Hi there! I’m a new bun mom myself, so I’m interested in your post. I have a feeling my boys’ area is going to be evolving as well. They have one xpen set up on tile. It has a large fleece pad, a bed, and large hay box. They have 2 litter boxes, and they’re lined with puppy pads they don’t chew. I use yesterday’s news as I found out I’m allergic to horse stall pellets (pine kind from tractor supply). I previously have has 2 other bunnies in the past, and have found yesterday’s news cuts down on odor for me, even though I do a complete clean of their litter boxes every 2 days right now. I also leave a layer of hay on top.

Here is a couple photos: http://tinypic.com/r/xgh44h/9
http://tinypic.com/r/2s7fa7b/9

I’m here to get some ideas too. Oh, I should also mention they’re out of their pen 99% of the time. They only sleep there overnight, or when I’m out running errands and I use the side of the pen to block the entertainment center.

@Bumpkin, I absolutely love your hay system! I’m looking for a new one for my buns for after they’re bonded, could you point me to where you got yours? I’ve seen a ton of them around but can’t seem to find the items themselves!

I use the C&C cube method because I just wanted a huge space for mine, and it’s easy to modify to split cages up after we got our new boy. I just use little boxes for their hay right now, since they don’t seem to mind and I’m going to get a much bigger system for when they live together. It’s a work in progress, so I’m also really interested in ideas from this thread.  For the floor, I use those little puzzle piece baby mats (https://i.imgur.com/kzlt7Bw.jpg) because they’re colourful, and pretty easy to clean up… also, neither of my buns have any interest in fleece. They toss them about. They do have blankets that cover their hidey houses and whatnot, but those were in the washing when I took that photo. You can also have a lot of fun building boxes for them to play with, haha. (https://i.imgur.com/LesNIds.jpg)

Thank you! I actually built it myself because I couldn’t find one. I don’t know how much you’re willing to spend, but I do know 101rabbits on Etsy sells them. Here is here store lknk: https://etsy.me/2HUifRg She doesn’t have it listed, but you can ask for a price.

Mine was made using 12″ wide boards. It’s 2 feet high. I used a 4 1/2 inch hole saw and then sanded it down. I had the hole saw. It cost me about $30 to make. I bought the hinges at Home Depot. As well as 1/4″ wire that’s at the bottom on the inside for hay to sift through. There’s 4 inner pieces that were cut to fit inside the box so that the wire sat high enough up to not be wasting hay. In other words, I just made sure it was high enough to not go too far below the holes I cut. Lastly, I made sure the holes were above the litter box backs. Hope that helps!

I didn’t cut the wood myself either, I had a lumber yard cut it to my dimensions too. All I had to do was put it together and sand it.

Hi,

I’ve only been a member of this site since today so I’m struggling to find how to start a new forum ( if anyone could help would be appreciated)

Hi Merci! New members need their topics approved, and that can take some time. Go to the forums and choose an applicable category (i.e. Diet and Care, Behavior….), then click “Add Topic” button. Once you submit your topic, there will be a bit of time before it becomes public, if it’s approved.

Thank you! It’s one big open box. It holds a little over a flake of hay I believe. So easily it holds probably 6 pounds of hay at a time. I just top it off every couple of days, but I make sure to pull hay through the holes every morning so the buns aren’t sticking their heads in there too far.

No, they don’t even try to eat their litter fortunately. ? I suggest build as much as you can. I love those castles too! If you figure out how to build one give me a holler!

It really is amazing that you made that all by yourself! Poppy just recently got spayed, and she’s beginning to realise you don’t need to poop everywhere, so I’ve had to install a litter box system for her now. I think I’ll look into building one too, at some point, although some of the ones on etsy are pretty amazing! Thanks for writing out how you did it.

Yes, they’re the same thing, bunzo! Depending on how big your bunny is, they work very well. Sorrel only needs two levels because he’s not a big jumper, but Poppy needs three because she escapes too often. Amazon sells the green tube, but I got mine at my local PetsatHome for a lot cheaper.

Litter boxes largely depend on your rabbit too. Poppy is a digger, so hers is a high rise washing tray I got for two bucks, whereas Sorrel doesn’t dig at all, so he has a corner one at the moment. Lots of people recommend cat litter trays! It’s also a good idea to line the tray with puppy pee pads, just to save yourself cleaning the base thoroughly every single day.

Oh yes, he is quite a big breed xP He sounds so mischevious! I think he and Poppy would get along with breaching places they shouldn’t be going. If Allen ends up being a digger, you can invest in a large sized grate litter box! It stops them from getting in at their litter/poop and making a big mess. I really should invest in one, but I’m trying to teach my buns not to dig… so far not working.

Also, the tunnels are amazing! Cat tunnels are also bigger and great, and some people even recommend DIY tunnels with the laundry baskets you can get that pop out. They’re super, super cute, but my buns are pretty small. Also, definitely let us know what you find! I created Sorrel’s hidey place from the C&C cubes as an addition, and Poppy’s is literally just the top of her old cage with a big blanket over it. I’ve seen people make castles out of cardboard boxes they have around, which is great if your bun is a chewer like mine. A house and a toy in one! Though, you did mention his previous habitat was mostly cardboard anyway.

Yes, so many options! Here is my set up. I was going to wait until I had cleaned the cage so it would look all neat and organised but I figured I may as well show you how it looks 99% of the time. :’)

I have a pen that’s 76 cm high, every pen part is 80 cm long. Muffin has tried to climb out and IS able to climb out if she has a soft/sturdy surface to launch herself (such as the litter box, carton or a blanket) but she cannot climb out from the vinyl flooring as it’s a little too slippery for her to launch properly, ha. This is why I have a blanket over the litter box where I attached some lace too to tie to the pen. As I said, the flooring is vinyl and under there are some plastic sheets from my dads work.

 Inside I have a large black cat litter box (on the left) filled with Back2nature paper pellets and hay. Most hay I just deposit in their litter box in a corner, a small part goes into a hay ball. I like doing this in case they squish all the loose hay (which means they will not eat it anymore), they will always have atleast the hay ball to eat out of. Muffin also likes throwing it around. 

I always have a box in there as a hidey house (Muffin and Monster are sleeping in there in the picture). Normally it’s not as big as this one, I just use whatever box I have saved from orders I receive. They really adore this huge one, though. They decided to make extra windows and doors in it, haha.

There is also always some sort of tunnel. Right now it’s the wooden bendy one. At the back of the tunnel are two Rosenwood floral baskets. They are chewable rabbit toys and I just hung them on the pen. I always have a selection of 2-4 toys in the pen that I switch out every week. In front of the box you see a half willow ball (the other half was eaten already) and the rest of the toys were hiding in the box. 

In the box is also a second small litterbox with a glass bowl as you can see a little better in the pic below. I put it inside the box because else Muffin will use it to launch herself out of the pen. I put the water bowl inside the litter box because they may tip it over or walk through it and spill water everywhere. Now any spills are cought inside the box by the litter, handy! I don’t put any hay there and they don’t use it to pee and poop in, which is great.

On the right is a painting just outside the pen, sitting on the floor because there are wire there and I don’t want them to chew those. The metal rod thing with dream catcher is a lamp and yes it’s inside their pen. :’) The wire is hidden behind the painting. I also put some decorative feathers and a butterfly-wood thingy (that had more flowers in it but somebunny pulled them inside and ate them, they leave the last lone flower alone though haha) on the outside of the pen and in front of a pen is a rolled up extra piece of vinyl so any loose hairs or hay will get stuck there and won’t fly through the living room. It also helps to keep the pen in place if they decide to go bat $*&! crazy in there. I’m thinking about removing it though, it looks less pretty haha.

Recommendations:

– Bedding: I have used wood shavings, wood pellets and paper pellets. Aspen shavings were too dusty for my liking. I found that if your rabbit does not pee much, wood pellets are great because it gives off a nice wood scent and keeps smells away the longest. However if your rabbits pee a lot or if you have 2 rabbits, paper pellets are better I find. Wood pellets turn into some sort of sand when they get wet and get twice as heavy. A lot of pee thus means a RIDICULOUSLY heavy litter box and the buns will drag the sand/dust everywhere with their little feetsies. Paper pellets just get bigger and darker, they don’t give any mess at all and are so easy to clean up!

– Litter box: A big one! Don’t get a rabbit one, get one made for cats! If you have two bunnies make sure they can be both in there at the same time without having to squeeze.

– Pen: Get one that you can pull apart completely (with the pins like I have). It makes for easy cleaning! When I do the weekly epic clean I will take out the pin you see in the picture and open the entire front part of the pen for easy reaching.

I second getting a pen that you can pull apart completely if you have messy buns! My buns are being bonded right now, and trying to clean their C&C cages without letting them actually get to each other by pulling the bottom parts apart is a nightmare! C&C are good if your buns are litter trained, though… but mine are still learning. xP

That giant cat litter tray is super good! I might consider that sooner or later! Your space is so bright and open, and I love how you’ve got the blanket above their bedding for some nice shade!

I know right! Usually it’s only fur and hair here, but I’ve been on holiday so they stayed somewhere else and now they feel the need to mark their territory again with little poops *sigh*.

It’s not the vinyl doing something special to keep the fur and hay from flying through the room, it’s just acting like a wall, the hay and fur get caught behind it. :’) I’m still figuring out a prettier way to make some sort of “wall” to keep hay and fur in the pen that won’t be chewed by the buns. Maybe with wood, plastic or fleece. I prefer fleece because I have worked with fabrics before and can sew whereas working with plastic or wood is completely alien to me haha.