Condos are great for bunnies to live in, but an ex-pen is very helpful in addition because when you let your bunny out for exercise time, you may want to block out a certain area for him/her to run around in. If you can only get one or another, I’d recommend the expen because you can make it bigger or smaller when you want, if you have just the condo, it woud be more difficult to give your bunny exercise time at first.

Also, when you first get your bunny, you’ll want to limit his/her time out to a small area to litter train, so the expen will be helpful for that as well.

Look in the “Cool Habitats” section for some ideas of what you can make a condo look like or even mixed condos/pen set ups. Personally if I had the choice I would go with an x-pen set up. Hopefully Beka will come here and post a picture of the set up she has for her 2 buns it’s wonderful! If not there is a picture of it (and a few other pics) I believe in the thread called “xpens?” in this same forum. For Smudge right now I have a condo that has 2 level in it, she really enjoys it and it was not that expensive or hard to make but you do have to be creative, I also have recently attached a pen to the front of the condo, it’s nice to be able to leave the door open so she can come and go as she pleases.

Condo Pros – (for me) enclosed/high enough to not worry about our dog bothering Smudge. They get along but I wouldn’t trust them alone together. The levels are nice because I am OCD about organizing things lol Litter is on the bottom floor, food and water on first level, salad is served on the top level every morning. The levels are also nice because Smudge can greet people on the top level. The condo also is a good use of the limited space I have (Smudge is in our kitchen) and the closed door is sort of a protection when we have my small cousins come to visit or just a place she can go to feel safe.

Condo Cons – Harder to clean than an xpen because you have to get inside the condo to get the back corners. Xpens you can set up however you would like without working around ramps/levels. Condos can be difficult to build sometimes.. I did struggle a bit building mine, trying to be inventive with ramps and still secure and safe. An xpen provides more of an open space to interact with your bun and also more open space for them to hop around in. Xpens can be taken down, added to or moved around much easier than a condo (mine at least even though its on wheels, some other people are much more creative and can create condo masterpieces hehe).

Really it’s whatever is going to work best for the space you have. If you like something more open and definately easier to clean then go for the Xpen, if you want your bun to have an enclosed space too you can go for a condo and a pen or like some other people build a pen around a cage for your bun. Or if you just go with the condo try to build it wider rather than taller and you can take your bun out for playtime and excercise more often and always add a pen later. Either option is a good choice (and much better than spending a fortune on a cramped small cage from a petstore). Definately check out the habitats section thats where I got all the ideas for mine

From what you have said so far, it sounds like you’ll want a condo. That way your dad will be happy about ‘keeping the rabbit in it’s cage’. A good sized condo works just fine for a bun though. Something else you may want to invest in is a small shop vac. These things are WONDERFUL for keeping pet areas clean. They suck up fur, poops, litter, hay, pellets, etc. I can clean my bun’s condo in under 10 seconds with one of them.

If you build your own condo, just make sure to leave a section open that is big enough for you to fit into it. Using Dog clips or binder clips to hold it close works well.

YAY on your dad coming around!  if you can get an xpen, i would definitely get one, they are great to have.  even if you build a condo, you can attach the xpen also, and have it like a “yard” for the bunny.  or use it in a different room altogether.

1) what kind of flooring are you going to use?  both an xpen or condo needs flooring, either a scrap of linoleum, or a large rug.  if you put it permamently in a kitchen or somewhere with linoleum, you might choose to just use the existing floor.

2) we are now finding out that the Target brand NIC grids are changing where they are pretty much useless for condo building, do you have other sources near you to get them?

3) what size space are you working with?  a square xpen is 4×4 feet, or you can make it long and narrow 2×8 feet.  a condo can be configured any way you want.

4) will your dad be willing to help you build a condo?  it will make him feel a part of the bunny thing, and it will help you when it comes to cutting levels and such.  he might even be willing to make you a nifty base with castors for easy moving.

i have xpens, two of them, joined together in a 4×8 foot rectangle.  when i was bunny bonding, each had their own xpen, and since they’ve been bonded, i have a big area.  they do have their own room, so even if i cannot have them out all over the house, i can have them out in their room.

right before we got our second bun… 2 separate pens, each with a large cat litterbox.  plenty of room for a bunny.

the two pens together…

this is not an xpen, but it is a fence made from 16 NIC grids.  i keep it handy for blocking off the living room if my husband needs some peace.  the bunnies can come and play on the other side without being right in his face.

show your mom and dad pics of xpens and pics of condos and involve everyone in the decision.  i like the xpens b/c once a week i can completely remove them from the rug and vacuum the carpet thoroughly to pick up fur.  once a day, i take a handvac in there and suck up fur, hay and stray poops.  any other questions, please ask!

Beka’s set up is the one to go for!!  I am such a big fan of xpens!

The only issue is if yer bun’s a jumper. Maryann has jumped out/over 4 foot tall walls. She’s a persistent bun.

Beka- where did you get that x-pen? Any suggestions on what I should look for b/c that is exactly what I need!!! I just have a bunch of the NIC grids built around my buns cage but it is a hassle to clean up or move…. THANKS

mine are from PetSmart…  http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp

make sure it is the walk-thru (step-thru) kind.  there are some that have an itty bitty door in the middle, but that is not helpful for humans to go in and clean up or feed.

3 sizes:  24 in (way too short), 36 in (that’s what i have) and 42 in.

depending on your bun, you need to determine what size you need.  is she a jumper?  what i had in my 2nd pic is two joined together.  four of the panels are overlapped, so i could even make it BIGGER if i wanted.

see the pic of the lil bunny on the box?

I’m also a fan of the pens if you have room. I have had both and both had the positives, but the main reason I like pen set-ups is how easy they are to clean.