee is a paper based bedding, yet I find it softer and less dusty than Care fresh. I also have pine pellets I used for my late degus. I’ll see which one works best, or if he prefers a mixture.
I’ll look into x-pens and get some fleece blankets. He does have the potential to be a jumper, definitely. Thank you for the detailed response.

[Mikey]

You can used a large xpen and layer the bottom with cardboard with fleece blankets over the top for grip. Itll protect the carpet from being chewed, and can protect from a few accidents outside of the litter box. You can also get a cage from C&C cages. They have different sizes and colors for you to choose from. You can either keep the bottom as coroplast (theres some grip, but not a lot), or you can line it with fleece blankets for grip. I like C&C cages over xpens because you can buy extra grids to make your own lid/top for the cages, clips to keep the lid in place and can be easily removed, and the grids can be changed around if you feel the need to edit his living space

[Vienna Blue in France]

River – A cat litter tray should be a perfect size for a NZ.

Xpens are good but beware with his weight that the edges are fixed down somehow (or tied to furniture) – mine has enough force in her teeth to throw the xpen out of shape and nuzzle under it, or simply stand on against it and knock it over
C&C cages may be sturdier (or not, I’ve never touched one! ) but if you make levels they will have to be sturdy enough to carry a NZ’s weight.

[River]

I probably won’t do levels. I’ve heard great about Xpens and C&C pens so I will be looking. He is unneutered so far – I do want to have him neutered though, but I don’t know when. Spaying my females comes first as they have a higher risk. – will litter training him be easy? He has no behavior problems I’ve noticed.

[flemishwhite]

When we brought our two Flemish babies into our house, we bought a 3 foot by 6 foot pen to keep them in the living room. This was when they were about 2 months old.  They are sisters.  We let them loose in the house when we were here and shoo’ed them back into the pen when we went to bed. Getting them back in the pen when we wanted to leave the house and also getting them back into pen when we wanted to go to sleep was a problem…they just did not want to be locked in their pen. About 4 months of age, they had a fight in their pen at night…clumps of bunny hair!  So we never closed the door on their pen so they didn’t have to spend the nights together. They were from that point on free to run around the house 24/7.  Result?  Now that they can enter and exit their pen freely on their own accord..they spend almost all the day in their pen!!!  It’s really the same for a human.  If someone wanted to lock you in a room without your control…you’d resist being in the room, but if someone wanted you to be in room that you could leave anytime at your will, you’d be content to spend time in the room. 

[Vienna Blue in France]

I agree flemmish – Zou kicked up such a fuss when she was in her BIG xpen enclosure when we went on Christmas hols.
She is a free roamer and so didn’t like the barrier to be there. she only has one barrier now to stop her getting from the patio onto the grass and she’s given up trying to get there, though at the beginning she made several successful escape attempts and so had the ‘taste’ for freedom

flemmishwhite – Do you have any recent pics of your 2 girls? :

[River]

I do love the idea of free roaming. I want to at least rabbit proof one room so he can have some space there, I just don’t know how!

Flemish – oh, that’s quite funny of your girls to do! My boy likes to spend most of his time lounging in the hallway – he’s inside a lot as it is, and that’s his favorite spot to lay. 

[tobyluv]

Here is some info on bunny proofing: https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/8/PID/940/Default.aspx. I have had a rabbit that chewed through wire wrap, so you still have to be vigilant. And there isn’t much of a way to bunny proof furniture, or chair/sofa cushions or pillows, so you may get some damage there. I certainly have. Anything that is within a rabbit’s reach, whether it’s on the floor or up where a rabbit can jump to, is fair game. Some rabbits do very little chewing and some get better about it as they age, but with some rabbits, it’s a constant battle to keep your stuff safe as well as keep rabbits from ingesting materials that may be harmful to them.

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