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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 16sd replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 18 years ago by Scarlet_Rose.

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- 02/02/2008 at 12:37 PM
  Sage Cat
  Participant
  1883 posts
  Hi Y’all,
  
  My application for addopt a pair of buns from Colorado HRS is in process – Yea!
  
  My husband and I have been talking about making a stylie rabbitat. Between the 2 of us we do some wood and wetal working. We have some great ideas! We are thinking about something 2.5 deep, 4 feet wide and 4 feet tall, with about 3 levels.
  
  However, I am having a hard time comming up with a good material to use for the "fencing". What I would like is some vinyl coated wire mesh with a 1×1 or 1×2 inch "hole" – Like the Nice Idea Cubes, which are cool, but I would like bigger panels.
  
  This is what I have found so far:
  
  Chicken wire – does not look very nice. Very thin – could it hurt the buns if they chewed on it?
  
  4 foot X 100 foot rolls of vinyl wire mesh for about $200 – not so much!
  
  Poultry Fence – a plastic version of checken wire – 3 feet x 25 feet for $15, a little more like it. But it is plastic! I can’t tell what it looks like. Could buns chew threw it?
  
  Exercies Pens – I could get the 2 feet x 4 feet panels – but that is still about $50.
  
  Any one have ideas?
  
  Anyone built something similar?
  
  Thanks,
  
  Sage Cat
- 02/02/2008 at 2:01 PM
  Scarlet_Rose
  Participant
  4293 posts
  Hi Sage Cat that is wonderful news! : ) That is great you both are such handy people, I cannot wait to see pictures of your new rabbitat! As for chicken wire, I would nix that for a bottom, it is very painful for a rabbits feet. They really should have a solid floor and since they will be litterbox trained, it will stay fairly clean.
  
  The poultry fence I would nix as well. I know someone here used vinyl lattice. Another idea is using some of the wire closet shelving for sides. Bottom I think I would just stick with pine board. You can then place traction on it like towels or rag rugs.
  
  Edited to add that covering the wire floor with something like coroplast works too.
- 02/02/2008 at 2:41 PM
  Sage Cat
  Participant
  1883 posts
  The bottom and the shelves will be made of pine bord. I will probably cover it with something to aid in clean up (peel & stick tiles?) and towls and rugs.
  
  It is the sides that I’m trying to come up with a good see through material.
  
  We are considering a wood frame and posibly cutting slots in the wood so that the NIC panels slid into the wood – rather than holding them together with zip ties.
  
  I realize this is an elaborate process – but it just sounds like a fun project.
- 02/02/2008 at 2:47 PM
  Scarlet_Rose
  Participant
  4293 posts
  Oh O.K. It sounds awesome! I think I remember reading somewhere that someone found NIC panels in a little bit larger size but I do not recall where. In that case, try some hardware cloth (the holes are small though and no noses can poke through).
  
  Oh yes and the floor, I have peel & stick tiles on wood (easy clean up) and place pieces of berber fur, stone tiles with wrong side up for traction and rag rugs for comfort and to prevent sore hocks.
- 02/02/2008 at 3:12 PM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  BinkyBunny uses the white closet shelving for her bun’s space. it’s a bit wider than the nic cubes but more than twice as tall. that might be a good alternative. check out the cool habitats section. there are pics of it there. and don’t forget… you’ll want to have (ideally) a way to access each floor thru the side or front in order to clean or get a bunny if you need to. i’m really excited about what you’re planning on do. it certainly sounds elaborate. it’ll be a pretty cool place. will the wood framing be covered with something? remember… the more a bun is not supposed to chew something, the more they will find a way.
- 02/02/2008 at 3:16 PM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  i found the pic of BinkyBunny’s set-up. you can see the wire closet shelve things. i hope she doesn’t mind me linking her pic?!
- 02/02/2008 at 8:22 PM
  Scarlet_Rose
  Participant
  4293 posts
  Beka, don’t worry BB doesn’t mind. : )
- 02/03/2008 at 10:40 AM
  Sage Cat
  Participant
  1883 posts
  That is a sweet set up! I love the totes with doors cut out.
  This is actually one of the rabbitats that was inspiring us. It looks like a wood frame with some metal angle iron at the corners.
  
  I remember reading some place that rabbits like to chew on pine. I’m okay with them chewing on it if it wont hurt them. Besides if we build it – we will be able to replace parts if necessary!
  
  But. I’m guessing stain would be bad on the wood. Does any one know?
  
  By the way – our application has been accepted. I will keep y’all updated.
- 02/03/2008 at 6:18 PM
  Scarlet_Rose
  Participant
  4293 posts
  Sage Cat that’s wonderful news! You are right, stain would be bad and is not rabbit safe. It’s best just to leave it plain and untreated. I am so excited for you I can hardly wait to hear about your adoption!!!
- 02/04/2008 at 1:56 AM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  congratulations!!! Thanks Beka for posting the my set-up. We actually covered the edges of the wood with metal to prevent them from chewing. It works great!
- 02/04/2008 at 8:48 AM
  babybunsmum
  Participant
  3896 posts
  ooo congrats on your application approval!!! i love building rabitats too… my bun has had to tolerate a few ‘reno’s’ since i’ve discovered NIC panels. lol. i wish i was as handy as you & yours… that’d sure be a fun project! def keep us updated
- 02/04/2008 at 11:49 PM
  Gravehearted
  Participant
  2428 posts
  I’m so happy to hear your application was accepted, that’s wonderful!
- 02/05/2008 at 3:11 PM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  WOOHOOO CONGRATS!!!
- 02/08/2008 at 1:15 PM
  Laura
  Participant
  182 posts
  Hi!
  
  Congrats on getting some buns!
  
  We used hardware cloth, much more sturdy than chicken wire.
  
  We got some discontinued laminate tile and stapled it to the wooden floor.
  
  Ours are outside in a 10 x15 rabbitat. (I don’t recommend keeping rabbits outside!)
  
  Laura
- 02/20/2008 at 1:49 PM
  DawnT
  Participant
  187 posts
  hi how is everybody today i have a question my baby girl oreo just had 7 babies do you think we are allowed to have one baby with the mom.
  what i mean is can oreo have one of her babies just to stay here at are house because we where thinking was if we have a bay and her mom saty here would that be ok if we have a mom and just one of her babies stay.
  
  ps .is that ok. yes or no
- 02/20/2008 at 2:44 PM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  yelpot… i’m not sure if i understand what you’re asking… are you asking if your family can keep one of the babies after the others have found homes? if that’s so, of course, you can keep as many as you’d like. you’re probably gonna end up having to keep them for a long while anyways because good bunny homes are very hard to find. you will need to spay the mom as soon as possible before keeping one of the other bunnies, regardless of sex. i don’t think the buns need to be separated until 8-10 weeks old tho, so you have some time to figure out housing arrangements and such.
- 02/20/2008 at 4:07 PM
  Scarlet_Rose
  Participant
  4293 posts
  Yelp, yes you can keep the babies but be sure to fix the mum and let her recover before you plan to keep them together. If it is a boy it can get her pregnant again when they sexually mature at as early of an age as 3 1/2 months old.
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