New bunny on saturday....

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 11sd replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by keshareligion.

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- 03/21/2013 at 2:00 PM
  keshareligion
  Participant
  5 posts
  So, I’m adopting a new bunny saturday, a Holland lop. It’s an adult and it’s medium sized but that’s all I know about it (the website says it’s a boy but the woman I contacted used ‘her’, so I don’t know it’s gender…). It looks like this:
  
  If it’s a boy, he’ll be Mufasa, and if it’s a girl, she’ll be Rose.
  
  I’d be keeping it in my room, but since my walls are all really small (my room is in the shape of a pentagon, so the longest wall is needed for my bed), I was thinking of doing a taller cage, like a dog kennel and making it so it was comfortable for the rabbit.
  
  What I’m wondering, is how big is a medium sized Holland lop? Would a dog kennel be big enough for it?
  
  Me and my mom went out shopping today and we got paper pellets for litter and crumbled paper bedding to line the bottom of the cage with, and we also got timothy hay and pellets for eating. The sanctuary we’re adopting from has starter kits that hopefully have other things we need to keep the bunny happy.
  
  Another question I had was about bunny-proofing my room.
  
  I’ve got a lot of wires in my room (for lamps and hair dryers and chargers and the like). I also don’t want it crawling under my bed, and my desk is wooden. So I was wondering what I can do to keep it from a) chewing up my desk and chords and b) crawling under my bed where I can’t get it and then chewing up the carpet or my bed.
  
  Is there anything else I should be doing? Anything I should know?
  
  Thanks!
- 03/21/2013 at 3:36 PM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  I would recommend an xpen rather than a dog kennel. The panels can be positioned to move along with your walls, it doesn’t have to be configured in a square. Paper bedding to “line the bottom of the cage” isn’t necessary. You only want litter in the litterbox. NIC grids work well to create barriers around spaces, those would work around your desk and bed to block the areas.
- 03/21/2013 at 3:39 PM
  Hazel
  Participant
  2587 posts
  Welcome!
  
  Instead of the dog kennel (which probably wouldn’t be big enough anyway) you could build a condo out of wire shelving (NIC cubes). There are plenty of examples in the habitat section for you to look at. You can build it any way you want to fit your space and put different levels in. Should be cheaper than a dog crate, too.
  
  Lining the entire bottom of the cage usually makes litter training harder because it makes the bunny think the whole cage is a big litter box. You would be better off getting a litter box to put in the cage. Also, horse stall pellets or wood stove pellets (same thing, but make sure there is no accelerant in it) are much cheaper than the regular litter you get at a pet store. You can get a 40lbs bag for about $6 at stores like Tractor Supply.
- 03/21/2013 at 6:40 PM
  Kwedd
  Participant
  12 posts
  I agree with Beka and Hazel on the NIC cubes. I had a small cage for my bun at first but now that he’s gotten bigger I built him a big cage with 2 levels and he is much happier. I built mine for around $60, so it’s pretty cheap. That’s cheaper than the small cage I had bought him when I first got him. Here’s a link that would help! http://breyfamily.net/bunnycage.html …. I just followed these instructions and mine came out perfect. Good luck with your new bunny, he or she is adorable
  
  Here’s the cage I built. He can easily hop to the 1st platform but can’t get to the second so i put a ramp there. I just did this not too long ago so i need to add stuff to the top levels, they look boring.
- 03/21/2013 at 9:16 PM
  keshareligion
  Participant
  5 posts
  Thank you all very much for your opinions and advice! With the cage (I was just wondering about it, since we already have a large dog kennel from a dog we had a few years ago), I was planning on making it more of a condo style, and creating a second level because the cage is tall. Would you still recommend NIC cubes, despite having that second level? Either way is fine, I just want what’s best for my bunny
- 03/21/2013 at 9:32 PM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  It depends on the size of the kennel. What are its dimensions?
- 03/21/2013 at 9:42 PM
  keshareligion
  Participant
  5 posts
  I’m not exactly sure, and I’ll have to check in the morning, but it’s made for large dogs. (We had an austrailian sheppard and my neighbor used it for a while and her dog comes up to my waist). It’s a decently big cage.
- 03/22/2013 at 5:19 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  My suggestion for NIC grids was in reference to your bunny-proofing question. Grids are great for blocking off areas that the bunny shouldn’t be during exercise time.
- 03/22/2013 at 6:22 AM
  keshareligion
  Participant
  5 posts
  Ah, ok! That’s a good idea, thank you.
- 03/22/2013 at 7:29 AM
  MunchMom
  Participant
  36 posts
  My understanding is that Holland Lops get to be about 10 lbs.
  
  As far as wires go, we bought clear tubing, spit it all the way up one side, and wrapped it around our wires. That way, bun chews the tubing before (or instead of) the wire.
- 03/22/2013 at 7:43 AM
  Elrohwen
  Participant
  7318 posts
  Holland lops get to about 4lbs max, not 10lbs. They typically average 3lbs.
  
  I agree with the other suggestions. A large dog crate can work well, and you can add levels if he seems to like jumping onto them. NIC grids are really great for blocking off areas, and you can even use them to enlarge his cage by creating a pen and attaching it to the front of the cage.
  
  You don’t need bedding for the bottom of his cage, and many buns will pee on bedding (thinking it’s litter), but some people use fleece blankets if their bunnies want softness. Many actually prefer to lay on the plastic, so you can see what he likes. I’ve found cheap fleece by the yard at fabric stores and just cut it to the size I need.
- 03/22/2013 at 10:21 AM
  keshareligion
  Participant
  5 posts
  You’re all very helpful, thank you so much!! I have one more question: I was reading about excersizing buns and if I wanted to take mine outside, would it be safe for him/her to play in the backyard? I asked my mom about pesticides, and she says we haven’t used them in years, but we’ve used them a long time ago. Is it safe or should I keep the bunny inside? (I would keep it harnessed, of course.)
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