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 HABITATS AND TOYS How big of a cage?

Viewing 10 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Tenuidae
      Participant
      4 posts Send Private Message

        Hey guys, so I was thinking of moving my girl, Pooka, to my bedroom. Right now she lives in a hutch in the hallway due to space issues. However, when I am home, I always try to have her playing in my room as much as possible if I’m not cleaning my five fish tanks which happens multiple times a week since I have three small ones. I wouldn’t want her to get into the buckets of fish water.

        Anyway, I was thinking about building her a cage with NIC cubes and zip ties . Though I’m not sure how to go about it or how much room I should give her. She would only be in the cage when I am not home or when I need to keep her confined when I clean my tanks. I have a spot in the corner of my room that’s about 4 feet wide by about 3 feet deep I could put this cage, but I’m not sure if that would be okay for her. Her hutch is way too small for her right now and I feel awful about it, but she does get out most of the day and in the evening until I go to sleep when I am home.

        She is a large rabbit, weighing about 10lbs. Someone once told me she was a Havana, but I have no idea. She seems big for a Havana. She is all black with short fur. Not sure if anyone knows what breed she may be. Though that’s not really important right now.

        If anyone has any better ideas, they are welcome. I would let her free roam my room but I’m afraid she would somehow get into my fish stuff or eventually knock down anything I use to block off areas since she is quite strong compared to smaller rabbits. She isn’t much of a jumper, but she does like to knock things over. I would rather her be in a safe closed off space when I am not around.

        Also wondering what a good (inexpensive) flooring would be for a NIC cage. She is not litter trained right now but I will be working on it, though she will be 3 in October (she was a gift for my sisters when she was about 2 months old, though she ended up being mine when my sisters lost interest. I picked her out and I was the only one she ever bonded to or trusts.). She is also unspayed because I don’t have the money to spay her right now, so I know she is more likely to have accidents or mark spots. I do have some decent sized pieces of fleece (like a couple yards) leftover from costumes I’ve made. But I don’t know if that would be okay. My floor right now is carpet over an old wood floor that isn’t in the best condition, so I would like something over the carpet just in case (plus she has a thing for pulling out my carpet fibers).

        Thank you in advance, guys


      • bpash89
        Participant
        307 posts Send Private Message

           Your number one priority right now really needs to be getting her spayed.  Female bunnies have an 80% chance of developing cancer by the time they are 3~4 years old unless they are spayed.  If she’s already nearing 3 it really isn’t something to be put off any longer.  

           

          As far as the housing options, if her hutch is too small then by all means move her if it’s a possibility.  There are tons of housing ideas involving nic cubes, just put “nic cubes” into the search bar and I’m sure you will find plenty of ideas that will work for your set up.  If you are trying to litter box train her though, a fleece flooring option would definitely not work.  General rule, the softer it is the more bunnies seem to like to pee on it.  A solid floor option would be best for easy clean up and would help cement those litter habits once she picks them up.  


        • MoveDiagonally
          Participant
          2361 posts Send Private Message

            Would an X-Pen be possibility? They are usually pretty nice when you have limited space. They can be extended when you’re not home, giving your bunny more room when you’re not using it, and condensed when you are and need the space. These cost $40-60 dollars usually but you might be able to find one for a bit less money on craigslist or something similar.

            Since she’s not spayed her litter habits, even with training, will likely be a bit unreliable. I would stick to water proof/resistant flooring because of this. Sheet vinyl might be a good option for you. You can sometimes find “scraps” at hardware or flooring stores for a low price. You could also look on craigslist, at sales, or just see what the cheapest new vinyl flooring would cost. You can lay it down over carpet without using any glues or fussing with it too much.

            If you want to go with NIC, I would see if you can find the panels on craigslist or something similar first. You can sometimes get a GREAT deal this way! For size, I would go as big as you can, so 4′ X 3′. To accomplish this you would have to overlap grids as each panel is 14″ each. If you go this route I might just do one level (2 grids tall) and you can add more on later. This will save you some money. For a single level 4′ X 3′ ( approx 3 1/2 grids X 2 1/2 grids) you would need approx 36 grids.
            Here are two good videos on NIC contruction:
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrm424k-b78
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqyUPxE-wB8

            On a non housing note:
            Unspayed female rabbits have an 80% of getting uterine cancer by the age of 4. If you haven’t already, I might call shelters and rescues in your area to see if there are any lower cost options. You could also contact your local HRS chapter if you have one. I know you said you can’t afford it right now but calling around and exploring your options will give you an amount to save towards. I know some members have asked for the surgery or money for the surgery as birthday/holiday presents too.


          • CheriB603
            Participant
            422 posts Send Private Message

              Get her spayed!!!!
              A new space is great for her, but won’t be much fun if your rabbit gets sick and suffers a painful death. Sorry to be so blunt but if I were you I would want to be told the absolute truth so that I could do the best for my bunny, as I know you want to do. . An x-pen is a great, economical way to give more space. Pop in to small, local flooring stores and very sweetly ask if they might have a large scrap of vinyl or linoleum flooring you could have for your bun. I have a local place that was happy to get rid of both lino scraps & tiles leftover from jobs. And get a litter box now, put a bowl of food in it along with hay to start getting your bun used to the concept.
              But FIRST – get her spayed!!


            • Hazel
              Participant
              2587 posts Send Private Message

                Please spay her now, anything else can wait.


              • Tenuidae
                Participant
                4 posts Send Private Message

                   I do know all of these things about getting her spayed. And If I could I would do it right now. But I am currently unemployed trying to get a job, and right now I have nothing. My mother doesn’t mind paying for food and stuff for the rabbit, but my parents would not pay for a surgery for an animal. They arent the type. I’ve never had an animal that has really needed to go to a vet for anything before because of that. We got a rabbit because my sister really wanted one so my mom wanted to get her one. The rabbit ended up being mine since my sister lost interest in her and wont clean up after her. Pooka has only ever bonded to me, and is very attatched to and trusting of me, and she is one of my best friends in the world, so I could never give her away. I don’t think she could even take that. 

                  Once I am able to find a job, I will be getting her spayed ASAP, but right now I have five million other things to deal with with money I dont have. I’m doing the best I can for her right now. She’s one of the only friends I have right now, and I love her more than anything. I hope you guys understand that. I’m not trying to be cruel or neglectful.

                  I am thinking of building a NIC cube cage because my mother has some of the cubes I can probably use, and my mom’s friend who has bunnies has a bunch I can have for free since her bunnies free roam now and she has bunnyproofed everything since she’s had them for 5 years now. She has been my #1 source of information for rabbit care since I ended up with Pooka, and she has talked to me about getting her spayed, but she also doesn’t have much money so she understands that I can’t do it right now. I don’t think she is in immediate danger, and I will get it done as soon as I possibly can, but right now I want to do what I can to make her as comfortable as possible with the resources I have. And I would very much like to have her in my bedroom. I very recently lost the last of my rats (I have had rats constantly over the past 7 years, and before that gerbils that lived a lot longer than they were expected to) so my room feels very empty and quiet without an animal other than my fish in it. I also think she would be happier to not live alone in a hallway all the time. 

                  I hope you guys don’t think I am a terrible mom to my rabbit. This is really upsetting me because I feel like I’m being cruel to her. But she gets tons of love and attention and lots of hay and veggies and treats and I’ve made her lots of toys to play with. She even lets me hold her and I can trim her nails no problem because of how much she trusts me. I know getting her spayed should be a priority, and it is. But the things I want to do for the cage in my room for her are things that I am not actually spending/wasting money on that could go to having her spayed.

                  I’m sorry, I’m rambling, I just don’t want you guys to think I am deliberatley being cruel or neglectful or anything like that. She is and has always been very happy and healthy. 


                • Beka27
                  Participant
                  16016 posts Send Private Message

                    You’re not being cruel or neglectful. The point was made (and reiterated 3 times) that she needs to be spayed.

                    You understand that this needs to be done sooner rather than later (I think in your other thread you said she is two years old?) and rabbit uteruses truly are “ticking time bombs”…

                    If you haven’t already, start doing your research now; find local vets, inquire about prices, discuss payment options, and look for any low-cost spay/neuter clinics in your area that treat rabbits. All of this can be accomplished with the internet and some phone calls. You’ll feel better knowing exactly how much you need to save up, and it’s a step in the right direction.

                    RE: Spaying, I think that’s sufficient right now. If you have additional questions about that topic, feel free to start a thread in the appropriate section.

                    Now we can focus on free/inexpensive changes you can make to improve her day-to-day living conditions.

                    Moving on….


                  • MoveDiagonally
                    Participant
                    2361 posts Send Private Message

                      I don’t think you’re being cruel or neglectful. It seems like you understand how important spaying is and love your bunny very much. It sounds like you’re taking great care of her. 

                      If you’re going with NIC, check out the videos I posted earlier they are really great. How many grids do you think you’ll have available?


                    • Beka27
                      Participant
                      16016 posts Send Private Message

                        With a ten pound bunny, I’d like to see 4×4 feet (of cage floor space) as a minimum… But if the best you can do is 3×4 feet, then that is better than where she is now.


                      • Tenuidae
                        Participant
                        4 posts Send Private Message

                          I have been looking around, though there doesn’t seem to be any low cost places in my area. There is a vet very close to me but I am unsure if they treat exotics. I will be calling them to figure that out. I may also ask my friend’s mother where she got her pair spayed and neutered.

                          I really hope she thinks I’m taking good care of her. She does seem happy. Well, as happy as a bunny can portray. She randomly binkies around my room a lot. She accidentally binkied onto my bed from the floor once, haha. needless to say she was a bit confused when she landed. I’ve been keeping a litterbox out in my room lately to see if she will use it. And she has several times and likes to “dead bunny” flop down in it since its big enough for her whole body. I wish I had something to use for a hay rack to keep the hay seperate from the litter so it doesn’t get wet when she pees. Right now I have the hay in a small container that fits across the front end of the box tipped on its side a bit. She doesn’t seem to mind it. She hasn’t peed on my carpet since I have had the litter box out except for one little marking spot in the box I set up for a hidey house. Other then that she has gone in the box several times. I think it helps that the box is wedged in a corner between the wall and my nightstand, since she backs her butt up into a corner to pee.

                          Anyway, a ballpark estimate would be maybe 40 or so grids. Not sure how many come in a package, but my mom has them set up for shelves in the attic but they haven’t been used in at least five or six years. And my friends mom said she had a bunch she could give me. If they are 14 inches, I may make the cage two grinds high since that would be over two feet. I would make another floor, but I’m not sure how well those grids would hold her weight even with some kind of floor on top of them. She does weigh ten pounds. I would also need more grids for that I think. I’d rather give her more floor space than more levels in the cage since she will only be in there when I am not home. I think there may be some leftover linoleum tile from tiling my kitchen somewhere. Would linoleum tiles work okay for a floor? I’m not sure how many I have, but I think at least enough for a cage floor.


                        • MoveDiagonally
                          Participant
                          2361 posts Send Private Message

                            Posted By Tenuidae on 07/26/2013 10:15 AM
                            Anyway, a ballpark estimate would be maybe 30 or so grids. Not sure how many come in a package, but my mom has them set up for shelves in the attic but they haven’t been used in at least five or six years. And my friends mom said she had a bunch she could give me. If they are 14 inches, I may make the cage two grinds high since that would be over two feet. I would make another floor, but I’m not sure how well those grids would hold her weight even with some kind of floor on top of them. She does weigh ten pounds. I would also need more grids for that I think. I’d rather give her more floor space than more levels in the cage since she will only be in there when I am not home. I think there may be some leftover linoleum tile from tiling my kitchen somewhere. Would linoleum tiles work okay for a floor? I’m not sure how many I have, but I think at least enough for a cage floor.

                            I agree with Beka that 4′ X 4′ would be ideal but if you only have room for 4′ X 3′ that’s better than what she’s in now. 

                            You will definintely want to do 2 grids high because 1 grid wouldn’t be tall enough for her to periscope fully. Levels are nice but you are correct about giving her more floorspace being more important. 

                            Hm… If the boxes you have are the 4 cube sets then that would be about 32 grids. If your friend has even 4 grids to give you you will have plenty to make the 4′ X 3′ I mentioned earlier. It would be 2 grids tall, 3 1/2 grids long, and 2 1/2 grids deep with a top. To get the half grid you just overlap them on one end. 

                            The only issue with the tiles is they have to be stuck to something. Do you have anything 4′ X 3′ they can be attached too? 

                        Viewing 10 reply threads
                        • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                        Forum HABITATS AND TOYS How big of a cage?