Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A NEED BIGGER CAGE!

Viewing 11 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • bunnygirl
      Participant
      636 posts Send Private Message

        What do I do? She adamant that his little petstore cage is fine because “Why would they sell them if they weren’t big enough? There are smaller ones out there than Apollos.” I’ve tried telling her they just wanna make money, and I would know that he needs bigger coz I’ve done all my research and that she was fine when I wanted to build an NIC condo. It’s just now coz we can’t find grids!  I want the best for bun, and I know that he needs bigger. When I suggested a pen, she was like “No! It’ll take up too much space.” (apollos cage is in the family room currently.) and it fits snugly in a corner. Help?! 


      • bunnygirl
        Participant
        636 posts Send Private Message

          And she goes “He’s just a rabbit, not a prince!” he’s my prince and he deserves to be treated like one!!


        • QueenTwitch
          Participant
          84 posts Send Private Message

            Is there anywhere you can put him that’s not so much of a shared space? Maybe your room or a less used other room?


          • bunnylova123
            Participant
            255 posts Send Private Message

              https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/GreatHabitats/tabid/229/Default.aspx this section has some good ideas and where to find nic grids


            • bunnylova123
              Participant
              255 posts Send Private Message

                https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/GreatHabitats/tabid/229/Default.aspx this section has some good ideas and where to find nic grids


              • Roberta
                Participant
                4355 posts Send Private Message

                  OK…. Space…. Nermal is in the same cage as you have but she is only a little bun plus they have free range in the bunny room for atleast 14 hrs a day 24/2 on the weekends. Seriously, they sleep all day, even when the cages are wide open they are in there zonked out waiting till the bunwitching hour to run amok.
                  If the cage is too small then and you are not able to get grids then alternatives need to be found. One suggestion is the same timber bungalow I have for mine. Yep, it’s way to small for 4 rabbits but it does not matter how much space I give them they still squish together so whilst they have heaps of free range time I am not worrying. However for a single bun it would be like the Playbunny Mansion. Pet professionals again and its about $230. Next, using the Xpen panels and some timber, make some frames and create your own hybrid grids. That’s what I intend doing once every bun is spayed and bonded. Bird cages, I saw an amazing cage a while back and it was huge and would have accommodate 4 levels. They are out of stock at the moment but it’s giving me time to get the money together. If you can create something that is attractive as it is bunny desirable then you are well on your way to winning the battle but you need to get creative. Be advised timber is a lot harder to keep clean.


                • BinkyBunny
                  Moderator
                  8776 posts Send Private Message

                    Posted By bunnygirl on 04/13/2013 01:43 AM

                     “Why would they sell them if they weren’t big enough? 

                    The same can go for all kinds of things — clothing, foods etc.  Just because someone sells something doesn’t mean it’s the best thing, or we would all just gorge ourselves on processed food and chocolate and wear clothes that wouldn’t fit on a Barbi Doll.    Okay, so some of us may do that, doesn’t mean just because it’s sold, it’s really the best thing for our health.   So, with that argument she gave, that means you pretty much have new freedoms to get stuff that you want to eat or wear just because…they sell it. 

                     A rabbit may not be a prince,but it is still a life that may live 8 – 12 years and can experience boredom, pain and joy!  Show her some youtube videos of rabbits showing off their personality.  Here are some of mine to start. Maybe if she is able to recognize even “just a rabbit” as something that can experience things like a cat or dog, there will be some openness.  And its with more space and freedom that a rabbit can show off these rabbity funny personalities. 

                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoM9…mp;index=2

                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIFA…mp;index=5

                    Pens can be easily expanded and shrunken down — so you can create maybe a smaller space for him during the time he sleeps during the day, and offer more room when he needs playtime — does he get out of his cage at all? 

                    Oh…and xpens are REALLY easy to clean vs cages and even cubes. Not sure if that will help with arguing your side of things or not. 


                  • bunnygirl
                    Participant
                    636 posts Send Private Message

                      Okay I’m going to put all of your ideas together and possibly figure something out! Ill pitch it to mum over dinner tonight! what about perhaps a dog crate that’s quite high so I could put levels in? I’m not sure!

                      He gets a couple of hours out a day when we’re in, it’s kind of difficult when everybody’s in because stupid brothers leave doors open yet when nobody is in other than myself, it’s very difficult to watch him!

                      Roberta, you know the pen from Red Dot? I tried Apollo in there, and he pushed it over and ran off! Naughty bunny! I’ve also tried asking if he could go in the front living area. But apparently because it’s carpet and will, sometime in the future be a cinema room, he cannot go in there. It won’t be a cinema room for at least another year at this rate!


                    • jerseygirl
                      Moderator
                      22338 posts Send Private Message

                        Are you able to use the panels from the pen to make a condo?
                        This was a good example of turning a pen into a condo that someone shared here a few years back.
                        https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/108637/Default.aspx

                        Or if using just as a pen, you can reinforce them so the rabbits don’t push them out of shape or push them over. I tie rigid supports to adjoining panels to help keep the shape. I’ve seen pens with custom made bases where the panels sit inside the base.
                        Also adding a top helps.


                      • MoveDiagonally
                        Participant
                        2361 posts Send Private Message

                          I wanted to add if she’s worried about mess you can make a “base” for an x-pen which protects the carpet/flooring. But it doesn’t allow for “minimizing space” during inactive times like BB was saying. I made mine 4′ x 4′ but you could do a 4′ x 2′ base for an x pen pretty easily (they’ll cut the wood for you at most hardware stores).

                           photo DexPenHab_zps38ebac97.jpg

                          I agree with what everyone else has said. Good luck!


                        • bunnygirl
                          Participant
                          636 posts Send Private Message

                            I keep bringing the subject up, suggesting dog crates, proper doggie excersize pens, new ideas for condos and she just keeps saying, “Not now…” And “Stop asking! It’s not like we’ll be going out to buy anything today so stop bringing this thing up!”

                            In other news though, I bought Apollo a dog toy that has crinkly paper inside (Roberta and her buns have one too!) and he went crazy grooming it and bringing it to the pellet dish, the water dish, his favourite laying down spot! Mum noticed and she was like “Aww…would he do that if he had a friend?” And I was like “Yeah, they say buns live better in pairs, they need somebody of their own kind sometimes, you know? But the bonding process is not always easy peasy, and two would, need more space!” And she looked really thoughtful!! I need more space more than anything though!


                          • Eucalyptus
                            Participant
                            251 posts Send Private Message

                              Oh man, I have no patience for this stuff. I don’t understand why people (referring to your mom, not you) bring a life into their home, and they don’t intend to give it the best of the best, or at least the minimum that it needs to thrive. A tiny cage is not the minimum, it’s worse.

                              This is what I say, and always will believe – just because it’s not a human, doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve as much as a human. If you wouldn’t give your child just the bare minimum, why would you ever give your pet just the bare minimum. And I firmly believe that a pet is just as much of a family member as a child.

                              “Why would they sell it if it wasn’t big enough?” ever heard of the word greed? Why do they sell food with fillers and artificial ingredients that save the company money while you get poor quality food? You could go on and on about these things. Big corporations and companies do absolutely everything to produce as much of their products as possible while using as little money, even if that means reducing the quality or ripping off the customers. This is easily seen with food – human and pet food.

                              It’s hard to help … my mom wouldn’t have done this. The only people that ever acted this way were just semi-friends that I could break off the friendship with. I can’t imagine having to live with someone with this mindset. I would recommend buying one of the nicer looking hutches (for indoor use), since they blend with furniture. And taking up more space wouldn’t be as impeding on her precious living room if it looks like a cabinet. But I get the feeling that she wouldn’t dish out the money for the large sized one (and the small hutches are just terrible).

                              Do you have enough room in your bedroom to put an enclosure? If you’re totally set on it, save up and build a NIC condo for your bun. Even if you don’t have tons of space, you can build vertically to get more area in less space. Then your bun will have levels to go up and down in, and it’s in YOUR room, so maybe your mom will chill a bit.

                              Good luck …. this is the most frustrating situation, so I can imagine how upset you must feel.

                          Viewing 11 reply threads
                          • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                          Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A NEED BIGGER CAGE!