cage of doom

[newbunkramer14]

So I recently got a rabbit from a girl who could no.longer give her the time she needed and this cage she came with is so small for her and she can just lay down and stretch and turn and take maybe a hop and a half in it. I bought an exercise which is where she spends about three hours in. And once she is more comfortable with us I plan on making another pen outside with a roof on it. Ok so my question is is how big should her cage be if she is out a lot? I wish i knew how to litter train her. I’d just let her run around the house with us. Also wondered what to do for fleas. It’s flea season again and I don’t want to fight that battle. Thanks.

[newbunkramer14]

I mean how big should her cage be for when she’s in it for.night time when I can’t keep an eye on her. And if anyone knows how to litter train I couls use some clues for that. And also this cage is a wired cage and she stands on it. Is that not bad for their feet? I heard it hurts so i put down some paper until i get her a different cage. Thanks

[litheandgraphic]

Firstly, welcome to the forums! Let’s see if we can help.

For starters, you can read this helpful page to learn more about litter training. The key is to make the bunny feel as secure as possible in the territory that will be hers, so that you can avoid territorial marking. A good way to do this is to start with a small space, then slowly allow her to expand her world. It will still take quite some time for this to fully sink in, however – even months! Similarly, are you positive that she is a female rabbit? If so, you will definitely want to get her spayed as soon as possible, if she isn’t already. This will not only help tremendously with litter training and other behavioral issues, but it will greatly reduce her chance of developing reproductive cancers.

Now onto the cages / enclosures. Good for you for putting something down on the wire floors, because yes, it is bad for their feet and can cause a condition known as “sore hocks”, which is a nasty, painful business. You don’t have to worry so much about this right away, unless she’s been living in there for a long time. Take a look at her hocks (back feet) to check for blisters and sores.The minimum recommended size for a rabbit is 12 sq. ft. (4 ft. x 4 ft., etc), so that x-pen you have now would be perfect to function as her actual living space. If you get a second pen, you can attach that to her “house” pen to give her a huge space to run around in, or you can consider free roaming her in a single, bunny-proofed room of the house. Perhaps later, you can even consider making her a completely free roaming rabbit. Another option would be to build her an NIC condo or get her an extra large dog crate if you’re low on space. The dog crate is only really recommended, though, if she’s out basically all day long and only goes there to sleep. 

For the fleas – is she living indoors? If not, we highly recommend you bring her indoors. Rabbits that live indoors tend to have longer, happier lives and this will basically eliminate the chance of her getting fleas, mites, or other parasites, though it does still happen, especially if any other animals are around. There are a multitude of ways to treat these parasites. Consult your rabbit-savvy vet (and if you haven’t found one yet, check this page out to find one near you).

Good luck and welcome again!

[newbunkramer14]

The girl who had her before me said she’s been inside her whole life and I also have her inside. I haven’t found a vet close enough to me to schedule a spay. A vet down the road only does neuters. She said bunnies don’t do well under anaesthesia. So I’m still searching on that part.
Now how can i help TRAnsition her over to a cage with no wires on the bottom? She loves her cage now but I imagine its because that’s all that she knows. I don’t want to put her under any stress.

[litheandgraphic]

Posted By newbunkramer14 on 9/21/2014 1:50 PM

The girl who had her before me said she’s been inside her whole life and I also have her inside. I haven’t found a vet close enough to me to schedule a spay. A vet down the road only does neuters. She said bunnies don’t do well under anaesthesia. So I’m still searching on that part.
Now how can i help TRAnsition her over to a cage with no wires on the bottom? She loves her cage now but I imagine its because that’s all that she knows. I don’t want to put her under any stress.

That vet isn’t wrong, but if done properly, the bun should be fine. After all, look at all the successfully spayed females we have! Ultimately it’s a gamble with her life either way, but at least with a spay done with a rabbit-savvy vet, your chances of her surviving are extremely high versus not getting her spayed where her chances of an early death are basically 90%. You have some time, though, so look around – if there’s a branch of the House Rabbit Society in your area / state, try contacting them for suggestions! 

Transitioning should go fairly easily. You can just tempt her in with a healthy treat like some cilantro or lettuce, and then close her in and allow her time to get used to her new environment. If you keep giving her healthy treats, she’ll come to associate the new space with something positive, and soon enough she will mark the territory as her own by chinning and likely by peeing, also – this is inevitable, especially with unfixed bunnies. 

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