Bottom of cage

[riley47203]

I have a 5 month old himalayan. He is our first bunny…his name is Chicken…lol. I was wondering what everyone uses for the bottom of the cage. I know the wire is not good for his feet. I bought a bed but he started eating it…I put a towel in there and he started eating that as well. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

Trena

[JK]

Yes, wire is very bad for their feet.  You can get a remnant of linoleum for the bottom of the cage which is very cleanable. Just cut it to fit the cage.  I use towels for the bedding but that’s not working for you.  I’m sure someone will have a great suggestion on that.  Welcome to this great site!  

[Firsttimer]

Hi there, I had this problem in the beginning and tried so many times, I have wood floors so I also needed to find something that Pepper could walk on. She at everything! Anyway, she now gets a towel in her cage, I have a set of Peppers towels – all full of holes! Someone also suggested that I try grass matts which Pepper uses on the hard wood floor. Edible and safe.

[skunklionshow]

You might want to search this topic b/c its a frequent question…

 I size cardboard first and then cover w/ either newspaper or rag rugs depending on what is best for that area.  Occassionally they do rip up the rag rugs…however, they tend to pull out some of the woven strips/rugs and not eat them.  I also agree that the sea grass is a good alternative.

[Cadbury]

I’ve put grass mats in Cadbury’s cage and it works well!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hi and welcome Riley, Chicken, what a funny name! I used linoleum tiles, wood and stone tile flippied wrong side up for traction and on a few spots I have some berber fur pieces of fabric over the linoleum and in some areas over a carpet remenant for extra softness because Daffodil has a tendency towards sore hocks.

[MooBunnay]

Welcome to Binky Bunny Trena

First I wanted to ask if your bunny is litter trained? I assume generally that people have wire bottomed cages if their bunnies aren’t litter trained so that the poops go through the wire – is that correct? If so, getting started on litter training her will really help when it comes to which cage bottom you choose. During litter training I recommend something that won’t soak up pee such as linoleum, or a plastic or vinyl mat. Once your bunny is litter trained, I’d recommend something soft like a rug or carpet mat. Since your bunny has been on wire, take a look at the "heels" of his feet o make sure they are not red or sore, that is called "sore hocks" and an injury that often results when bunnies are kept on wire cages. If your bun does have that, you should skip the more "hard" cage floorings and go directly for a carpet or rug to prevent the bunny from having hurt feet.

[riley47203]

Yes he is litter trained but has a few accidents. Thanks to everyone who responded! I think we are going to try the linoleum and see how that goes. We are building him a home from the cubes right now…it already looks so much better than the cage!

[Beka27]

welcome here!  i must have missed this thread before… but everyone gave excellent advice!  yeah… wire bottoms really are a big no-no.  i’m so happy that you’re in the process of making a new enclosure for Chicken (lol at name!)  he will be so much happier with more room.

for some help on littertraining, check out the HRS FAQ linked below

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html

and Binky Bunny has a step-by-step littertraining process that is very informative

go to the top where it says bunny info > litterbox training

and feel free to ask any more questions that you might have!

 

edited to add: i just noticed his age… if he’s not neutered yet, that will also help out with littertraining big time!

[Gravehearted]

I’m glad you’re making him a new house 🙂  Linoleum is pretty slippery.  You might try some mats or even cheap ikea rugs in the meantime. Binky bunny sells some of the large size, perfect for protecting his feet and munching too!

[Lisa_43]

Welcome Riley.

I look at it this way I wouldn’t want to stand bare feet on a wire floor so I definitely wouldn’t put a rabbit on one.

I use lino flooring but it’s rough and not slippery, I also use mats so they can use both surfaces.

[Author]

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