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Forum HABITATS AND TOYS Using a run as a housing option

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    • 61Rabbit
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        Hi all,

        This is my first post on this forum, I hope I’m going about this correctly!

         I’d like some advice on an idea I have to house my rabbits.

        I have three rabbits: a bonded adult male/female (de-sexed, of course) Dutch cross pair; and an 8 week old lionhead/lop female.

        I have two cages:
            (1) 1.40m long, 75cm width and 52cm in height. Currently used to house the pair.
            (2) a 1m long, 60cm width, 45cm height. The baby rabbit is temporarily housed in this cage.
        And one pen:
            (3) 1.20m long, 1.20m width, 60cm height.

        I’m considering housing the pair in the pen, and moving the new rabbit into their old 1.40m cage. Based on the size of the housing areas, would anyone think this a good idea?

        I’m very concerned that I give my rabbits the maximum space I can provide when they need to be ‘caged in’ when I’m not at home!

        Thanks in advance for any replies!


      • jerseygirl
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          Welcome 61Rabbit

          You could even attach the smaller cage to pen to give the pair a bit extra.
          Does the pen have a cover?


        • Beka27
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            Welcome here!

            So the 1st cage (currently housing the pair) is about 4.5 feet long, 2.5 feet wide, and not quite 2 feet tall. That sounds like it’s a pretty standard pet store cage.

            The 2nd cage (housing the single baby) is just under 3.5 feet long, about 2 feet wide, 1.5 feet tall. That sounds like a small pet store cage, maybe like a “starter” cage.

            The pen sounds like a standard dog xpen, 4×4 feet, but only 24 inches tall.

            (I am hopeless with metric, so I figured I’d do all the conversions for the other “standard” members here. This will help us visualize what you have. Hope you don’t mind!)

            They all need an upgrade, that is for sure. The minimum recommended space PER rabbit is 2×4 feet (or 60cm x 1.2 meters). The only cage you have that meets that minimum is the first cage, but again, that’s the minimum for ONE rabbit… not a pair.

            I do think moving the baby into the larger cage sounds like the best solution for now.

            Regarding the pen, I am concerned about the height. We don’t generally recommend pens under 36 inches (about 91cm, just under a meter). With the height you have now, it’s very likely that the pair will be able to hop out, and if you’re not around at the time, who knows what they would get into.

            I think you could house the pair in the pen, but you would probably want to make a top out of something that could be attached, or even clothespin a sheet to the top for when you’re not home.

            What is your long-term goal with the bunnies? Are you planning on working them into a trio when the baby is fixed? Have you explored building a condo out of wire cube panels (NIC grids)?


          • jerseygirl
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              I’m wondering if this is the type of run/pen you have?

              Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos


            • 61Rabbit
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                Thanks for the welcome Jerseygirl – the pen has a lid on top as a roof, pretty much identical to the picture you posted!

                Thanks too, Beka27 – I take it the pen would be suitable space-wise for the pair, and the larger cage for my new rabbit?

                I don’t think I’d bond her into the pair I’ve got right now as they’re very close to each other and the pair are both Dutch types, whereas the new rabbit is a lionhead/lop so I’d think she’d get along better with a simlar breed boy rabbit when the time comes, after she’s neutered!

                I’m UK based and I’ve never seen the NIC products around, so if I was to consider building a cage, it would have to be made from wood like an outdoor hutch! I’ve not seen examples of that though, as most of the forum users seem to have the condo set-up!


              • jerseygirl
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                  I thought you might be from the UK. : )
                  Traditional hutches, Runs and Wendyhouses seem to be popular there. And yes, NIC grids hard to find!

                  I think the pen for the pair and larger cage for the single bun fits the minimum recommendations Beka quoted.

                  Your rabbits can come out of their habitats when you are home?


                • 61Rabbit
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                    Maybe using centimetres and metres was the give-away!

                    Well, if it meets the minimum requirements then moving them around is something I’ll certainly do!

                    Could I ask, is it recommended to use an outdoor hutch as an indoor cage? Or would it be too stuffy for the rabbit(s) as they’ll be warm enough in the house?

                    They can hop around the spare room as it only houses a work-desk and cheap desk-chair! But I can’t let them out permanently there as I’m planning on setting up a laptop and electronics there as an office space, so I wouldn’t want to risk wires being chewed!


                  • jerseygirl
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                      Having them secured in a habitat is fine. You know they’re safe & exactly where they’ll be when you get home. Plus the rabbits will likely sleep in your absence.

                      I’ve seen some members use hutches inside. I’ll add some photos if I find them.

                      If the rabbits have good litter habits, they’d work well. I can imagine they’d be a pain to clean otherwise.
                      Ventilation is important and I think most could be easily modified to maximise that.


                    • 61Rabbit
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                        That would be great if you could post some photos, I’d really appreciate that!

                        The pair are litter trained really well – they took to the litterbox really quickly which I was very pleasantly surprised by as I’d always though litter training would be difficult! Although I can imagine that stained wood would be difficult to clean and would retain smells…

                        I’m willing to try anything to make them comfortable, it could even be an idea to take the roof off of a hutch, but ensure the sides were increased in height
                        If only petshops stocked larger versions of the ‘cage with plastic flooring and metal wiring’ standards!


                      • jerseygirl
                        Moderator
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                          Okay, here’s some examples I found.

                          From Roberta:
                          Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

                          Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

                          From AnnaW:
                          Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

                          From Lightchick:
                          Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

                          Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos


                        • jerseygirl
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                            How sturdy are those runs like the one I posted earlier? I’m curious if one of those could be set up vertically and converted into condo style setup.


                          • Beka27
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                              Breed doesn’t matter with rabbits living together… A rabbit is a rabbit. You wouldn’t need another lop with your lop. My pair was a mini rex and a lop and they loved each other!

                              A hutch indoors is definitely possible. If you (or someone you know) is handy you can make modifications to allow more air flow by removing wood from the sides and attaching rabbit wire.


                            • 61Rabbit
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                                Thanks jerseygirl, that was really good of you to go to the trouble! The AnnaW photo looks like a great idea: as far as I can tell, it would simply mean not attaching a roof to a ‘flat pack’ store hutch and heightening the top walls to stop any falls! The hutch wood looks like really good quality too. And attaching a puppy pen obviously works too!

                                The run I have is made of quite cheap wood, to be honest – I wouldn’t feel confident stacking them at all. It’s a good run, but I don’t think it would bear weight! But that would be a great idea, giving them loads and loads of space!!

                                Beka27, that’s lovely how your two bonded! I wouldn’t want to risk my pair getting tetchy and splitting up if they were bothered by a new arrival though! If I see another rabbit (once she’s neutered, and the three of them are sorted house-wise!) then I won’t be biased on breed!


                              • AnnaW
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                                  Well I was surprised to read through this thread and see a picture of the house I made for Barney!
                                  Hey 61Rabbit, welcome to the forum!! You’re right – I simply didnt attach the lid to the store bought hutch for Barney as it made it very dark and enclosed, and he loves to poke his head out of the top to say hello! The little fence bits came from a UK shop called QD, they’re just little plastic bits of fencing made for surrounding the edges of flower beds in gardens
                                  Good luck with your habitat, feel free to message me if you have any questions about Barney’s House xxx


                                • dusky2012
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                                    61rabbit, I live in the uk and have build a condo out of NIC grids, I got them on amazon.


                                  • 61Rabbit
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                                      Thanks AnnaW, I will take a look at a local pet shop for two-storey hutches in the near future! And I didn’t realise the fence was a flower-garden idea – thanks for the tip!

                                      dusky2012, I’ll check amazon and see what pricing and delivery costs etc turns out to be – thanks!

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                                  Forum HABITATS AND TOYS Using a run as a housing option